I stayed in a hostel for the first time Maui!

I think hostels get a bad rap.

Mostly from my bougie self. I remember the first time I even discovered what a hostel was on my birthday trip to Key West. My girlfriends and I just needed a place to shower and thought booking a cheap hotel we could shower the beach off of us and then go party it up in the Keys. We were surprised to discover that the hotel was actually a dormitory-style hostel that had already several women looking at us crazy. Shocked as my girlfriends and I were we quickly got a refund for the room and I promised myself I would never stay in a hostel! This was 2014 Ashlyn and now six years later I was planning a solo trip to Maui and couldn’t find any decently priced hotels in the area I wanted to stay at. Until I saw the price for a room at this hostel right in the center of Maui. It was super cheap compared to most of the hotels I was saying and included breakfast. The reviews were actually pretty decent too. So, I decided to book my first hostel in Maui! It wasn’t what I expected all and I’ll tell you why.

With my first hostel experience, I had such low expectations for this hostel. When my Uber dropped me off at the hostel I would say the building looked like a refurbished business office. That really didn’t bother me though. Once I got inside you walked into the common area which has couch seating, bar chairs, and the kitchen right next to it. I was immediately greeted by the front desk clerk who was an older gentleman who was wearing a Hawaiian style t-shirt which I usually find comical but it actually made sense in Maui. He informed me that the booking engine I used put me in an all-male room. “Oh here we go,” I thought, all my past thoughts of hostels were coming back and I honestly thought I would have to ask for another refund and leave with the same thoughts I had in Key West. Luckily, he was able to find me a bed, it wouldn’t be in a single bedroom (which is what booking.com said I\’d have) it would be in an 8 girl dormitory-style room. I am sure I gave this front desk man the biggest eye roll since I was having serious flashbacks. But, I decided to shake those thoughts out of my head and just take the bed for at least the night and see how it goes. He tells me he thinks I will have a great stay as he hands me my key, a set of sheets, and a towel.

When I arrive at the room it\’s pretty empty with just one lady sleeping in her bed in the corner. I quietly found my bed and just placed my suitcase under the bed and crashed from my long day of traveling. When I woke up a group of girls were in the room chatting. I said hello and they were super nice asking if they had woken me. I shook my head and told them I didn’t even hear them come in. They continued chatting and I went to find the bathroom. I walked past the common area which was now filled with people. Few were in the kitchen cooking. The rest were chilling on the couch. They all said hello when I passed on to my way to the bathroom. There were 3-shared bathrooms in the hostel which I appreciated there wasn’t just one. They were actually super clean and had pretty views of the Hawaiian scenery. The shower was perfect when it came to heat and pressure, no complaints there. You do have to bring your own shower gel and shampoo. There was a communal soap left there but I never travel without my own soap so it didn’t bother me that I had to use my own. After my shower, I headed back to my room. It looked like the common area had turned into a happy hour party with every laughing and chatting it up with a beer. I was asked by one of the guys if I wanted to hang out and drink but I declined since I had to be up early for my Road to Hana tour.

The next morning, I woke up before most of the girls in the room so did my best to keep quiet. I went to the kitchen and coffee was already made and there was a bag of pancake mix and instructions on how to make and use the griddle. So the “breakfast included” was coffee and make-your-own pancakes. I skipped the pancakes and just got some fruit from the grocery store up the street quickly before my pick-up shuttle for the tour.

Later that afternoon I returned and the same ladies were in the room along with a new woman. The ladies asked about my day and I told them I did the Road to Hana tour. They were interested in my tour since they had rented a car and just driven the road themselves. We chatted for a little while about our travels and other plans for Maui until they had to get ready to go back out. Then I went on to talk to the other woman who just arrived for her own solo trip to Maui. After a few days, we all became acquainted with each other and it became a nice connection with all the women. Everyone was super kind, adventurous, and just so happy to be in Maui that there was really no room for drama or petty fights that I was, for some reason, expecting from sharing a room with 7 other women.

Once my time in Maui had ended I said my goodbyes to everyone and we all ended up sharing our contact info to keep in touch. When I checked out with the same man at the front desk he asked me “How was your stay, Ashlyn?” I smiled at him and replied “Way better than I expected.” He laughed and nodded. I’m pretty sure he understood what I meant. Hostels definitely get a bad rap. But, as a solo traveler, I can say it was a great way to connect with other travelers, locals, for a way cheaper way than staying at a high-end resort. To my future travelers, I recommend staying at a hostel just once. Of course, do your research like you would with any other stay. But, as skeptical as I was about hostels, I can now say I have stayed at several more during my travels and they really haven’t disappointed me. If you do try it out please send me a message. I’d love to hear about your experience!