The Prison Hostel in Anjuna is probably one of those places you don’t mind being locked up in. Watching the world pass you by from behind bars, yet with the option of joining the other side, without any mention of parole. Like many 26-year-olds going through the quarter-life disenchantment with corporate life, Jason Noronha left his job as a financial consultant in Singapore, where he had also studied electrical engineering, and returned to his home state wanting to do something different. After a year of deliberation, he realised aniche that he could own and innovate. Hostels. “When you are a young traveller, you prefer to stay at a sociable place. And this is what we kept in mind. Also many think cheap is a bad thing, which is not true. Our aim was to provide the best services at affordable rates,” says Noronha, who started the hostels, along with three other friends.
Their first initiative was the Jungle Hostel, a name that was inspired by its surroundings, Vagator. Local folklore is replete with stories of tigers
roaming freely in the jungles around Vagator many moons ago, which is apparently where its name was derived too. “With the jungle on three sides of the hostel, we didn’t have to add too many aesthetic elements, just preserve what we have,” he says. With stone or wood floorings, the hostel melts into its milieu with ease. Added to that are the few hammocks, and one lies in the lap of nature.
Their second hostel, inspired by prison, had a lot more scope for creativity. The experience begins right at the gate, with the high prison-like portals welcoming you. The gigantic image of a prisoner painted on the façade only adds to the feel. Photo records are mandatory, and here your check-in procedure includes a prison mugshot. Meandering through the hallway, there are CCTVs mounted in all common areas. When
the prison bars do finally swing open you’re in a dormitory with bunk beds. But quite unlike the real deal, here there are friendly inmates
to greet you.
The eight ‘cells’
include unisex or
all-girl dormitories,
as well as private
or air-conditioned
rooms.
But why the
prison theme?
“After all the crazy all-night parties, most of
these youngsters anyway just lock themselves
in a room all day. Here, we do it for them,”
laughs Noronha.
With social interaction ranking high on their
list of priorities, a cozy little common area
beckons ‘inmates’ to relax, rejuvenate or indulge
in board games.
“We didn’t want a one-size-fits-all format of
accommodation,” he states, explaining the reason
for bringing all their diverse properties
under ‘thehostelcrowd’ identity.
But this place is not for the unconscionable.
In addition to using only recycled and
upcycled eco-friendly material to build the
place, the quartet have a few unwavering principles,
which includes hiring only local youth
as staff and garbage segregation.
“The trend in Goa is to hire Nepalis as staff,
but people from the community also need to
be involved. It is pointless talking about being
tourism-driven if the money is going to other
states. We are also trying to streamline employment
benefits for our staff, so that it is a
sustainable model,” he states.
Speaking about garbage management around
them, Noronha says the situation near the
beach areas is extremely bad, and need desperate
measures by everyone involved.
Their third project, due to open next month,
however, is not near the beach. In fact, the
café adjoining the Old Quarter Hostel in Fontainhas
will be called ‘The beach is boring’.
“We wanted to highlight the history and
culture of Goa, beyond the sun and sand. And
the Latin quarter was ideal for what we had
in mind. Panjim is either divided into dodgy
or expensive, so we wanted to introduce a
clean and economical accommodation option,”
says 28-year-old Noronha, as he gazes at the
hostel wall that sports a life-size artwork
created from Portuguese tiles, azulejos.
