A hostel that transformed one of Sliema’s iconic town houses in Dingli Street has been ranked fifth in a list of “most awesome designed hostels in Europe”.

Hostel Jones was listed on Gomio.com, a social hostel-booking platform which said design hostels were cropping up all over Europe and becoming as popular than ever.

“The Hostel Jones is not (just) a design hostel but a fully mind-blowing art hostel. This new hostel in Sliema, Malta knows how to impress their travellers. Huge wall paintings, recycled stylish furniture rounded up by a natural, authentic environment makes this hostel a special place to be,” the website said.

The blog said these hostels were not just a well-designed type of accommodation but “a mirror of the local design and art culture, combining the beauty of design with the comfortable atmosphere of a hostel”.

Hostel Jones is the brainchild of long-time friends Keith Montanaro and Trevor Diacono, who set out looking for the perfect house three years ago.

With art at the centre of its design, the hostel is very eco-friendly and has wholeheartely embraced the concept of recycling and reusing.

The Lovers room, for example, which comes complete with its own en suite bathroom, has been tastefully made up using wooden pallets, which also exude a very pleasant woody smell.

Pallets have also been used to make doors, tables and soffits in bathrooms, among others.