The Overstay: Greatest Hostel You'll Stay At

This is without a doubt the greatest hostel I have ever stayed at. Formerly a six-story brothel, it is now an entertainment venue for local and international music, with a 24 hour reception/bar, an art studio and of course, a hostel.

Located in Bangkok near Khao San Road but in the heart of a traditional local neighbourhood (with delicious Pad Thai for $1 around the corner), The Overstay looks like a regular run-down apartment from the outside. Inside however, every inch of wall space is covered with professionally designed murals and quick tags. A worn down pool table and living room sets join the decor along with a mini stage for live music. To the right is the true money maker of the business: an always-open bar. Here you can waste hours away huffing nitrous oxide from balloons served to you by the bartender, or chugging back the mucous-y flavours of Chang beer. But no matter where you sit on this first floor, you’re guaranteed to make lasting friendships.

Running nearly a decade, this living vision is the product of Yuval Schwok’s imagination, a traveler from Israel setting roots in Thailand. Part of the family is also Yuval’s puppy and a kitten he rescued from a dumpster who hangs out by the “phone charging station.” Each guest takes care of the animals as if they were their own pets by feeding, walking or entertaining them.

Laundry is included onsite as well as an open kitchen where you can cook or help the owner brew his homemade beer. On the 6th floor is a fenced rooftop and balcony where it’s safest to smoke weed (there’s a warning buzzer to use in case cops enter the building), along with old toilets, comfy chairs and more graffiti. This is usually the hang out area in between beers, though smoking cigarettes is allowed inside at the bar.

Because the hostel costs only five dollars a night for a mixed dorm room, don’t expect luxury or even cleanliness. The place doesn’t arbor any bed bugs or disease but the dorms come with sporadic A/C only turned on at night so good luck sweating through that hangover in front of a rotating fan and dirty toilet seat that never has toilet paper.

But don’t be fooled by the mould and disorganized mess. There’s an order to this madness and beneath the dirt, is a comfortability that even the fanciest hotels I’ve stayed at cannot top. There is freedom here because you’re encouraged right from your introductory walk-in tour to do as you please as long as you know your rights, know Thai law and refrain from violence. If you want to have an orgy in the bathroom, you can. If you pick up an instrument and jam, you can.

The Overstay is an experience, not just a place to sleep. It is an attraction, an event and an activity to enjoy while in Bangkok and true to it’s name, everyone overstays their welcome (and this is welcomed!). Like Pai Circus Hostel, most of the staff is comprised of broke or bored travelers needing to extend their stay in the humid city without paying for accommodation. Further, the hostel also houses refugees fleeing China or Africa. It’s a safe space and the atmosphere is so inclusive that upon entering you feel like you’re a part of a family and not just a stranger meeting other strangers all paying for a service.

But the most exciting moments are always the music events such as hosting Ga-pi, aka Gap T-Bone, the man behind Thailand’s reggae dub scene. My personal favourite, however, was the movie night where we watched a film about The Overstay dildo “Randy” who lives by the phone charging station and wears a t-shirt with anarchist symbols.

When you do finally sober up, you can walk two steps outside the doors to a 7-Eleven and stock up on “toasties,” a basic ham and cheese sandwich that miraculously saves your nausea from spreading. If that doesn’t help, grab a novel from the book station or relax on the fourth floor by adding art to the walls. Expression is constantly supported and the only people this place drives away are those who cannot shake their pretentious traveler facade.

In fact, I made incredible friendships here that I will carry with me for years to come. I busked on the streets with these friends and danced away each hot night; a few I lived with for weeks later on. It was a magical fuse igniting us all together and we were held by the thread of this hostel that weaves together cultures and people seamlessly.

Sometimes I reminisce days I spent there, other times I count the days I can return. Either way, I invite everyone to stay at this hostel. To look beyond the disorder and you’ll see a community vibe that is affectionate, alluring and warm. One that makes it very difficult to catch a train when you’re busy ordering shots for twenty people while dancing to drum and bass.