When we think Hostelling International, we think ping-pong tables and bunk beds. But during a recent research jam session, we also found a range of HI hostels with adultish, cheap double rooms. The best of these deserve a plug or two, so keep readin’.

South of the Wista River on Grochowa Street—a bit of a (beautiful) walk from the sights pictured above—Krakow’s Hostel Szkolne Schronisko Młodzieżowe has 20 basic private doubles for PLN80 (€20.50, $27). The hostel boasts a spacious guest kitchen, and on-site laundry facilities make living out of your suitcase a fresh affair.

Långholmen Hostel, located on a small island in the middle of Stockholm, has a jaw-dropping 79 private doubles for SEK520 (€60, $74). Housed within a stately 19th-century building, Långholmen is also easier on the eyes than some of HI’s big box hostels. Also on the premises: a boutique, beach, garden, and museum that chronicles the building’s unromantic past—it was once a prison.

The Zurich City Hostel in Wollishofen has 16 private doubles starting at CHF116 (€72, $95). Wollishofen is a quiet suburb—15 minutes by tram to the city center—and there’s on-site cycle rental, perfect for a short ride to the banks of Lake Zurich.

Proof positive that HI hostels aren’t just for whipper snappers with nothing but a rucksack and a dream.

Popularity: 8% [?]

baxpax lobby

Filmmakers and hipsters heading to the Berlinale in Berlin, take note.

One of our favorite factory-cum-hostel chains in Berlin, the baxpax, will be hosting a special “Talent Campus” during this year’s Berlinale film festival, from February 10-14, 2007.

What, exactly, is a “Talent Campus”?

Why, thanks for asking. It’s apparently what happens when 350 filmmakers from more than 100 countries lodge simultaneously at three fun hostels, which, in turn, decide to throw together several nights of film-related programming for them. Sign us up!

Scheduled events—all of which are open to the general public—will be held in the baxpax downtown lounge and the “Optica Club.” Events include the opening night party (February 10), a Berlin photo show (February 11), the BTC’s short film winners from 2006 (February 12), a “Groove Affairs Party” at Optica Club (February 13), and a Berlin Food Tasting (February 14).

We’re big fans of all three hostels in the baxpax chain, which include the downtown Hostel Hotel, Mitte’s Backpacker Hostel and the baxpax Kreuzberg Hostel. More information is available on the baxpax’s official site.

Popularity: 2% [?]