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With the boom in tourism continuing it should be no surprise that there are many hostels in Kota Kinabalu ready to look after budget-minded travelers. Hotels in the city range from reasonable up to extravagant, but the Kota Kinabalu hostels are almost all great bargains. The name hostel isn’t widely used in Borneo so many of these places will be listed as “backpackers” (like in Australia and New Zealand) or as lodges or cabins, but these places are almost all Kota Kinabalu hostels in reality since they offer shared rooms and community services.

Of course the beach area is the prime location for visitors to Kota Kinabalu (which is often just called KK) and many of the hostels in Kota Kinabalu are located on or near the beach. The best nightlife and restaurant areas are near the beach, and of course the beach itself is a major draw, so if you are focused on this aspect of your visit you should make certain you are booking into a Kota Kinabalu hostel that is located in the beach area. This is a large city in addition to being a popular resort, and while the city itself is vibrant and interesting, it’s not all a tropical getaway if you are in the center of it.

The hostels in Kota Kinabalu are similar to hostels around the world in that there are very few age limits anymore. The hostel movement started in Europe as a way of making it affordable for young backpackers to travel, but things have changed everywhere. In addition to age limits being rare, curfews and lockouts are also very rare, especially at the hostels in Kota Kinabalu.

Another change in the overall industry is that more and more places are offering private rooms in addition to the cheap dorm beds that these places have become famous for. Nearly all the Kota Kinabalu hostels offer private rooms that are perfect for small groups. The catch is that in order for your room to actually be private you have to reserve and pay for all the beds in that room, but for groups of 2 or 3 traveling together this is not a problem. A few places also have private rooms for single travelers that only cost a bit more than the double private rooms. Of course, for single travelers it’s possible to reserve and pay for both beds in a private double room and it will still usually be cheaper than staying in a hotel nearby.

The Summer Lodge is among the highest-rated Kota Kinabalu hostels by previous guests. Their central location gets the highest marks of all from their guests, and they’ve also got a bar and a lounge area in case the craziness of the neighborhood isn’t enough for you. Their dorm beds start around US$5 per night, and their private rooms for 2 or 4 people are only a bit higher per person. Being one of the most popular hostels in Kota Kinabalu means they tend to sell out before the others, so if you are intending to stay there it’s a good idea to reserve early.

Hostels in Kota Kinabalu