I stayed at this Hostel as a home base traveling the Southern Italian Riviera such as Portofino,…read moreMargherita, Pisa, Rome, etc. I rented a car and drove everywhere. It was worth every penny staying at this Hostel because it was quiet and beautiful. Please note: There are no street signs getting to this Hostel like the Genova Police Officer, Luigi told me: "You go uppa, den you go downa, den you go righta. Finda da Principe Yellow Signa-den you go uppa . . .!" Oy-Evay! If you get lost-please go to the police station located in the downtown area of Genova. The police officers will draw a map for you! http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&cp=20&gs_id=1s&xhr=t&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=943&bih=444&wrapid=tljp1317524030424038&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=Hostels-Genoa+Italy&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Hostels&hnear=0x12d343e621ae6f69:0x69f753c6b5ba02bb,Genoa,+Italy&cid=12705655512246181028

Stay here! Grand…read moreHostel Manin was my home base for my couple days in Cinque Terre. It's about a 15 min walk from La Spezia train station and right next to the harbor to catch the ferry. Overall great location also next to a lot of great bars and restaurants for aperitivo! This is the cleanest most well organized hostel I've ever stayed at in Europe. The rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, shared areas are all impeccable. There's also family dinners on some days so make sure to let them know you can make it. For 5 euros, you get a homecooked meal, wine, and great conversation with travelers from around the world. I would definitely recommend you stay here! For an affordable price and unbeatable location - not to mention its right around the corner from a fantastic gelato place!

This hostel is stellar. One of the top three hostels that I've stayed in during my time in Europe…read more La Spezia is an amazingly clean and chic little town very accessible to the Cinque Terre (5 towns) in Northern Italy known for the picturesque hiking trails. It is brand new, and every inch of it is so clean that it reminds me of a Craft and Barrel showcase. One of my favorite things about this hostel is the great breakfast. Usually hostels don't have breakfast, or they only have really expensive and mediocre breakfast. This hostel has a wonderful breakfast- you get free foccacia that was freshly made that morning. I honestly thought that they were going to ration out the foccacia because it was that good, but they always have enough for everyone, even the ones who wake up late. I really appreciated how welcoming and generous the staff was. The staff celebrated my birthday with me and I was so glad I decided to stay here for that special occasion. I was also really thrilled that they held a pasta making class for 6 euro, they did a great job with that. Most pasta making classes on tour sites like Viator are 50 and up, what a bargain for 6 euro! To be honest, this hostel pretty much gets a solid 10 in every category I could think of. Wonderful location in a high end building in a chic neighborhood. Close the train station to take you to the Cinque Terre (it's only a 7 minute ride). Chic interior that really sets the place apart. Basically nothing can go wrong here! :)

I had a wonderful stay here!! I would definitely like to come back (which isn't common for me), so…read moreread more to see why. AMBIANCE/COMMON AREA: Friendly, laid-back atmosphere amongst the guests. Besides the dining room, there is only 1 main common area, which is small and gets crowded every night. There is a TV and DVDs available so one can chill and watch. There is a mini-fridge and microwave available in this area. The view from the common room is just gorgeous! STAFF: The staff are locals. They are polite and laid-back. They sell bus tickets to go to La Spezia. Free shuttle rides with a 3-night stay or more. FOOD: You can see the chefs cooking in the kitchen. Niko is the head chef. He does a fantastic job with the meals. Damiano is also great. Both are great cooks and nice! Maybe one day I'll come back and ask for private cooking tutorials (seriously though). Dinner is made to order. My favorite dishes were: the breakfast yogurt with fruits and bits of shaved chocolate, gnocchi, spaghetti with mussels/tuna, Chantilly cream dessert, and tiramisu. All simple, but super delicious! Prices are very reasonable. I enjoyed the food here over the Italian restaurants I have been to on my trip around Italy. The menu changes every 2 to 3 days. DOWNSIDES: -Fridge is too small. So you can't really buy much items. -Only 2 outlets in the 4-bed female dorm room. -The bathroom could use more wall hooks and/or a mini-table to place your items for showering. -There is no activity to foster social interaction. You are left on your own to initiate conversation. But at least the atmosphere amongst guests was friendly though. -They really should get a laundry dryer for guests, especially on days it's raining or cold. -The shuttle times to Riomaggiore is limited.

Although this hostel is set on a mountain with a beautiful fog that lifts over the Cinque Terre…read morearea each morning, I chose to stay here because 1) hotels were very expensive in the 5 Terre cities when I looked and 2) it seems walkable to the first of the 5 Terre cities: Riomaggiore. However, I clearly didn't think this through, as the hostel is on a mountain up a narrow, windy road with no sidewalks. Even though I was within walking distance to Riomaggiore, the route was not really walkable. And, when the wifi that was supposed to be available in "every area of the hostel" didn't work AT ALL in the room I was staying in, and when the wifi didn't work AT ALL on my laptop even when sitting right next to the router, and when the internet didn't work AT ALL anywhere even on my phone the day the clouds hung a little thicker in the sky over the mountain, I found myself wishing I had just stayed in La Spezia. La Spezia is an easy train ride (or bus ride) to Riomaggiore (or the other 5 Terre towns) and had many more amenities. Granted, you don't get the mountain view or a non-walkable walkable distance to 5 Terre, but in exchange you have access to more reliable wifi wherever you are as well as a library, a real grocery store and more city life. And, La Spezia is kinda cute. Aside from the wifi issue, this hostel had some charm. Upon arrival, the owner took a good deal of time to orient me to the area. They had real beds (fairly comfortable, though the flat pillow sucked), big lockers (bring your own lock) and ample heating. And, if you didn't eat in town after hiking the trails, you could always grab a meal back at the hostel for a fairly reasonable price (4 euros and up depending on the meal and item) as well as alcohol. (Note: There is only a microwave and mini fridge if you plan to bring your own food, so don't bring anything that requires real cooking!) Plus, despite the fact that there were probably about 10 people per shower, I never had to wait for the shower and the water was always hot. That said, the showers were extremely small, so I was a bit bothered when I'd bend over slightly to try to wash my feet and hit my butt on the slightly moldy wall. Ick! Plus, this place advertises shuttles that can take you to Riomaggiore (free if you stay at least 3 nights; otherwise 1 euro) but the hours are very limited--morning shuttles that can fill up (you must sign up the night before) for 8:30 am, 9:00 am, 9:30 am, and 10:00 am and then returning shuttles from 7:30 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:30 pm, 9:00 pm, 9:30 pm, and maybe 10:00 pm. So, unless you find the local bus (1,50 if you buy a ticket in advance; more like 2,15 if you buy your ticket on board the bus, which is Italy's way pretty much countrywide), you are committed to a LOOOONG day of at least 9.5 hours. But, since the hostel kicks you out of your room each day between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm for cleaning anyway (they have signs asking you to leave the hostel entirely, but in reality you don't have to as long as you don't access your room or bathroom during the 4 hours), I guess that makes some sense, though having an afternoon shuttle option would make more sense; they could implement a quota for it to run if cost is an issue. As for the noise, it's fairly typical for a hostel that has rooms right off the common room: LOUD. The rooms upstairs suffer from the echoing acoustics of drunkards in the common room until about 1:30 am, while the folks below experience the sounds of chairs being dragged across the floor. The noise begins again in the mornings when the radio blasts from the kitchen and folks start congregating for breakfast around 7:30 am. And, there's some kind of alarm that sounds like the nearby (hourly) church bell that goes off. Definitely bring earplugs unless this place installs some soundproof hallway doors to stop the echoing noise. Bottom line: If you want the view and don't mind the noise or lack of amenities, it's fine. Otherwise, wrangle some hostellers and just share a hotel room or find a hostel in La Spezia.

Felt like getting some fresh air and this was the perfect spot. Great hosts. They treat you well…read moreand keep everything clean.

Ostello Bello was fantastic. The service, cleanliness, location, and room were all excellent and I…read morewould highly recommend staying here if you're looking for a good hostel experience.

Here is a text from my memory, which must now go back to the times in 1994…read more As a child I regularly visited this campsite with my parents and my brother, as campers and as a proud tenant of a bungalow. The 1200 km long journey from Germany all took in their stride, although without an air conditioning and navigation in the car, it not made the journey a pleasure. One of the first things that hit me in the head when I look back, is the incredibly intense fragrance of a streamed after go out from the car in the nose of conifers and olive trees in addition the whole place was cozy. The panoramic view from the mountain to the open sea makes the typical holiday feeling strong again. The two pools that were easily accessible from anywhere on the grounds were always well attended and my parents and we children were fast connection to other visitors. The small supermarket and the restaurant were a blast, also for the Framework Programme for entertainment (children's discos, night swimming, animation) I have good memories. As an camper you had all the comforts of home near the standing space of your tent, washing their own closeable refrigerator and flushing and showers. In the bungalow, of course, everything was integrated. At night you could hear the quiet chirping of crickets while still a comfortable 20 degrees. The surrounding area was easyly to reach in the car, like the beach, sightseeing the cities of Genoa and San Remo. Then 14 days were far too fast gone. In my opinion, be recommended if today has not changed much of the charm of the plant.

Queen Hostel was a truly awesome experience. Why?…read more Fast and cheerful check in. Open large common spaces with table tennis, pool, a bar with good deal and activities every evening. One night I did the pasta cooking class. WiFi was strong and consistent (no need to chase down a WiFi cafe) Staff always there to help with local tips - food, going out, things to do, underground stuff. I really liked Lacerba a quirky local cocktail and aperitivo place about 5 minutes from the hostel. It is an easy 10 minute stroll to the inner old town with the Duomo di Milano (famous cathedral) You can hop on 3-4 different types of transport very close by and get anywhere in Milan quickly - so so convenient as Milan is much bigger than you may expect.

I had a blast here. The multilingual staff clearly LOVES working there, which says a lot. They hang…read moreout even when they're not working, people who stay there as guests stay longer so they can start working there, and you almost can't tell the difference between guests and staff because everyone is just getting to know each other, chatting, sharing favorite sights and activities in Milan, etc. It was a cheery, energetic environment when I arrived, and they give you a drink when you get there. It's definitely a party vibe, which I frankly HATE (peopling is exhausting), and I still had a great time, so I can't really give higher praise than that. And if you want to go to sleep, no worries--you won't hear a thing from your bedroom. They accommodated my celiac with some gluten-free items for breakfast! Huge plus. There's a very generously sized kitchen and standard-sized refrigerator if you want to do your own cooking or storing of food. Bathroom was clean, though I cannot understand why someone would put the shower nozzle facing opposite the door, so the second you turn it on you are already spraying water all over the floor of the bathroom.... Lots of outlets in rooms and common areas, hooray! Bring your own adaptor if you don't have European devices. But the bedroom outlets also have a second USB-only outlet, which is dope, because the other outlet near your bed has to be shared with your reading light and whatever other thing you're trying to plug in, so you can't charge two things at once unless you're fine doing it in the dark. My big complaint is laundry: you're not allowed to do your own even though there are multiple machines (and even though it would have been far more convenient for me to do laundry in the middle of the night instead of having to entrust my clothes to someone else), and 10 euro is waaaaaaay too much. My clothes were still damp when I got them back (I guess because I asked for them instead of waiting to just be handed them? But it had been like eight hours and I wanted to sleep and they had my pajamas? So....?), so I had to spread them all around my room and felt like a jerk to my roommates for doing so. I ended up with someone else's undies and lost some of my own, which sucks when you're traveling because that's not something you want to run low on, and it also sucks because I really liked that pair in particular and also because I'm not trying to spend unnecessary extra money on something like undies and also I don't like thinking about how SOME STRANGER HAS MY UNDERWEAR. *shudders* But still, I unreservedly recommend this place--just, if you're traveling to lots of places, do your laundry before and after your Milan stop.

What a tasty surprise. I stopped in for a quick bite and drink while I waited for my ride. I was…read moregreeting by a awesome staff member that speaks English, which was great because after the long train ride my broken Italian wasnt working. I ordered a mojito and decided to choose one of the sandwiches as a bruchette. No problem! The mojito was satisfying and the tomato, mozzarella, and pesto brushette was awesome. It definitely hit the spot. The pest was sooooo AMAZING. I can spoon it. Seriously. I put down the fork and knife and picked it up with my fingers. It was finger licking good. The place is clean and welcoming. I sat outdoors the enjoy the cool breeze and I did not book this place for my stay, but if the accommodations are as great as the food and service, I would definitely give it a try. This places is about a 5 minute walk from train station. Bravo.