If you’ve ever stayed in a hostel, you know what they’re like.

Blank, concrete corridors, sheets like nylon sandpaper, dormitories full of other people’s underwear, a smell of student cooking and old socks, and a pervading sense of depression. There’s always a drunken Australian student called Lee and a grumpy Swedish backpacker called Lars.

Still, it’s only £10 a night, so, as long as you can sleep (which you can’t, because the guy in the upper bunk has a hacking cough), shower in the morning (which you can’t, because the hot water’s run out) and make breakfast (which you can’t, because the communal kitchen looks like an explosion in a bacon factory), you’ve got your money’s worth.

Well, forget what you know. Over the past few years, a new breed of accommodation has sprung up: the boutique hostel.

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They’re still on the basic side, otherwise they wouldn’t be cheap (which we like) - but they do the simple stuff well, with lashings of style and attitude (which we like too).

You’ll still find some dorms and lavatories down the hall, and we can’t guarantee that there’ll be nobody there called Lars - but you’ll also find private double rooms (some ensuite), designer interiors, fluffy duvets, flatscreen televisions, elegant lounge areas and a sense of youthful flair. They’re a million miles from the grim hostel stereotype and a welcome contrast to the bland utilitarianism of the budget hotel chains.

In short, if you’re looking for a cheap city break with a twist, they’re manna from heaven. Here’s the lowdown on eight of the best examples across Europe.

FLORENCE
Plus Florence You don’t get many hostels with a swimming pool. Mind you, they don’t usually come with flatscreen TVs in every room and panoramic terrace bars overlooking the Duomo, either.

Plus is flashpacker central: hotel-standard facilities, backpacker attitude and low prices, all an easy 10-minute walk from the Uffizi. It’s big (450 beds) and mainly dorms, but the double rooms are cosy, with crisp sheets and ensuites; after your terrace sundowner and a dip, head to the designer basement bar, with good cocktails and a house DJ.

Don’t expect anything too sedate - the occasional drinking competition has been known - but if you don’t mind a bit of high spirits, it’s simply unbeatable value in a pricey city. www.plusflorence.com ; doubles from £48, dorm beds from £18

CRACOW
Greg & Tom 2 Greg & Tom has rapidly become a Cracow institution - clean, cheap, centrally located, smartly designed and packed with features. (The huge home-cinema screen is a winner.) It’s great if you want a smart-studenty atmosphere, but for something a notch up-market, go for Greg & Tom 2, a five-minute walk away.

It has just seven spacious doubles, furnished sparingly but well, with sofas, subtle murals, CD players and smart bath-rooms: they’re grouped around a pretty lounge area and a modern kitchen. It’s all restrained, unfussy, bordering on elegant: more like sharing a smart city apartment with friends than staying in a hostel.

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