Visiting Boston: Staying at the HI Boston Hostel (Again)

This post is based on my visit to Boston in May/June 2023.

In a previous post, I pondered the question, “Am I too old to stay in a youth hostel?” Of course not, but the only way for me to know for sure was to stay in a hostel again! That’s exactly what I did during my recent visit to Boston.

I went to Boston for the first time in 1998 to attend a professional development conference. I stayed at Hostelling International Boston, or HI Boston, for short. It was located at 12 Hemenway Street near the Back Bay neighborhood.

At the hostel, guests stayed in individual, standard bunk beds in dorm-style bedrooms, but shared the bathrooms and a self-catering kitchen. There were small lockers, too, but I just put my belongings underneath my bottom bunk.

The hostel’s organized activities included walks around the neighborhood. We went to a jazz club, learned about nearby Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, and explored boutiques, restaurants, and booksellers, like Trident Café, along trendy Newbury Street. One particularly memorable night was when someone set off the fire alarm by accident. It was quite a sight to see many of my fellow conference attendees gathered together on the sidewalk at 3 in the morning!

In 2012, the HI Boston hostel moved to its current location on 19 Stuart Street in Boston’s Theater District, near Chinatown and Boston Common. Meanwhile, its former location remained a hostel but operated under a new name and owner. (That hostel appears to have closed in late 2021.)

Fast forward 25 years later… HI Boston (2023):

The HI Boston hostel’s location on 19 Stuart Street is centrally located and easy to get to from the Boylston Station of the subway, or “the T” as they call it.

Unlike the hostel’s previous location, which was smaller and had a more bed-and-breakfast feel to it, the hostel’s current location looks and feels more modern. It has high, open ceilings with exposed pipes. There are lots of brick, cement, and large windows, too.

The self-catering kitchen has shelves to put shared food, a dishwashing station, recycling and compost bins, refrigerators, and a hot water dispenser. During breakfast hours, they provide fruit juices, fresh brewed coffee, instant oatmeal, and an assortment of cereals, breads, bagels, and spreads.

Other amenities include a laundry room, a place to store bicycles, lounge areas, TV rooms, pool table, and a water bottle refilling station.

First night at HI Boston (2023):

On my first night, it just so happened to be the night of Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat! The nice staff at the hostel even tried to hook up the TVs to the game, but couldn’t due to technical issues.

Thanks to Hulu on my iPad, I was able to watch the game from the comfort of my upper bunk in a standard 4-bed female dorm. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, so naturally I root for the Golden State Warriors! But when you’re in Boston, you cheer for the home team. (Unfortunately for the Celtics, they were defeated by the Heat with a score of 103-84!)

I ended up sharing the entire room with one other person. Our shared bathroom with a shower was ensuite, which gave the room a deluxe feel! There were personal power outlets next to each bed, spacious lockers, and large mirrors.

My only gripe about the room had to do with the bunk bed’s metal ladder rungs. Maybe it was just me, but my feet hurt after climbing the ladder to and from the upper bunk! (Ugh. Was I supposed to wear my shoes to bed?! Or maybe I am too old for this, I thought!)

The hostel is safe, too. Just like big hotels, in order to get in, you need to swipe your room card at the main door and again at the entrance to the lobby where the elevators are located.

Checking out was easy, too. I simply deposited my room card into a box at the front desk and I went on my way (…to Portland, Maine! More on that trip coming soon.)

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Second night at HI Boston (2023):

After two and a half days in lovely Portland, Maine, I took the train back to Boston. For my second night at HI Boston, I stayed in a standard 4-bed female dorm again. The set-up was slightly different as the shared bathrooms with showers were in the hallways.

This set-up worked well for the three of us in the room as we didn’t have to take turns using the bathroom. Learning my lesson from my first night at the hostel, I’d made sure to ask for a bottom bunk. My feet were so appreciative!

That night, I slept like a log until I woke up to the disturbing sound of someone vomiting in the hallway. (The walls are thin!) Going into Mommy mode, I immediately got up and thought I should help this poor kid! When I heard their friends giggling and shushing each other to keep the noise down, I figured they’d simply had too much to drink before returning to the hostel. (There is a “no smoking/no alcohol/no drugs in the hostel” policy.) Recalling my own less than graceful experiences with too much alcohol when I was younger, I went back to sleep knowing they were going to be all right.

People choose to stay in a hostel for various reasons: to save money; to stay someplace centrally located to the sights or transportation; to meet people from around the world; or to be alone, believe it or not! (The freedom you feel in a place where no one knows you is incomparable! Wouldn’t you agree?) From what I could tell, everyone was welcome, regardless of their reasons for staying in a hostel.

Now that I’ve stayed in a hostel again, how would I respond to my original pondering: “Am I too old to stay in a youth hostel?” Well, I can confirm two things: 1) they are not called “youth” hostels anymore and 2) I am not too old to stay in a hostel!

I saw people of all ages staying at HI Boston. Most guests were solo travelers, but I did see a couple with an infant, too. I regret being ageist and ever thinking I wouldn’t fit in there (now that I’m a woman of a certain age!) Oh la la !

The next time you travel, consider staying in a hostel! Just be flexible, open to meeting new people, and make sure to book a bottom bunk! 😉

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I’d love to know about your experience staying in hostels. Tell me in the comments below!