Bear on the Lake Guesthouse, Cape Breton, NS

Some ‘Youth hostels’ have become pretty fancy over the years. My parents first met at the Toronto youth hostel back in the day and they tell me stories of hostels as cheap, spartan places that were rustic and simple, which prioritized people on foot or bike, you lay your sleeping bag on a bunk in a dorm room and where you were assigned a chore as part of the deal.

Today hostels, even Hostelling International (HI) hostels vary much more. The one we stayed in for the last two nights for instance, the Bear on the Lake Guesthouse (a HI hostel) – was so clean, and luxurious that it could market itself as a mini-resort. Although virtually impossible to get to without a car, and fairly pricy ($96 for the three of us), it had shiny wood floors, complimentary tea and coffee, a perfectly outfitted kitchen for us to use, free wi-fi, ensuite bathrooms in some dorm rooms, family rooms, soft sheets and fluffy duvets, a firepit where the fire was laid each evening, board games to play, laundry facilities, a gorgeous big wooden table to eat at, and a super-charming and hip host who shared travel stories and a glass of wine with us, found a nightlight for Sidney, called ahead to bus companies, made the beds perfectly and kept the music playing and made people happy. The clientele included retirees on vacation, hitchhiking German high school students, tour groups and ourselves. They named us collectively the ‘traveller of the week’ at the hostel.  Apparently we're being profiled on some website. We swoon at the compliment! I could seriously stay here for longer. But we’re off to Halifax today.