Ostello Tramonti

Perfect for the traveler who wants the best of both worlds--a quiet town and access to the bigger cities--Ostello Tramonti stands between Cinque Terre and La Spezia. It offers access touristy locations and small getaways. So, whether you're a relax-on-the-beach traveler or a hike-to-the-nearest-town person this hostel is central to it all.

The Location

Ostello Tramonti is located in the small mountain town of Biassa--a quiet, beautiful location from which to explore the surrounding areas. A bus stops directly outside the hostel every hour or two to take travelers to the port town of La Spezia to the east or the first town in the stunning Cinque Terre hike, Rio Maggiore. The hostel provides bus schedules upon arrival and the cost of the bus is only a euro or two depending on where it is headed.

If guests feel adventurous and would rather skip the bus Rio Maggiore is only about two kilometers from Biassa on foot. Just walk straight up the main road until you see signs for Rio Maggiore and Cinque Terre, then follow those.

The town of Biassa, although small, offers a pizzeria with a view of the La Spezia port in the distance between two mountains. The view is particularly beautiful at night and the pizzeria tends to attract the hostellers as well as the locals. It's a great place to meet people and often converts a regular dinner into a dinner and dance party right there on the terrace.

Rooms and Bathrooms

Dorm rooms are clean and small. Each bed is numbered and assigned along with a locker and the lockers are large enough to fit a hiking backpack inside.

The shower rooms are shared by each hallway. They are clean and provide a decent amount of space, however they are co-ed. The shower doors are frosted glass and for privacy in the room the main door must be locked, denying anyone else the ability to shower at the same time. During our stay at this hostel we did not encounter any problems with this (and, indeed, there is one shower on each floor that is a private room), but for large groups this may be an issue.

The toilet rooms are all separate and there are quite a few of them on each floor.

Common Spaces

The clean and cozy common areas of this hostel cannot be topped. There is a TV room with soft couches and a book exchange shelf. The staff is happy to lend English DVDs to guests who just want to relax and spend the night in. Next to the large TV room there is a glass enclosed breakfast nook. Breakfast is two euro and is well worth it: yogurt, cereal, coffee, tea, milk, juice, croissants, jam, Nutella, the works. And the best part of breakfast is sitting in the glass room and looking over the terra-cotta houses and the central stone bell tower rising above the town. Absolutely breathtaking and perfectly clean.

Summary

A great hostel for meeting other travelers, finding your own private getaway town, exploring Cinque Terre, and feeling generally well-taken-care-of, Ostello Tramonti is a winner. Choose to do everything possible in the nearby towns or relax and rest in Biassa. Either way this hostel is a great choice.

by Gigi Griffis

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review