The only hostel in the Twin Cities area is a privately-owned one in Minneapolis called Minneapolis International Hostel. And as a big fan of hostels (here’s a post about one I stayed at in Santa Ana), that was the accommodation I chose for the time I spent in that Midwestern region 😀
It costs close to $50/night to stay at MIH, so it’s on the higher end of the price spectrum as far as hostels go. But – it is the only hostel in the area, so they can do that. And anyway, it’s still not a bad deal if you’re traveling on a budget in the Twin Cities 🙂
To book a room at MIH, you have to call and provide your credit card number over the phone. Reservations can’t be made online, and the hostel doesn’t take cash, either, so that’s just something to keep in mind.
The day I flew into Minneapolis, it was raining harder than I’ve ever seen it rain in California. So, I opted to take an Uber to the hostel. My Uber driver told me to be careful around the area: it wasn’t the roughest neighborhood, but he advised me to just keep an eye out for my surroundings. (Way to slightly scare me, Patrick. Lol.)
The area did seem a little weird to me at first. I felt a bit uncomfortable, but that feeling subsided. I walked around the place by myself multiple times and never actually felt like I was in danger. I did, however, make it a point not to walk around too late at night, as I do in areas I’m not too familiar with.
When arriving for the first time, you’ll have to ring the doorbell in front, after which someone will open the door for you. Then you’ll walk through the lobby and kitchen before finally reaching the office. There, you’ll get a towel, pillow, blanket, and sheets to put onto your bed.
The space at MIH is warm and inviting. I love how the kitchen and dining area look. Sometimes, there’s even free tea available on the counter 🙂 There are also two refrigerators available for guests to store their food.
The location of the hostel is also great because it’s within walking distance to a couple of bus stops, including lines that will take you to the trains, which can take you to places like the airport, Minnehaha Falls and even Downtown Saint Paul. It’s also close to “Eat Street” (Nicollet Avenue) where there are tons of restaurants to try out, as well as the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
The hostel is a huge space with rooms on the main floor, upstairs and in the basement.
I stayed a four-female dorm room on the second floor and got to choose which bed I wanted. One of the nice things about the dorms is that the beds aren’t bunk beds! This was the first time I’d ever been to a hostel like that. The only small con is that the beds can be squeaky when you move around in them at night, so it’s useful to bring earplugs if you can’t sleep through that kind of stuff.
Four-bed female dorm
Similarly, because the house is old, the floors are very, very squeaky. It’s impossible not to walk across the room or between floors without causing the floors to squeak. It’s just a little bit of an inconvenience when you’re trying to walk to the bathroom quietly and end up waking up unintentionally your roommate :/
As far as bathrooms go, there was one in my room that was shared with the next room over. So you have to lock both doors while you’re in there so nobody walks in on you. But sometimes it’s nice to have a bathroom accessible from the room instead of one down the hall shared by everyone on that floor.
Despite some small issues, overall, I enjoyed staying at MIH and would probably stay here again next time if I’m ever in the Twin Cities again.
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