Drifter Jack’s Hostel

*Hostel Tips*
1. Before heading out for the night, set up your sheets, blanket and sleeping clothes for bed. That way you cause minimal noise and movement to be courteous to your roommates after a long night on the town. No one likes the asshole who stumbles in the room at 4am.
2. Always have a pair of earplugs at the ready. You’ll be hard pressed to get a decent nights rest if Simon is snoring like a brown bear. A sleeping mask may help too if you intend to rest through some daylight.
3. SAY HI. People tend to have their guard up amongst strangers, which I totally understand. The best way to eliminate a stranger is to say ‘Hello’, chop it up a bit and… voila! you just made a new friend and possible life-​long connection, or not. Better to know than to wonder. Feed your curiosity.
On to the review:
I knew beforehand that Austin was «weird», but after spending a weekend in its guts, I found that this city is just plain hip as fuck. I dig y’alls style.
Cool hostel and a very hospitable group of employees. This place is a bit tricky to find. It is on Guadalupe St, but the actual building/​entrance is literally in the alley behind Fat Sal’s Deli. One may see this as a bit frustrating and confusing, but just think of it as part of discovering your surroundings! I actually liked that it was tucked away from the main strip, allowing plenty of cover and seclusion to enjoy a great smoke session amongst fellow travelers and… drifters!
The 6-​bed rooms offer all the amenities one would expect in a typical hostel; locker, sink in room, toliet and shower in the wash room which is shared with the 6-​bed room next door to yours. I don’t recall seeing an AC unit, but I would expect one to be installed in the summer months. The living room area is cozy, it can fit around 7 – 9 people at once comfortably. The same applies to the kitchen.
The complimentary breakfast here is very basic. There is waffle batter made for you to help yourself, coffee, tea, a few fruits and jam… though I didn’t see any sliced bread for that. It’s just enough for fuel to get you going in the morning, but I can see some guests being disappointed in the offerings in that department.
on the night of my stay, I came back from causing trouble on the dirty 6 and joined new friends by the pool table for some great conversation and to burn a few White Owls. After being completely lit I retreated to the living room — which is open at all hours — and walked in on a few more travelers watching a movie I hadn’t seen or heard of before called ‘Leon: The Professional’. It’s circa ’94 and stars Jean Reno and a very young Natalie Portman. CRAZY FUCKING FLICK. Very controversial and awkward at times. I’m so happy I walked in on that time and I recommend this movie to anyone action-​oriented. My moral to this bit is: seek, discover, and be rewarded for your inquisitiveness. I never would have been exposed if I decided to bitch out and head straight to bed. Get out there and live!
–Bean

After traveling the states for over 2 months, staying in many hostels, overall Drifter Jacks Hostel was the best one I stayed in. The staff are great, the beds comfortable and the FREE breakfast was useful for anyone traveling on a shoe string budget. The hostel is also located in a convenient place where shops and cafes are plentiful. Looking forward to another great stay here in the future :)

Not the best but not the worst. Bus stop is right outside, Internet works and has parking. Rooms are crammed with bunks and packs, not an ideal setup. Two rooms share one bathroom so be prepared to wait. If you stay here I would skip «renting» keys. I would recommend checking out another hostel in the area if possible.

I stayed at Drifter Jack’s for a week on my first ever trip to Austin. The location is great (close to UT campus), the staff is awesome (especially Shay!!) and the murals covering every wall space are amazing. There are also many resources available near the front desk with events and maps to make sure every traveler has a good time. Highly recommend this hostel!

Drifter Jack’s made our experience in Austin amazing! It’s a little eclectic hole in the wall spot to stay right on campus. You can’t get any more «Austin» than this. Fat Sal’s right in front of it has the most amazing sandwiches and you have the dragon Guadalupe right outside your door. As someone who went to this school many moons ago and lived in Austin for 10 years, I must say, if you really want to embrace the Austin culture, you need to stay here and you need to have an open mind. You share a room and a bathroom with neighbors so this isn’t a private oasis. It’s not a bed and breakfast although they do have a little breakfast equal to something continental somewhere else. This isn’t a luxury resort so don’t expect it. It’s an artsy laid-​back comfortable place to stay nestled in the heart of the university and billowing with life all around. The staff was sooo helpful in recommending the places to eat, to go, things to do, etc. They even put what is going on around you on the board every day as well as you get a free drink everyday you stay at Eastside across the street. I highly highly recommend you take that drink and order the Tori Meshi as well. It was one of the best meals I have had in a long long time, as well as Eastside plays awesome music as well as The Hole in the Wall it is associated with.
You really can’t go wrong by staying here.

I had an amazing time. Shay the receptionist was amazing. She got me settled in. I asked a lot of dumb questions but she answered them like they weren’t dumb. On a scale of 1 – 10 its a 8 but shay is 10\13

This was a great hostel! People were nice and they had a lot of things going on each day. The rooms are good and really nice. The only bad thing is that it is a bit far away from the party street (6^th st) but it did not matter cause the bus took gig straight down there.

I stayed here for 2 weeks in September while trying to explore the fair city of Austin and figure out what to do with my life. The hostel is small, but has a common area downstairs and by the kitchen where it’s easy to find people to hang out and converse with. There is an events board with things to do around the city and days when certain museums are free. The staff is easy to get along with and most of the people have good chemistry. Most of the things get fixed quickly. You could party, watch a dvd/​vhs, chill out, or use your laptop. The free waffees/​toast/​fruit for breakfast is amazing.
Some people go out around the University area during the week, but Thursday through Saturdays is the best time to hit 6^th street. There are pubcawls on Thursday and Saturday nights. If there is a home UT football game, everyone will be at the tailgate and the game getting drunk. The pubcrawls are pretty fun and a great way to meet people.
The crowd is pretty young (20’s to 30’s) with some exceptions. I would definitely stay here again if I needed to based on the vibe. Most people are foreigners traveling from Europe, but some are from the US.

Drifter Jack’s is a late ‘90s hazy teenage dream set against the heat of Texas, a perfect cozy spot of good vibes and good people. I stayed at the Drifter’s on a trip to Austin with three of my school friends on a post-​graduation road trip. One of my friends was terrified to be staying in a room with people she didn’t know, and had a break down. But the staff took care of us and by the second day, she was in love with the hostel. Because the point of staying in a hostel is to meet people in a new city, to connect to the social fabric of where you are, I would say Drifter Jack’s is the place to go on any trip to Austin. With great staff, affordable accommodations, all aspects of the facilities in working order, and activities galore, this is where you should stay.

I really enjoyed my 4 day stay in Austin, which is an awesome, happening city, as everyone knows! A big part of making my stay wonderful was Drifter Jack’s Hostel. Both the staff (shout out to Thomas and Miranda, and all the cool people there!) and fellow guests were very friendly. The staff went above and beyond, in terms of not only greeting me with smiles and by name (and I wasn’t even wearing a name tag), but also in being helpful and knowledgeable about the city they clearly love living in. Suggestions for where to eat or what bars to go to are readily offered. And, I was impressed with the large whiteboard in the reception area which lists fun things to do every day of the week.
My stay was during August, the hottest part of the year, and yet the air conditioning in my 6 bed all-​female room was quite comfortable. There is a shared bathroom between this room and the one next door, which is typical for hostels in my experience. The whole place was clean and comfortable. I was not the typical guest, as I am older than most, and I was staying there while attending a 4-​day training at Austin Community College Eastview. However, I felt that I fit right in. One highlight was the night I and one of my roommates learned a drinking game, «King’s Cup», from a bunch of mostly Aussie guys in the common room. Then we went to 6^th St. Fun night, and when we returned quite late to Drifter Jack’s I was able to fall asleep pretty easily due to the comfortable mattress in my bed.
A few more highlights: Free parking in the adjoining lot; a free drink token daily for The Hole in The Wall Bar down the street; and the amazing, colorful artwork adorning almost every wall in the place. These murals mesmerized me as I stared at them over breakfast or walking down the hall. When my travels take me to Austin again, I plan on staying at Drifter Jack’s. The location can’t be beat, and the friendly staff and interesting guests from all over the world give this place a very chill vibe!

Amazing staff and awesome rooms! Everyone there was super friendly. We’re 18 and we didn’t feel awkward at all. First hostel experience and I can say everything was perfect I will for sure be coming back with more friends! Thank you so much

What is nice is with this hostel is the friendly people that work there and the interesting people that stay there. The hostel is located in a vibrant part of Austin (near University of Texas) that have affordable restaurants and funky bars. The mattresses are quality that allow for one to sleep well. Common rooms at the hostel at this hostel are also great with a pool table that enable socializing Overall highly recommended.

Nice hostel with a good staff, especially Travis and Shea, who were so helpful and friendly. The residents were very social and friendly as well. Travis gave plenty of great suggestions for things to do in Austin and they have a huge dry erase board updated daily with a list of tons of events in town. The beds were surprisingly comfortable for a hostel and included a comforter. I liked that you shared a bathroom (toilet and shower) with only one other room, instead of the entire floor. Breakfast was basic but nice to be included at no charge.
My only complaints are about parking and noise. Parking was quite tight, so much so that the first night the lot was full. I had to park at the establishment next door. (Although to be fair, I arrived very late and was the last person to check in). Parking next door wasn’t a big deal, but it was a bit annoying to have to wake up early the next morning to move my car out of fear that the business next door would tow it. The second night parking spots were also scarce, but luckily I got one of the last spots. The other issue was noise – the second night I had loud roommates that arrived late and talked very loudly. However, that’s not the fault of Drifter Jack’s Hostel and can happen anytime you are staying in a communal setting.
Overall this was a good place to stay and would likely choose it again if I’m ever traveling solo in Austin and looking for a cheap place to stay.

I had an awesome experience at Drifter Jack’s. The staff were some of the friendliest and most helpful that I’ve ever encountered. They give you a free drink token each night that can be redeemed at a cool nearby dive bar. Located right next to UT, and all the cheap and delicious food that comes with a student campus. Cool psychedelic art everywhere inside the hostel. Austin is the shit, and Drifter Jack’s totally made my experience!

Worst hostel ever!!!
These guys don’t even have the drinking water fountain or cooler for guests. Very tiny space for guests to walk around. Cleanliness is an issue all the time. Staff is not cooperative and rude, theft is common. Complementary breakfast quantity is very limited, they only put a dozen bananas for 50 guests in the morning. Waffles are free, self-​prepared, if you get a chance to look at the way they prepare the batter, its extremely un-​hygenic, i would never eat that. Drip coffee vessel never gets cleaned up. They use tap water for all food, cleaning purposes. Bathrooms are tiny and shared across the rooms. Often times homeless people stay there and people don’t even pay for the stay at times. Owners himself acknowledged it but since its a private property, nobody cares. Staff smoke weed in the backyard patio. Its a horrible place.

Stayed here for one night on my weekend trip to Austin. Fairly priced and is also located in a very safe part of the city. Thomas showed me around the hostel and made me feel right at home. Awesome little hostel with a chill vibe! Make sure to bring your own towel and toiletries. They do charge 3 dollars to rent a towel, just a heads up! I will defiantly be back!

Very friendly staff, that are always ready to help. Super clean place, great location… I have only good things to say about this place. And I don’t usually right reviews, only when I am extremely satisfied.

Excellent staff, very accommodating and polite. Clean, efficient, and with friendly guests! Would definitely stay again!

I really wish that I had read Verbocity’s review before booking at this place, because I damn sure wouldn’t have booked had I done that. I read reviews only on the booking website and had no idea what I was in for. I’ll also mention that I have stayed in hostels in the US, Greece, Italy, and Spain, and that this hostel was second only to a Barcelona hostel with metal walls around the beds in terms of noise. It was also towards the top of the list of dirtiest hostels, and is the only hostel to ever make me 1) cry, and 2) leave before my reservation was up.
So, I will proceed, because this is not a happy review, first to the things I either liked or could imagine people liking:
1) lots of people, and everyone I talked to seemed friendly. The people running the reception seemed pretty spacy (the guy running things during the day wrote me an email in response to my notification that I’d be checking in late but never sent it, had to call from my cell to be let in the door, the woman running things at night didn’t have keys for me and spent 15 minutes finding some, she had trouble issuing my refund when I asked), but they were very friendly, and so were the guests I ran into. The woman at reception also was ready with recommendations for me when I asked where I could find a burrito and beer.
2) great location if you want to be near the UT campus. It’s also close to some nice funky-​looking restaurants and bars, including Kerbey Café, which is practically within spitting distance.
3) one free beer each night at a nearby bar.
4) party atmosphere, and people from all over.
5) triply local art all over all the walls.
Now on to the things I didn’t like:
1) it is really cramped. This wouldn’t be such a problem if it didn’t lead to problems 2 and 3. I’ll get to those, but I’ll also add that I was stuck in a top bunk in a room that had so much crap strewn across the floors that I’m 100% sure that, in the case of a fire, I would have died. There were 12 people to the bathroom (as described by Verbocity), which was small and sandwiched between the two bedrooms. This is a problem; I have no problem with a shared bathroom, but having one for that many people AND having it immediately attached to the bedroom was massively unappealing. I was to be in the bed next to the bathroom door and, given the general noisiness of the place, am sure that I would have been lucky enough to hear all goings-​on in there had I stayed. Ick.
2) very loud. The common areas are very small, so if people are not interested in watching TV or sitting in the kitchen (where there were dishes and small appliances everywhere), they end up in the bedrooms. Drunk. And talking/​shouting. So if your plan is – like mine was – to sleep at a reasonable hour because you have to be somewhere in the morning, you’d better be one of those people who can fall asleep in a crowded room with the lights blazing. You can also hear everyone who’s hanging around outside. I’m pretty sure the only way I would have fallen asleep at this place is if I had been either heavily drugged or pass-​out drunk.
3) dirty. The bathroom facilities – probably because of how they’re arranged – didn’t seem like they were cleaned well or often. There were drain bugs, and it was generally kind of grimy. The sink in the bedroom was similarly unappealing and the hallway floor was dirty enough that I was surprised to see that the woman running the desk was barefoot. It wasn’t truly horrifying or anything, but it wasn’t clean.
I expect hostels to be noisy and the bathrooms to not be quiet places, but I mistakenly thought that the noise would be (as it has been in every other hostel I’ve stayed in) in the common areas and that the bathroom would not be 4 feet from my bed. I wasn’t looking for luxury, but what I found was a place where I wasn’t sure I would be able to do either of the two things I’m looking to do when I stay in a hostel: sleep, and grab a quick shower.
I checked in, went to grab dinner and freak out at the prospect of staying at this place, cried in my car because I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed and was now spending $ 250 on a hotel that I hadn’t budgeted for this trip, and then went in and asked for a refund. The woman at the desk called her manager, who was pretty defensive when he spoke to me on her phone and basically told me that my complaints were illegitimate because «that’s the hostel environment,» and they refunded ²⁄₃ of my fee. So I was a Drifter Jack’s customer for about an hour and a half, and it was not pleasant. I appreciate that they refunded what they did, but I feel they should have refunded me in full because I don’t think that my expectations of wanting to be confident I could grab some sleep and bathe without being walked in on or waiting for potentially quite a stretch to do so were/​are unreasonable.

This place is amazing. It is a Hostel that emphasizes community and the staff are superb! They not only tell you were the best places are and what’s going down that week, they also party with you! These people can really hang. The rooms are filled with beautiful art and are cleaned every day. The laundry is in a nice little kitchen they have as well. It also has a relaxing lounge filled with board games where people can get to know each other. If there is a downside to Drifter Jacks it is that it’s not bigger. This place could be huge later on as everyone will try to be flocking to the best hostel in Austin, for the best experience In Austin :).