You guys know I’m a big fan of luxury hostels in Europe. I appreciate the fact that as a soon-to-be-30-something, I can choose to either be private or social, all while saying in comfortable en-suite accommodations with an edge.

This is what the luxury hostel experience is to me.

So when I heard about Ecomama’s green and stylish luxury hostel in Amsterdam, it goes without saying that I was very curious to see what the fuss was about – after all, minimal ecological impact, sustainable travel, and joyful living are all concepts I can get behind.

How can a hostel be eco-friendly? By being housed in a former travel agency instead of a purpose-built structure, by being furnished with almost exclusively second-hand repurposed furniture, by being equipped with a water-saving system and a green roof, and by creatively decorating with leftover building materials. And the industrial, upcycled final result really is a sight for sore eyes, I’ll say that.

Ecomama Amsterdam – My Room

My private superior en-suite room was located on the second floor of the hostel and was spacious enough for two people with a large suitcase each. I was in Amsterdam with a friend and Ecomama was kind enough to set up a cot so that we didn’t have to share a bed – we’re close, but not that close!

I really enjoyed the creativity of the room’s eco-friendly decor, from the rope/peg to the second-hand but beautifully painted chair. This is the ultimate proof that a modern and fresh style doesn’t necessarily mean new. In addition to all that, linen, towels, and organic toiletries are also included in the price.

My room was comfortable, but lacked two very important things; soundproofing and power sockets. The former was an aggravating nuisance throughout the duration of my stay, and the latter is a personal pet peeve that I frankly can’t forgive, especially in newly-renovated properties. Most travellers use their mobile phones as alarm clocks nowadays and it’s logical that they would want to charge their device overnight; not having power sockets by the bed is a huge oversight in my opinion. Not to mention the lack of adequate lighting, with a single ceiling lamp for the entire room.

And as for the noise, well, let’s just say I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep.

Ecomama Amsterdam – The Hostel

Located in the trendy Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood, the hostel is just a few steps from Mr. Visserplein tram station, busy Waterlooplein, and plenty of restaurants/shops/bars. It was easy to get to Amsterdam’s main attractions and train station from there – 10/10 as far as location goes!

Ecomama truly is a social hostel with vast, welcoming common areas including a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and even a massive indoor teepee. They also organise many activities, like guided tours, pub crawls, book exchanges, and bike rental.

Considering I couldn’t even find the hostel at first, my experience didn’t start on a positive note. The hostel actually shares its lobby with a (very cool and photogenic, I have to admit) coffee shop and the only indication that you are indeed at your accommodation is a measly A4 sheet in the front door – apparently street signs are now overrated. Call me capricious but hey, I don’t enjoy lugging my suitcase around in the rain for no reason while looking for my covert hostel.

Ecomama felt more like a stylish youth hostel with private rooms than an actual luxury hostel – and frankly, at almost 30 years old, I am so over youth hostels. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad hostel; it just wasn’t a hit with me personally.

I had really high hopes for Ecomama Hostel in Amsterdam, but as a luxury hostel aficionado, I found myself quite disappointed.

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