In the first half of the year, many families make travel plans for December when kids are on school holidays and after a year long of slog – for a short getaway to escape the monotonous life in Singapore.
Factors that come into consideration are whether the place is child-friendly and if there are enough activities for the kids to keep them occupied whilst still enjoying the trip with your partner.
There is one important thing that is often overlooked in the planning: what accommodation to book for the entire family?
As December is a peak season where everyone is travelling, you would expect demands for hotel rooms to go up and prices will follow suit.
A family suite in a hotel is going to stretch your budget – so why not save the money and check out hostels and other affordable accommodations?
What? But does that means less comfort and services?
Well, not really.
Global PR and Content Manager at HotelsCombined, Alycia Simons said in a media release that demands for such affordable family accommodation are increasing and so are hostel options. They can accommodate many people in the same room and are centrally located. What’s even better is you can essentially save more money with free shuttle buses, laundry rooms and self catering kitchens.
Gone are the days when families with young kids were relegated to theme park destinations and buffet restaurants. Holidaying families are growing increasingly adventurous and are interested in an ever-expanding assortment of experiences – nothing is off limits anymore.
According to HotelsCombined, these are the features to look for when booking a family-friendly hostel:
- Family rooms (ideally located on a separate floor from other door rooms for noise control)
- Ensuite bathrooms
- Child-friendly amenities (cots, highchairs, etc.)
- Entertainment offerings (video games, board games, a pool, etc)
With a database of over 800,000 properties, the search filters on Money Digest’s Search Engine make it particularly easy to locate family-friendly properties.
Here are some of the world’s top family friendly hostels found using our search engine:
Chungmuro Residence, Seoul, Korea
Chungmuro Residences is located 6-mins away from the subway station, providing easy access to the city’s attractions. The duplex rooms are fitted with sleek wooden flooring, a seating area and even your own laundry machine! Rooms are ensuite and comes with a small kitchen making it a perfect solution for a family’s vacation. It’s even better when they are 10-minute walk from Namsan Korean Hanok Village which features numerous dining options and cultural spots. Heard of Dongdaemun Market and Namdaemun? Yes, Korea’s biggest shopping area are just 5-minute drive away. Great for a family trip.
Family room: Starts from $143 a night.
Lub d Bangkok Silom Hostel is a contemporary modern hostel that is just five-minute walk away from Si Lom. Besides free Wi-Fi, other features of the hostels include a 24-hour reception, laundry services and facilities, free luggage storage and a tour desk. Room are decorated in a cozy and spacious layout with chic red furnitures. A breakfast is provided eveyr morning or if you like you can always dine at the cafes and eateries nearby. Bangkok’s MahaNakon is just 10-minute walk away and you should visit the Patpong, Empire Tower and the Bangkok Folk Musuem.
Double room with private bathroom: Starts from $37.71 a night
Febris Hotel And Spa is recommended as one of the best family hotels because of its family-friendly facilities. The rooms are spacious enough for families of any size. With a kids pool and a playground, your kids will love their stay while you enjoy your spa and massage in the outdoor. Each room comes with a refrigerator, flat-screen TV, private balcony and a private bathroom. There is also a bicycle hiring service should you want to take your family out for some leisure and cycling activities.
Superior Double / Twin Room with Panoramic Garden Views: Start from $92.24 a night
Offering four locations across the country – Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka and Tokyo – this Japanese hostel group happily welcomes kids and babies, with games and cartoons available for tots in common areas. Bonus: the properties all score high guest reviews on the HotelsCombined website!
Japanese Style Twin Room (With Private Bathroom) in Osaka: Starts from $82 a night.
Boasting 26 Dutch properties, this Hostelling International-affiliated group keep kids amused with various sports fields and indoor recreation options. Travelling clans can also take advantage of the hostel chain’s family card, which for a nominal annual fee provides discounts on accommodation, bike rentals and tours.
2 Person Room with Private Bathroom: Starts from $103 a night (with free breakfast!)
Adventure Queenstown Hostel, Queenstown, New Zealand
The great thing about this cost hostel is that it has a maximm capacity of 50 people and isn’t directly surrounded by any late-night venues – so no worries of little ones being kept up at night by rowdy backpackers! The property will also loan out bicycles, DVDs and Frisbees (for the nearby Frisbee golf course)
The Valley House Holiday Hostel, Achill Island, Ireland
Offering an onsite pitch and putt golf course and plenty of nature trails, this friendly hostels is a great place for kids to burn off energy. Did we mention there’s also a picturesque beach just a 10 minute walk away?
A private 6-bed dorm with bathroom starts from $182.04 a night
Habitat HQ, Melbourne, Australia
Situated in Melbourne’s trendy St Kilda neighbourhood, Habitat HQ is a perfect choice for families on a road trip as it offers guests free, secure car parks. It also has the advantage of being the first carbon neutral backpacker hostel in the city.
Double room with private bathroom: Starts from $136.55 a night
Now it makes more sense to travel more often with less money spent on hotels. Do you know that you can essentially save up to 50% of the cost with hostels? Furthermore, why pay top dollars for a luxury hotel if most of the time you are out visiting attractions?