Hostel holidays won't break the bank

Forget smelly dorms and cold showers, hostels in the 21st century feature top rate facilities in popular locations around the world - perfect for an affordable holiday in cash-strapped times.

With many British families cancelling expensive summer breaks to beat the credit crunch, it may be time to take a fresh look at the budget end of the holiday market.

Previously the domain of the rural rambler or gap-year traveller, hostels can now offer a range of accommodation from luxury or environmentally sound to family friendly or inner city.

Hostelworld.com is a leading reservation website providing bookings for over 16,000 hostels across 168 countries worldwide. Attention-grabbing properties include a cliff-top inn in Newquay with ocean-view bedrooms and hot tub overlooking the beach, a solar and wind-powered hobbit hole built from renewable resources in Sligo, Ireland and a large hostel with 25 hectares of gardens, forests and sports fields in Barcelona.

Hostelworld.com's Chief Marketing Officer, Niamh Ni Mhir comments:

“No one wants the credit crunch to infringe on sacred holiday plans, so now is the perfect time to experience some of the best hostels the world has to offer. The diversity available makes for some exciting decisions, with hostels offering a unique range of accommodations and top-rate facilities from only £8 per night.”

Travellers would be wise to thoroughly research their choice of hostel. Some are renowned for late night drinking and concerns have recently been raised about health and safety standards in the hostels of the developing world.