If you’re gonna stay in one place for 6 nights, better make it a good one. And Queen’s definitely was.

Queen’s is an all women’s hostel in George Town’s Little India. It’s a short walk to all the most popular watering holes, and surrounded by street art, famous landmarks, and delicious food.

The ground floor is brightly painted and decorated with useful information, a colorful map of the town, and a chalk board listing all the guests and volunteers staying tshere. It has a corner full of cushions and beanbags for reading, a laundry room, a kitchen stocked with tea and filtered water, and the front desk, which rarely had someone sitting at it, but the volunteer on duty was never hard to find.

While I was there, the hostel was staffed in shifts by 4 volunteers: Marta, Nicky, Vanessa, and Julia who were also staying in the hostel. They were super friendly and helpful and often invited me out for dinner with them. They knew many of the best local spots for cheap food and beer.

Upstairs is one short hallway lined on both sides with multicolored canopies. You can chose any canopy that is unoccupied. I chose the navy blue one which was closest to the air conditioning.

Inside the canopy is a wooden pallet platform, a lockable wooden box for a nightstand, and an oversize twin mattress. The curtains provide privacy but can easily be opened, like a dorm door, inviting others to come say hi.

Upstairs there are also showers and bathrooms and another reading corner with a book exchange and yoga mats. With such a beautiful place to hang out I spent a few lazy mornings reading a tattered copy of “All the Light We Cannot See” that I found in the exchange.

Queen’s showed me what a difference the place you stay can make in your experience of a place. It was a joy to have such a small safe and welcoming community even for just a few days.