Continuing the Luxury Hostels of Europe series, today I’m hopping over to Hamburg to meet the guys behind Superbude (bude stands for ‘digs’ in German) St Pauli : one of the most exciting design concepts in the affordable budget accommodation sector. Enjoy the video and checkout my review below.
Location
The Superbude Hostel St Pauli has a superb location. You are in the heart of everything. The hostel is located close to the Reeperbahn, Schanzenviertel and Karoviertel districts. Concerts, clubs, bars, cafes, culture, street art and lifestyle: everything Hamburg has to offer is at your fingertips.
Rooms and bathrooms
The hostel interiors cleverly mix the outlandish with the contemporary: the walls in my double room were covered in newspaper articles relating to the city of Hamburg.
Konstantin Gricic’s ‘Mayday’ lamps hang from the goal-netting headboards of my bed: a homage to the local cult football club, St Pauli.
The plunger coat hangers in my room are one of the coolest coat hangers I have seen. I also have tiny metallic anchor hooks to hang my stuff in the bathroom. Attention to detail is insane here.
I loved my bed here and had a peaceful nights sleep. Ensuite bathroom was clean with a superb power shower.
The hotel/hostel features stackable beds by Rolf Heide that allow a third of the 89 double rooms to sleep up to four guests.
Other star features of the hostel are the unique Astra Rockstar Suite, which can be hired for the express purpose of private parties. The room has a stage, which folds up into a sleeping area. Astra beer is available in the headboards! There is also a self-service kitchen.
Facilities
This is a hostel for design lovers. Designer, Armin Fischer of Dreimeta has created some unique design ideas that you can take away and apply in the home. Old water pipes have been screwed together to create the most amazing magazine rack you will see in any hotel or hostel. Chairs have been created from old wheelbarrows. Even the hostel keyrings have been made from old skateboards. Old beer crates of Astra have been been upholstered with old jeans from past residents.
This hostel is very much a reflection of the past and present. For example the yellow colour is derived from the brand colours of the former residents of the building: a telecom network. Hostel pays respect to the maritime heritage of the city with a rope pattern motif that pops up everywhere, from the wooden panels on the bathrooms and corridors to the carpets.
The hostel common room is pretty much your perfect living room: plenty of comfy sofas, upholstered leather chairs, which you can relax in and enjoy all the latest magazines. They also serve a pretty decent if slightly expensive buffet breakfast here (€9) from 7 till 12 am. That said it is very filling. You have a choice of cappuccino, espresso, latte or organic fair-trade tea. Plus you can choose from a variety of cereals, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, hams and cheeses or simply enjoy the waffles with a good dollop of Nutella.
The hostel is also a huge supporter of the local music scene.
Local bands organise free mini-concerts in the lounge area. Posters and flyers of local bands hang from mousetraps on the walls. With their connections to local clubs and live music venues in the area, hostel staff can get get you guest entry access to most of these places. Which is really fantastic.
Why is this a Luxury Hostel
Superbude hostels have a really cool, unique vibe. Fantastic, functional design combined with the great location and unique features like the Astra Rockstar Suite, the beautiful common lounge and focus on supporting the local music scene definitely make this the place to be if you are coming to Hamburg.
Cost and booking details
Double bed with bathroom starts around €75 on Hostelworld.com or the Astra Rockstar suite (6 single beds, with private bathroom) would cost €200 a night.
Juliusstraße 1-7, 22769 Hamburg, Germany.
