There are many different kinds of hostels: some hostels feel like college dorms; some feel like futuristic pod-homes; some feel like mountain sanctuaries; a few even feel a bit like hostel summer camp. Every budget traveler has their favorite “type” when it comes to hostels.
But there’s one type of hostel that is universally loved by all: hostels that feel like home. Eco-friendly Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium is one of those rare gems of a hostel that makes you instantly feel comfortable and right at home. In our opinion, it’s the best hostel in Antwerp.
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Our first day at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium, we took a book down from the shelf and just sat and read, all day long. It was cozy and homey and lovely.
Where to Stay in Antwerp, Belgium
Antwerp is a bustling, vibrant Belgian city and home to Belgium’s fashion center. Most of the tourist sights are grouped together and easy to see, even with only a day in Antwerp. Which is fantastically convenient, but it can also make the Old Town feel a little crowded.
Instead of staying right in the heart of bustling Old Town, we decided to move away from the hustle & bustle into a cozier corner of town.
Tiny, cozy Kabas Hostel – with only 20 beds – is a great relief from crowded Old Town. Although it’s not in the heart of the city, it’s just next door to a bus stop and a city bike rental spot, so you can easily get to and from where you need to be.
Honestly, we found ourselves walking the 20ish minutes each way and enjoying Antwerp’s old buildings and curving cobblestone streets.
Exploring beautiful Antwerp, Belgium in the winter.
Kabas Hostel: Our Home Away From Home in Antwerp, Belgium
Across the street from Kabas Hostel is a grocery store, which is the most convenient thing to have next to a hostel if you’re sticking to a beer and food budget. We made full use of Kabas Hostel’s generously sized kitchen and that grocery store.
But as with any good hostel, it’s the little touches that make Kabas Hostel so warm and inviting.
The Christmas Tree in the lounge area during the holidays.
Comfy pillows at the family-style wooden dining table.
Cozy, brightly colored dorm rooms with roomy ensuite bathrooms (and lockers, of course).
A cozy pink dorm room at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium. We think Kabas Hostel is the best hostel in Antwerp, Belgium!
A comfy lounge with a couch, beanbag chair, and comfy chair, complete with a TV and board games.
A funny comic book in the bathroom.
Complimentary hair dryers, towels, and breakfast.
Environmentally sustainable practices that respect and protect the environment without affecting the quality of your stay.
A friendly owner chock full of advice and helpful suggestions to make the most of your stay in Antwerp.
Two fluffy chickens laying fresh eggs in the garden.
Wait, what?
The 2 resident chickens lay fresh eggs for breakfast at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium!
Yep. that’s right. Kabas Hostel is home to two hens, and when they’re not feeling cranky, they lay delicious farm-fresh eggs that you can enjoy for breakfast!
They don’t currently have names – I checked – but they looked like they the sort of chickens who’d be named Daisy and Petunia to me. (Trust me, I’m an expert: I grew up with chickens and named every single one of them).
As you probably already know, Jeremy and I are suckers for a good hostel pet – we’ve loved every dog and cat we’ve met at a hostel, and even one llama – but chickens are a new one for us.
According to the owner of Kabas Hostel, in the summer there will be two turtles as well, swimming with their stubby little turtle legs in a little pool in the backyard garden.
Hostel turtles!!! Can we live here??!
We took advantage of the included breakfast at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium and made ourselves delicious eggs in the hole, courtesy of the 2 resident chickens!
The Relaxed Social Vibe at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium
In addition to chickens, turtles, environmental responsibility, and board games – what else do you need, really – Kabas Hostel has managed to cultivate the kind of special vibe that brings travelers together and changes them from strangers into friends.
Kabas Hostel is one of those rare breeds of relaxed, social hostels. And one night – after a lovely day of relaxing and reading a book by the Christmas Tree – we found ourselves sitting around the big wooden table with 8 total strangers, laughing and chatting in Spanish and English about life and politics and education, sharing customs and comparing words in various languages, learning about culture and comparing our shared and vastly different experiences.
It was the kind of night with beer and wine bottles covering the table, 3 different languages excitedly spoken at once, 8 different nationalities and cultures, and at some point, a Mexican and a Spaniard dancing flamenco together. It was magical.
It’s exactly why we continue to choose hostels over hotels again and again, why we’ve spent the past 6 months sleeping in dorms.
It’s not just that hostels are budget friendly, it’s not just access to a kitchen and maybe, if you’re lucky, laundry. No, we live for these nights of real, authentic connection with other travelers.
The dining room table with a world map backdrop at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium. Having a communal dining room table in such a small hostel really helps with the relaxed social vibe that we loved at Kabas Hostel!
Honestly, I think that makes Kabas Hostel so successful – and I don’t just mean that literally, although it is kind of amazing how popular such a newly opened, small hostel has already become – is that its owner, Bart, is a traveler himself.
He was inspired to open eco-friendly Kabas Hostel after a long backpacking trip through, of all places, South America! We had a great time comparing notes on our travels.
I think the best hostels are owned by backpackers and travelers. Jeremy and I frequently find ourselves daydreaming about opening one of our own.
After all, it takes a traveler to understand what a hostel really needs to be: the best hostels, like Kabas Hostel, are a home far away from home.
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- The brick facade of eco-friendly Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium.
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- Ensuite bathrooms with hair dryers?! Hostel luxury.
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- A reading nook and board games in the lounge at Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium.
Practical Information about Kabas Hostel in Antwerp, Belgium
- Rates: Prices range from 21€ for a bed in a dorm to 54€ for a private (weekdays are cheaper)
- Amenities: Included breakfast (with fresh eggs!), fully stocked kitchen, towels, hair dryers, coffee & tea all day, bed linens, outlet and light for every bed, lockers
- Hostel Perks: Grocery store across the street. City bike and bus stop next door. Hammocks (in the summer) and chickens in the garden. Eco-friendly and green certified.
We highly recommend you stay at Kabas Hostel the next time you visit Antwerp, Belgium!
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Have you ever stayed at a hostel that made you want to come back again and again? … Were there chickens? Drop us a comment below and let us know!
Psst: planning a trip to Belgium? Check out the links below to help you plan your trip. We also love this helpful guide to things to do in Antwerp by The Discoveries Of.
- 14 Adorably Romantic Things to do in Bruges, Belgium in Winter
- The Beginner’s Guide to Belgian Beer & Where to Drink Beer in Belgium
- 25 Weird, Wacky, and Offbeat Museums in Brussels, Belgium
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Disclaimer: Our stay was sponsored by Kabas Hostel in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are our own. This post contains affiliate links, which earn us a small commission at no cost to you and help us pay for the costs of running the site.
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That really does look super friendly! And I love the resident chickens. What a fab find
Thanks Fiona! We totally agree!
I love all the design details and even the exterior of the property and really had me at eggs from the resident chickens, so awesome!
I was so into the chickens!!
I love it: the design and the two chickens. Looks like a great place to stay.
Thanks Tammy! We think so too.
Looks adorable! But I’d be sold w/ the chickens! Love that you can have the eggs for your own breakfast!
We agree! It adds such a sweet, homey touch.
This looks like an amazing hostel! I love the design and all the extra touches they have available. Those chickens are adorable too–I really love that they have chickens there to lay eggs for breakfast! Coolest hostel pet ever! 🙂
Right?! We’ve had cats, dogs, and even the odd llama here and there, but NEVER chickens! So cool.
I love staying in hostels, and this one looks really excellent. Located in such a fantastic, and expensive city as Antwerp, it looks particularly cosy and affordable. And those chickens!
I have yet to stay in a hostel but reading posts like this really give me the courage to check into them especially when traveling to Europe. This place sounded fantastic! Love that they have private rooms, love the decor and the fact they have fresh eggs. I’m a total egg snob!
Hostels can get a bad reputation but honestly, we love them. They’re super budget friendly, there’s always a private room option for extra privacy, and we love amenities that most hostels have available like a cozy lounge or a kitchen. It just makes travelling abroad feel more homey!
This hostel looks so cozy! Would love to stay there some day! I like the Eco-friendly concept much and Daisy and Petunia are incredibly adorable!!
Thanks Milijana! Mind you, they’re not actually named that, I just thought they looked like a Daisy and a Petunia 😛
What a delightful post and I love your writing style. I wish that Antwerp were on my travel itinerary right now. It seems that another reason the Kabas is successful is it’s size. A smaller hostel can feel like home and not a bus station.
I totally agree! I will take a small, cozy hostel anyday over the giant anonymous ones.
Love the look of this hostel. So unique and creative.
Love the concept of an eco friendly hostel! I stayed in tons throughout europe but none this nice!
Hostels can be really hit or miss when it comes to quality! We’ve stayed in LOADS but only a few really good ones, like Kabas Hostel, stand out as really excellent.