While they are called a "hostel," this cool Austin spot is much more than that. Located in East Austin, they offer coffee, cocktails, a place to hang, and live music. If traveling through ATX, grab a bed in one of their upscale rooms.
OUR ARTICLE
BY: Alex Temblador Contributing writerAt Native Hostel, people come for the vibes, and they stay for the beds.
From the outside, Native Hostel looks like a dilapidated limestone building, lit by a string of lights. Inside, it’s anything but. There’s style to the rough exposed walls and cement floors, accented by plush red couches, Southwestern-style textiles, wooden bars and chairs, and cast-iron lamps.
Native Hostel wants to bring out-of-towners and locals together in one spot, where conversation, laughter, drinks, and music continue into the wee hours.
Day or night, Native Hostel is full of locals and guests enjoying a coffee from the coffee shop and working on laptops with the free Wi-Fi. The atmosphere changes into one of excitement and possibility with the arrival of evening. It’s then that people are milling about with cocktails and food like buddha bowls, banh mi, and crab cakes from the Native Bar & Kitchen.
For those staying in the hostel, you must understand that this place is popular and you’re going to easily meet friends. You might hear those in the bar early into the evening from your room above, or see people walk past the glass doors of your dorm room. Native Hostel wants to bring out-of-towners and locals together in one spot, where conversation, laughter, drinks, and music continue into the wee hours. Turning in early may be difficult – as you won’t want to leave the party… but sleep is overrated anyways. Right?
In a world where hostels are cramped and unattractive with bare-bones metal beds, Native Hostel’s dorm rooms are not. There’s four and six-bed dorms with hand-crafted bunk beds with their own privacy curtains, lamps, and outlets. Each guest receives a locker and has access to stylish shared bathrooms with brass fixtures and black marble countertops. For those who want privacy, check out the attractive king suites with king beds and private baths and showers, or rent out the Romper Room, a private dorm-styled loft for your party of up to 10.
Even though it doesn’t feel like a hostel, there’s some hostel-like aspects of Native Hostel, like the simple, free breakfast of fruit, coffee, and biscuits, discounts at the bar for guests, and cool weekly events like a bus that takes patrons to San Marcos for tubing adventures.
In a place like Austin, Texas, where weird and uniqueness is celebrated, it’s no wonder that a shelter like Native Hostel, which is less of a hostel and more of a bar, restaurant, place to be, sprang up on the scene.
FIELD TIPS
They are redefining what the term “hostel” can mean for travelers of all kinds
Food is clutch American fare, cocktails are on point and it’s ATX, so count on some live music
Built for adventure seekers and likeminded nomads
Location is key for all the ATX landmarks
Plan your stay around one of Native’s popular events
Native’s Coffee Shop is the perfect place to sip on an icy cold brew while tapping into a little productivity if you’re working on the road