Montenegro Hostel Podgorica
Podgorica has a reputation for being a bit of a nothing town. “It’s just the capital, nothing more,” more than one Montenegrin has told me. Personally, I think it’s quite lovely, but the local and international community doesn’t seem to agree. As a result, Podgorica has a much smaller range of hostels than you’d expect from a European capital city: a quick search on HostelBookers yielded just three.
We were staying at Montenegro Hostel Podgorica, following a great couple of days at its sister establishment in Kotor and a quick visit to the third member of the chain, in Budva.
The Podgorica hostel is the smallest in the group, with just ten beds divided between three rooms. “But it’s enough,” the owner Gordana told us when we met her in Kotor.
Perhaps Podgorica’s reputation is improving, because the hostel had six guests the first night we were there, and eleven the second — the common room was appropriated for two last-minute walk-ins.
Walking in is pretty easy, as the hostel is located a five-minute walk from the bus station in a quiet suburban street. I was glad to have a brochure with detailed instructions on it, though, because street names weren’t easy to find and the building was a little hidden away.
We were greeted by the two members of staff, who pretend to work shifts but are generally both there, ready for a chat and a smoke. They told us everything they thought we’d need to know and gave us the grand tour: the main body of the hostel is on the second floor of the building, and features a four-bed dorm, a tiny double, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a common room with a reasonably sized balcony.
On the floor above, a penthouse apartment with sloping ceilings is available for groups or as an ensuite dorm, and has a set of bunks and two twin beds, as well its own bathroom and tiny kitchen/lounge. We installed ourselves there for the night and slept well, enjoying the complete silence of the area.
The next night we were in the dorm downstairs, which wasn’t quite as silent but still a lot quieter than any other dorm I’ve stayed in. The beds were comfortable and we were provided with linens and towels, and we made use of the laundry service.
Although not everything was perfect (an electricity socket was hanging out, a lightbulb needed replacing) the atmosphere was nice and the staff were friendly and pleasantly sarcastic. If you can get past the bad press Podgorica is lumped with, Montenegro Hostel Podgorica is a good choice for your stay in the capital.
[box]In October 2013, dorm beds cost €9-10, private rooms €12.50 per person. Book your stay at Montenegro Hostel Podgorica.[/box]
