It’s practically a rite of passage for travelers to have a strange or awkward hostel experience at some point in their wanderings, but if you book a stay at Kex Hostel in Reykjavik you will more likely be telling tales about the homey décor and surprisingly fashionable clientele. Housed in a re-purposed biscuit factory (hence the name, which is Icelandic for biscuit) visitors can stay in a range of rooms from private to dorm-style, with access to a café and bar serving local fare, an old-timey boxing gym that doubles as a meeting or party room, and they can even get a shave or a hair trim by a third generation barber in the hostel’s own raxtur salon (barber shop). Adventure-seeking guests plan their days through Kexland, the hostel’s unique tour operator-service that highlights some of the must-sees in the area. Geothermal helicopter tour, anyone?

Kex Hostel, Skulagata 28, 101 Reykjavík. Kexhotel.is