Roofdeck adventures at Z Hostel

News of relatively cheap beer and a roofdeck had lured us to Z Hostel on a recent holiday weekend. Since it opened early this year, we'd been seeing photos posted by some friends on our social media feeds. The question was, what were these people doing at a hostel? Weren't they from the same city? Is this a new thing we're too old to know about?

As it turns out, hanging out at a hostel even if you aren't a guest is perfectly fine, at least at Z Hostel. The crowd is a mix of pajama-clad guests and dressed up outsiders who are in between bars. There's also a charming dog who roams around quietly, unperturbed by the music and chatter.

The whole place is clean, the design mostly simple, with quirky details here and there. A shiny pole is the lobby's centerpiece. Strange at first, but sooner or later, you feel the urge to try to climb it—or dance around it, if you're feeling more adventurous.

You could take the stairs or ride the elevator going up. It's a short trip, and the fliers will surely keep you occupied. There's information about upcoming tours, as well as house rules such as "If you say 'I love you,' mean it!" and "No fighting aloud." Before you can figure out the best way to fight silently, you'll be at the sixth floor.

There's one more flight of stairs to the roofdeck area, which is split in two. One side has a plastic grass carpet and a small stage for the occasional performance, while the other side is slightly roomier. There are no tables, except for counters by the ledge, and a few chairs which become more and more precious as the night goes on.

With such a small space, it's hard to decide which spot is the best. Since one corner is occupied by the bar and kitchen, only three corners are available. The spot next to the bar is guaranteed to make you smell like grilled sausages. The other corner is right by the glass door, which is all right, especially if you like watching people come and go. The last corner by the ledge is probably the best. This way, if you get tired of looking at people, you can enjoy the view, or at least whatever you can make out through the smog and light pollution.

"So what's the appeal?" a friend asked when I told her about it. "You can't sit, it's crowded, and the view isn't exactly scenic...why do you want to go back?" Despite the apparent cons, it's a lot of fun. One reason might be the simplicity of it all. It's mostly a self-service kind of place, and people are expected to clean up. There are plenty of reminders to return empty bottles and dispose cigarette butts properly, along with signs encouraging guests to post using their hashtag.

At the reception area, you acquire an RFID bracelet with a minimum credit of P150, and a P50 deposit. "Para mas madali—alam niyo na, minsan nakakalimot magbayad kapag nakainom," the guy at the reception area told us when we asked about the system. At the roofdeck, you use the bracelet whenever you place an order. There's no need to go back down if you want to add credit, and at the end of the night, you can get the unused credit back.

"Is it your first time here?" the receptionist asked us. "Baka mapadalas kayo dito," he said, as he handed us our bracelets. He was right. Apart from its simplicity, the appeal is in the people. Because of its "anything goes" vibe, it's the sort of place you could visit alone without feeling uncomfortable.

If you don't feel like socializing, you could enjoy a drink in peace, and if you do, you're likely to find a friendly person to strike up a conversation with. It is a hostel, after all, and if traveling vicariously is your thing, this is a good place to do it. In one night, we met people from Switzerland, Scotland, and ran into old friends as well.

The other reason to go back is the food. It's a bit strange, but we found ourselves craving the food at Z Hostel. The food is pretty simple—cheeseburgers, grilled sausages, chicken skin, grilled corn, veggies in a basket, fried tofu, fish and chips, and peanuts—but there's something about eating on a roofdeck that makes everything taste better. They also have adobo flakes with rice, which seems to be a bestseller.

A lot of people are just there for the drinks, which are also pretty straightforward. There's local beer, bottles of hard liquor, and a few mixes, including the Puñeta, which is worth ordering just to hear the waiter shout it out when it's ready. "Thirsty? We will get u drunk," is the promise on their bar list. It's no college hangout where people pass out hugging the toilet bowl, but people do get drunk. If they do get too drunk to get home, that's not a problem. It is, after all, a hostel. — BM, GMA News

Z Hostel is at 5660 Don Pedro Street, Makati City.