A friendly welcoming hostel up the hill from the village centre. A former hotel, the rooms are all…read morequite small and typically just have the two bunks. Internal signage is mostly only in German so be a good traveller and swot up on your language skills before you go. To keep costs down, the hostel accepts donations from the local fire service for using the building for training exercises. I didn't know this and arrived back from a walk in the village to find a fireman up a ladder removing one of the hostel wardens from an upstairs room.

I stayed here for 3 nights in the summer of 2002. My travelmate and I were trying to shake off a…read morebad experience in Milan, and we had a preternatural belief that Lake Como was the perfect place. I don't recall how we found the listing, nor can I find a website for it, but I cannot say enough about this place. Describing it to people always leaves me sheepish because it inevitably sounds like I'm recounting an awesome dream. This place is part hostel, part music venue, part restaurant. part beach club, and part bar. Yes, I'm serious. My best friend and I would sleep in entirely comfortable, simple accommodations upstairs, and then upon waking, we'd spend the day jumping on the trampoline, floating in the lake, eating pizza [they had a pizza oven, of course], and sipping inexpensive cocktails. It happened that our stay coincided with the World Cup, so my soccer-fanatic travelmate could sit and watch the games on the big screen in the bar/music venue/restaurant. Honestly, that's how we spent 3 days. The hostel accommodations were entirely no-frills, but they were clean, comfortable, safe, and reasonably priced. (We slept with the windows open to capture the wonderful breeze off the lake, and one more we woke up to find a little lizard taking a snooze on an empty beer bottle that we'd left on the floor the night before. We named her Liz. I told the manager about the lizard and he seemed really embarrassed. Unduly so-- it just added to the charm of the place. And I'm not a nature girl!) The staff was unbelievably warm and friendly, and they encouraged us to relax and just have fun. There was a sense of "nothing must, anything can", and "il dolce di far niente"-- quite a departure from Milan and Rome. If I find myself back in Como, and I can't score a room in George Clooney's villa, I plan on staying at La Vespa again, even if my youth hostel days are long gone. Haters gonna hate, but there's something ecstatic about jumping on a trampoline with Lake Como and the Alps as a backdrop, waiting for your pizza to be baked.

I highly recommend this Hütte, nestled about 1300m up into Austrian Heaven…read more It gets its name from the Alpenverein that founded and used to operate it (and perhaps still is involved somehow?). That chapter was, as you probably have guessed, based in Lindau. The feeling during my three day stay here was more like at an exclusive though rustic resort than at a Hütte. The whole experience was so clean, so professionally operated, and so friendly. There is a "no shoes" rule, meaning you have to rinse your boots off outside, store them away in the cloakroom, and wear slippers/indoor shoes throughout the rest of the building. I wish I'd known that in advance. I had many dirty, wet socks as a result. But hey, the restaurant was always warm, so it wasn't too bad. The food prices are comparable to "Munich prices", meaning expensive if you're used to small town prices, but quite reasonable if you come from a decent-sized city. There is always a great deal for lunch, and I recommend taking advantage of it if whatever they have on offer appeals to you. You won't be disappointed! I even went with a salad one time and was very pleasantly surprised by how large and filling it was. The kitchen stays open only to about 22:00, but if you intend to get up early the next morning for some hiking, you already know that is late enough. Breakfast starts, if I recall correctly, and about 06:00. There are three options: small, medium, and large! I'm a fat-ass, so I always went with large: meat, cheese, bread, jam, butter, and tea (or coffee, if you prefer). A shower token costs €2, and gets you 5 minutes of hot water. I tested my manliness by taking a full shower with only cold water. That was fine in the middle of summer, but for the colder months, I wouldn't wish that experience on a hardened inmate. Short story: get the token if it's not sunny and 30C outside. Each floor has a men's toilet and a women's toilet, as well as a men's washroom and a women's washroom. Hot water is obviously free there, so if you don't feel you need a shower, you can get a lot done there. Or if 5 minutes is too little for you, bird shower upstairs and then shower shower downstairs in the shower room. If you're an overnight guest (not just passing through for lunch), you get a pamphlet with all the options of what you can purchase during your stay, from shower tokens to wine to lunch plates. DON'T LOSE THAT! You need that when you order so the waitress can mark it all down. And don't forget that for breakfast. And on your last morning, just pay right then and there. They do take cards, but the machine only works in one corner of the building, so be prepared to wait a few minutes while it tries to connect. Enjoy your stay!

Very comfortable hostel in a quiet and ancient property of XIV, affordable prices (15/30 €) and…read morevery kind staff. I slept here some nights and I will sure be back, it is close from Milan and from malpensa by car and by train too (1h). The around area has interesting sites to visit.

The grounds are beautiful! There's a little grotto connecting the hostel to the hotel. We reserved…read morea room at the hotel and it looks like it was actually called "Continental park hotel" but right next to the hostel. The room was small but clean and nice. The pool was refreshing, clean and plenty of room even on a hot day. There's also a ping pong table on the lawn. The location is perfect, close to the train and the lake. But what amazed me the most was the wonderful service. They were so friendly and accommodating. I'd definitely stay here again.

Nice Hostel with excellent surroundings, situated right next to the train station but not noisy…read more Welcoming people, good kitchen and an ok living dining room (a cozy corner is missing). Bunks are quite big but seem to be ok (ours was half empty). I came down here for cycling and will definitely come back again.

I travel for a living and have stayed in a number of hostels before. This by far was the most…read moreunpleasant. First thing is no one answers the phones. Check in was at 3 pm, and I wanted to know if I could drop my bags and no one answered. Upon arriving to the hostel , the guy behind the bar didn't even acknowledge me , never looked me in the eye .. I had to say "excuse me " two times . I asked about check in , and while on his phone says "you're early ", then thru me a key and said where I could stow my bags ... Very unpleasant, however he flirted with every woman who came in the cafe . Actually all the guys were not too pleasant , the women were sweet however. Otherwise the hostel was very clean and kept . Nice clean bathrooms and dorms. Hot water only lasted maybe ten minutes, but is expected with hostels , where there are numerous people. I wish there was more than one bathroom , that was kind of brutal, but luckily I stayed in a six bedroom where I only saw two other girls Nice hostel to meet people, in the party area , but customer service here sucks .. and I probably wouldn't stay here in again.

If you want to stay in the red light district of Zurich in a place above a bar where old men hit on…read moreyoung girls then this is the place for you. For the price you pay it is not worth the money other than the fact that it is semi-close to downtown. There is one dirty bathroom for a room of 8 people in the mixed room making it nearly impossible to get ready when you want to. Not to mention the bed's squeak every time someone moves waking you up each time. Because you are downtown you hear noises that sound like people fighting followed by sirens. STAY IN AN AIRBNB OVER THIS!

I think this is the first HI hostel I've been to where it's not compulsory to be a HI member…read more Certainly this is the first where there were mixed sex rooms. The crowd kept to themselves, probably because this hostel is so big, the common area does not facilitate interaction (which is a flip side of a large, spacious common area). It welcomes guests of all ages, unlike some which (try to) enforce (relative) youth in guests. A good breakfast with a good spread is included in the price (there're even some local products), and it starts at 6am! Lunch & dinner are also available at reasonable prices (for Switzerland). The room was quite roomy. The power socket was really near bed - just above it, though it was recessed as is common in Switzerland so not all power adaptors will be able to use it. The lockers were both in the room and large.

This is a hostel located at prime location! You'll be close…read moreto everything in Zurich, perfect for tourism. I loved the rooms, the hangout areas, breakfast - all impressive! However, one thing that concerned us were, surprise parking fee which was not mentioned before. Overall it's pricey but maybe worth it!