Oh god, I did way too much travelling this summer (if that’s possible). Because I still have so many blog posts to share with you! So you’ll have to bear with me and think back a few months to my time in Rome for this one.
Remember I went there to pick up the Anchored cruise? Well I was actually pretty low on time with just two nights in this beautiful city to soak up as much pizza, architecture and history as possible.
And I decided to spend them staying at The Yellow hostel, based on its glowing reviews.
To be honest, The Yellow definitely seemed like a party hostel from its website, so I was a bit hesitant about my stay. As much as I love going for a drink, no-one wants to be kept up all night, right?
But the set-up was actually pretty ingenius. Because even though it is a bit of a party hostel with regular live bands and beer pong and all the good stuff, it’s actually all across the road in the hostel bar. So it’s completely quiet in your room when you do decide to call it a night.
The first night we were there, we arrived pretty late and were knackered from doing an after-work Friday night flight from London. But on the Saturday night we head over to The Yellow Bar and got to see a pretty decent Oasis Tribute band! And everyone seemed pretty cool in there, like normal down-to-earth backpacker types. Good vibes, you know?
Plus, very cheap drinks with additional discounts for those staying at the hostel. So there’s that.
Across the road in the main hostel building, it’s a lot more chilled.
There are some basement rooms with a chill-out beanbag room and a clean kitchen. But it’s pretty empty down here to be honest. It’s a sociable hostel so everyone’s across the road at the bar! It’s definitely a “design hostel” too with a chic industrial lobby.
Oh and not forgetting the on-site hairdressers/barbers which is quite a nice touch I thought! Plus, free WiFi! All good things.
The room itself was quite basic though. I mean there was nothing negative about it that I could tell you, the double room had all the amenities I could ask for. But I think it just seemed very plain considering all the design details downstairs.
It did have a beaut balcony though, overlooking a little courtyard. You could also see the gold statue from the nearby cathedral peeking above the skyline. It all felt very Italian!
I think the thing that makes The Yellow special though is the massive offers of tours and classes they have on offer.
Sure, they have basic day walking tours for hostel-goers but there are lots of more exciting activities to do. I’m gutted I didn’t have time to try it, but I would have loved to do one of their Italian cooking classes. They actually work with the restaurant next door – Mama Angela – and offer specific tutorials like how to make your own pasta or perfect the art of making gelato! Ahhh sounds so fun!
There are also bike tours and night photography tours and even an escape room! So much to do and lots of awesome opportunities to make new friends if you’re travelling solo.
Location-wise, The Yellow is pretty decent. It’s about 10 minutes from Rome’s main train station so it’s easy to get from the airport via train. But it’s a bit longer to get to the sights like the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain or Spanish Steps. I did most exploring on foot and managed to walk 30,000 steps in a day! But you can grab the Metro, so it is easy to get around.
In the immediate are there’s also a nice selection of cafes and restaurants. I had dinner at Rossi Tiziano down the road and it was delicious and quite cheap so would recommend a visit. Plus the pizza joint over the road, Pizzeria Del Secolo was ideal for a late night snack after a visit to the bar. Fantastic artichoke pizza, y’all.
Overall, a really cool hostel and a good shout for solo travellers! You can check it out over here.
Let me know what you think in the comments below or tweet me @HeelsInBackpack!
Total Blogger Transparency: I enjoyed a complimentary visit to The Yellow, Rome, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I wouldn’t play you like that, shorty.