Having Fun In the Old Town  Kotor Hostel

Sometimes your experience in a certain place can only be as good as your lodgings. Any great tourist spot, any awesome experience, can all be easily forgotten if you go home to bad service and barely livable quarters. That is why for most of my reviews, I make it a point to give tips on finding the best hotel for your stay. This is the same thing I did for my Montenegro guide, where I highlighted Kotor’s Old Town Hostel. ( click here to book )

True enough, the hostel deserves a visit from every tourist not just as a lodging place. Old Town Hostel Kotor is housed in a town that was first founded around the 13th Century. The very structure of the hostel is restored from a historic building once owned by local nobles. While sporting a modern design, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience to live within historic walls. And you don’t have to shell out much for the experience, too!

Being a one-time lodger in Old Town Hostel myself, I can count several other reasons why you should choose the building as your base when exploring Montenegro.

1. You meet the coolest people. Montenegro is a tourist hotspot in the Balkans, but that doesn’t mean it’s as crowded as many other places. Many of the tourists here are seasoned travelers — and they choose the Old Town Hostel for their lodgings. You can get to meet them and swap fun stories. The hostel has an interesting common area where its tenants can talk and bond. We even once played a fun, drunken game of jenga!

2. The Staff are awesome. It’s not just the aesthetics and amenities that make a hostel, but the service level. We met several of the staff during our stay, and they give a five-star service! Slow, Danilo, and Marco had been excellent hosts, even giving us advice on what to do and where we can go next. They also speak English well like most Balkans, so holding a conversation is no problem.

3. A free shot of Rakija! Rakija is a very strong brandy in Eastern Europe, and it is the Montenegrin national drink. There are many claims surrounding it, from rakija being able to immediately destroy bacteria to helping relieve one’s stomach and muscle aches. Guests at the hostel can grab a free shot of this famous drink upon arrival.

4. Partner discounts. Old Town Hostel is partnered with other great places in the Kotor area, such as the Konoba Scala Santa restaurant and the Letrika Pub (the coolest pub in the area!). This partnership gets you discounts on these places, plus many other shops. This helps a lot if you want to save.

5. Rooms are spacious for the price. My friends stayed in the dorm rooms, which are big enough to hold them comfortably. The lockers are also cool! As for me, I stayed in the private room where I slept like a baby all nights of my stay. And tell me… isn’t my room the cutest?

6. Book trips with 360 Montenegro. The 360 Montenegro Travel Agency is hands down the best tour group in the country. Book with them if you want to see the best panoramic views in Montenegro! They are close partners (if not owned by the same company), so you can book one with the other. I also tried the North Montenegro and Great Montenegro tours from 360, and you can read my reviews about them.

7. Great dinners at great prices. “Medieval Dinner” doesn’t sound as enticing as it might be, but trust me, it’s great! These and Balkan Dinners cost only 5 EUR, and you can get a free breakfast the next day. I tried the meat and rice (I’m a rice lover) with a lot of rich sauce, and another time I had chicken, peas, and potatoes. I loved the food so much I wanted to meet the cook! They have a money-back guarantee if you don’t like the food, but it REALLY is that good!

8. Great location. The Old Town Hostel is located right smack in the middle of historic Kotor, so every attraction in the area is just minutes away. Entrance to the climb leading up to the Castle of San Giovanni is just a couple of minutes off, while there is also a bus station just 6 minutes away. Most tours start in this bus station, so you’re in a prime place.

9. Party every night! The hostel hosts a unique “Old Town Numb Crawl” every night, which is their version of the pub crawl. Take your old friends, meet new ones, complete challenges, and party each night!

10. Enjoy Montenegro so much more! A great tourist spot means a holistic experience. And in here, spending your nights at the Old Town Hostel really contributes to the fun of the experience. The country has much to offer, and Old Town Hostel Kotor magnifies this to a great degree!