This isn’t exactly my usual hostel review. Firstly because the STA Travel Hostel was open for 4 days only. And secondly because it was at Bestival, in the middle of a field on the Isle Of Wight. Pretty unique.
As my regular readers will know, I was invited out stay at the STA Travel Hostel last weekend to enjoy the delights of having my own bed in a hostel whilst at a festival! No camping necessary.
I’ve got to say, that was the best part of the Bestival experience for me. No condensation to the face when you turn over in the morning, no tripping over guy ropes when you go to the toilet in the middle of the night and no trying to roll up your sleeping bag into the impossibly small cover whilst hungover on the Monday morning. Total dream.
So what was this place like? Well for starters, pretty damn colourful!
And the inside was just as beautifully decorated with lanterns and travelling postcards. I’ll be honest, when I stay in a hostel I usually go for the dorm room option, so this lovely private room was a treat! Who else has a full length mirror when they’re at a festival? And did I mention there were showers? And straighteners?! No Batiste for me, kids.
You couldn’t miss the STA Travel Hostel on the walk from the campsites to the stages so a lot of campsite-goers popped in, which was fun. And it was perfectly situated right next to the barriers into the festival. That meant that if I wanted to pop back for a coat in the evening, it wasn’t the massive trek you normally have to do at these kind of things.
It was very much like a hostel you would find in Australia or the US, with a ping pong table, films shown in the common area in the afternoon, and lots of cool people partying in their hoodies! (That pretty much sums up hostels right?)
Talking of partying, they had some sick bands and DJs playing, Passport to Stockholm in particular were cool.
And fun activities like drumming sessions and morning yoga in the sunshine! Seeing hungover lads in gold spandex trying out yoga first time is a personal highlight of mine.
Throw in a welcome BBQ, bacon sarnies every morning and Innocent smoothies post-yoga workout, and I was sold. You don’t get that at the YHA do you?
On top of all the hostel goodness, there was an STA Travel double decker bus onsite where festival-goers could book their trip of a lifetime. This meant I got to try out some cool VR tech of amazing places to visit in the US! It definitely does the trick to fire up the wanderlust.
As you can see, I really enjoyed staying at the STA Travel Hostel! The atmosphere was awesome and I feel really grateful that I got a chance to try it out.
But you see, here’s the part where I usually send links your way so you can book yourself a spot…. but alas this was a one time only deal!! Don’t worry, there were competition winners who got a chance to stay at the STA Travel Hostel, so the next time a competition comes up, I’ll be sending it your way! Stay tuned…
What do you think of the STA Travel Hostel? Don’t you think there should be one at every festival?! Leave a comment below or tweet me @HeelsInBackpack!
Please note this is a sponsored post but all views expressed are my own! I wouldn’t play you like that shorty.
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