Not sold on the idea of a summer staycation? Boutique hostels - with rooms that lick the majority of budget hotel beds in the style stakes - might be your salvation. There are budget options all along the Mediterranean coast from as little as £11 a night - less than many UK campsites will charge. And if you want a bit of privacy, many have a handful of double rooms that still cost a fraction of what you would pay at a hotel. We've selected the most popular seaside pads from hostelbookers.com, from an award-winning Nice hostel built in a beautiful former monastery, to an art hostel in Spain and a Turkish treehouse.
1. Villa Saint Exupery, Nice, France
For a touch of Gallic chic on the French Riviera, the award-winning Villa Saint Exupery is a world-class hostel, close to the beaches of Monaco, Cannes and St Tropez. Housed in a former Carmelite monastery in a hillside park of olive and pine trees, this is one of the most beautiful hostels in the world, with views of Nice Bay and the Mediterranean Sea, and a chapel with stained glass windows that has been converted into a lounge. There's an all-you-can-eat breakfast and a cheap bar where drinks are only €1. You can also dine on an outdoor terrace shaded by flowers, with homemade pizza and Provencal cuisine from the kitchen. Trams run every six minutes to downtown Nice, and the staff organise surfing, sailing and scuba diving trips to the beach.
• Villa Saint Exupery, +33 493 84 42 83; from €18 (£16.50) per person for a shared room, €35pp pn for a twin.
2. Rooms Deluxe Hostel, Valencia, Spain
The Rooms Deluxe Hostel is one of Europe's original design hostels, and is just a short walk from Valencia's two urban beaches, Las Arenas and La Malvarrosa. Each of the 28 ensuite rooms has been decorated by a different artist, so you could end up staying in a "Buddhist temple" or "retro chic" suite. The Ciudad de las Artas y Las Ciencas is only 100 metres away, but there's also a large lounge with a DVD player and fully-equipped kitchen if you want to unwind in the hostel.
• Rooms Deluxe Hostel, +34 963 356 793; from €35 per person a night.
3. Bayrams Treehouse, Olympos, Turkey
Hang out in these top-end treehouses close to the glorious beaches of Olympos in Turkey. Rooms sleep one to four with all the bedding included, as well as free breakfast and dinner. Climb down from your treehouse to unwind in the orange grove in a hammock, play backgammon or enjoy a Turkish waterpipe. You're only 500 metres from the beach and a scenic bay, where rock-jumping and boat cruises are the order of the day, and close to the ancient city of Lycian. There's even a nightly tour of the Chimera Flames, that have been burning at the top of Mount Olympos for thousands of years.
• Bayrams Treehouse, from 25 Turkish lire per person a night (£10.45)
4. Anny Studios Perissa Beach, Santorini Island, Greece
Unwind on the beaches of the ever-popular Santorini Island at Anny Studios. These spacious studios apartments are situated 30 meters from the black sand beach in the bustling town of Perissa, a resort with cocktail bars, clubs and shops. The beach is a hot-spot for watersports, scuba diving and snorkelling, and you can try your hand at hiking and horse riding inland. Each apartment comes equipped with a bath, balcony, full kitchen equipment, satellite TV and air-conditioning. The studios can accommodate two to six people, and there is an on-site swimming pool and snack bar.
• Anny Studios Perissa Beach, +30 22860 31627/82669; from €19 per person a night, two-bed studios from €28pn.
5. Riad Zahra, Essaouira, Morocco
The Riad Zahra offers a bargain beach break on the pristine shores of Morocco's Essaouira. A mix of Arabian and Andalucian architecture, the hostel comes complete with pool, restaurant, bar, and kite-surf school, and the rooms are furnished in a traditional Beldi style. Overlooking the ocean, you're only two minutes from the beach and it's 15 minutes up the road to the old town La Medina.
• Riad Zahra, +212 524 47 48 22; from €25 per person a night.
6. Peniche Hostel Backpackers, Peniche, Portugal
The westernmost town in Europe, Peniche is a quaint Portuguese fishing village with glorious beaches, popular with surfers. The Peniche Hostel Backpackers is a homely beach-front hostel with four mixed dorms for four, and one double. The airy rooms have been recently renovated, and there's a large lounge, fully-equipped kitchen and surfboards and bicycles for hire.
• Peniche Hostel Backpackers, +351 262 96900 8689; from €20 per person a night, doubles from €40pn.
7. Surf Backpackers, San Sebastian, Spain
In the heart of San Sebastian's old town, the Surf Backpackers hostel is next door to some of Spain's best beaches - the surf haven Zurriola and the scenic La Concha Bay. San Sebastian is famed for its vibrant nightlife, and this hostel is geared towards a fun-loving crowd, with the best bars and clubs only a stumble away. Housed in a traditional Spanish building, complete with balconies and bay windows, the rooms are modern, bright and breezy, and the friendly staff offer a free tour of the city.
• Surf Backpackers, from €35 per person a night.
8. Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel, Rimini, Italy
The Sunflower in Rimini is only a couple of minutes' walk from the beach, and throws massive parties every weekend. There's a 24-hour Sunflower Bar, free breakfast, bike hire and party lovers can make use of their free and discount tickets to the discos and clubs in Rimini. For morning-after recovery laze in one of the hammocks in the garden or head to the chill-out area. The hostel also has a TV room, games area and offers the opportunity to take Italian and cookery classes.
• Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel, +39.0541.373432; from €25 per person a night, doubles from €46pn
9. Scalinatella Hostel, Amalfi, Italy
This family-run hostel in Atrani, on the Amalfi coast is 100m from the beach, spread out over several traditional buildings perched over the bay of Salerno. There's a free breakfast each morning in the sunny Piazzetta, an American bar and market on the complex and a restaurant housed in an atmospheric old hall. The Amalfi Port is a 10-minute walk away (where the hostel owners conduct a free tour).
• Scalinatella Hostel, +39 (0)89 871492; from €21 per person a night, doubles from €60pn.
10. Rituals Backpackers, Cascais, Portugal
The Rituals Backpackers lies on the unspoilt shores of Cascais Beach, a traditional fishing town with a large Brazilian population close to Lisbon in Portgual. This rustic beach house has been given a chic update with a cool lounge, complete with fireplace and brightly coloured bean bags. The rooms range from spacious dorms to private suites, some of which have balconies overlooking the sea, or views of the hostel garden and swimming pool. All the shops, restaurants and bars are just around the corner.
• Rituals Backpackers, from €21 per person a night
• All hostels can be booked through hostelbookers.com. Prices are for peak summer season.
