Joanne Cocks checks into a Sliema hostel with a difference and is mesmerised by the art, individual touches and recycled materials that make up this home away from home.

The vibe at Hostel Jones is more like that of a family than a business.The vibe at Hostel Jones is more like that of a family than a business.

A blue dragon wraps itself around the staircase, spewing flames, while further down the stairwell, butterflies sway in the draught.

The dragon, created by spray painter Chris de Souza, is a far cry from the plain, unpretentious entrance of Shamrock House in Sliema’s Dingli Circus.

For as soon as you step in through the doorway of what has now been converted into Hostel Jones, you are transported into a colourful world, where each room has been given a distinct charm and character.

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. And for the past 18 months, they have been converting the house into a hostel for youths.

“However this is unlike anything else in Malta. Hostels in Malta have not evolved much over the years. We have chucked ideas back and forth and decided to give power, and space, to the artist,” says Trevor. “This is the nicest house, in one of the nicest streets. It has an element of prestige.”

For Trevor, the hostel is a place to be proud of, with its six bedrooms, offering 29 beds.

“Our aim is to offer an oasis; a home away from home. We also aim to make the hostel experience memorable. It’s not often that you see an orange canoe stuck up in the kitchen. It’s beautiful but out of the box,” laughs Trevor.

Keith is proud that the hostel is very eco-friendly and has wholeheartely embraced the concept of recycling and reusing. The Lovers’ Room, which comes complete with its own ensuite bathroom, has been tastefully done up using wooden pellets, which also exude a very pleasant woody smell. Pellets have also been used to make doors, tables and soffits in bathrooms, among others.

This is the nicest house, in one of the nicest streets. It has an element of prestige

However the main feature in Hostel Jones is the art. “We celebrate local artists, passing over to them a space. It’s been fun for us to see the designs and concepts take shape,” says Keith, describing the design as “eccentric and eclectic”. However “each one complements the other”.

In fact, one of the biggest works is the dragon spray painting, which took three months to complete. Artists have over the past months been contacting the two friends to contribute to Hostel Jones.

Another artist is Nel Pace, who has designed two rooms in the hostel. The mostly self-taught illustrator spent over three months working on The Speech and another month or two on The Guardians.

The Tree bedroom has been designed by Yasmin Mody, an artist with a flair for colour and composition.

But the artists are not only Maltese. Street artists who had come to Malta for the Sliema Art Festival have become part of the Jones family – their massive works of art have found a space in the hostel too.

And what’s the next project? The two friends want to completely re-do the roof, using as much recylced material as possible.

And they are already scouting the best spots for the right place to convert into another hostel...

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