A traveler checks in at a hostel in Berlin Photo: IC

Travel experts at the Lonely Planet have come up with a list of the best budget hotels around the world, giving the top nod to a "hip, vibrant" hostel in Cape Town, South Africa that offers everything from safari tents to luxury en suites, girls-only dorms and a separate studio apartment. Starting rates for the rooms range from $20 to $94 a night. Take a tour of the top value hotels for 2014: a selection of comfortable, charming accommodations set in "superlative settings" often for less than $100 a night.

1. The Backpack, Cape Town, South Africa



"On several stays at The Backpack, I've always enjoyed the sociable atmosphere, which is encouraged by the chatty staff and often leads to a night in nearby Long Street's bars." ­- contributor James Bainbridge

The Backpack, Cape Town, South Africa Photo:AFP

2. Sydney Harbor YHA, Australia



"For someone like me, interested in history and appreciating a good view, this place ticked all the boxes. I got room 214 (the best in the place) and could happily have spent my stay just looking out the window." - Cliff Wilkinson

Sydney Harbor YHA, Australia Photo:AFP

3. Inkosana Lodge, Champagne Valley, Drakensberg, South Africa



"I have goose-bump moments when I sit on Inkosana's lawns at dusk watching the dramatic cloud formations over the rugged peaks, while listening to the birds or songs that echo across the valley from the local villages (oh, and if it's tunes you want, Inkosana is located near the Drakensberg Boy's Choir, which gives performances in summer)." - Kate Armstrong

4. Old Plovdiv Guesthouse, Plovdiv, Bulgaria



"Within ten minutes of arriving, I was sitting with hot tea and a basket of fish, shooting the breeze with the owner who immediately hooked me up with travelers heading the same way as me. The welcome I received at this guesthouse is a large factor in why I fell head over heels with this spirited city." - Anita Isalska

5. Hotel Gruner Baum, Glorenza, Sudtirol, Italy

"Spring was dragging its heels the weekend I happened upon Glorenza and it was wet, with a chill sweeping down from the still snowy Ortler peaks. Perfect weather to thaw out in my room's freestanding 'egg' bath, pore over a history of local frescoes in the library's calm and to linger over an earthy, big-flavored dinner and an elegant white in the pretty, pared-back stuben." - Donna Wheeler

6. Oztel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

"I've seen a lot of hostels in my day, but Oztel was unlike anything I had previously stumbled upon, especially when you factor in cost in a notoriously overpriced country like Brazil. Behind uneventful walls, a world of kitsch and design presents itself as if Scandinavian, not tropical; but the real coup is that the owners maintain the space like a work of art, not a hotel and certainly not a hostel." - Kevin Raub

7. Fauzi Azar Inn, Nazareth, Israel



"Sitting around the breakfast table, listening to Fauzi Azar's granddaughter talk about the history of the house and the leap of faith for an old Arab family to allow a young Jew to redevelop it left me hopeful that common ground can always be found if you look hard enough." - Tom Hewitson

8. We Hostel Design, Sao Paulo, Brazil



"My first thought when I laid eyes on We was, 'How do they keep a hostel this nice?' Travelers can accelerate wear and tear but this place was obviously tended to with Downton Abbey diligence. Then I started noticing the attention to detail: Even the dishes were meticulously researched and presented. It looks like a display hostel from a Midcentury Modern Hostel Museum, except here you can sit in the chairs and walk across the floors." - Kevin Raub

We Hostel Design, Sao Paulo, Brazil Photo:AFP

9. Hotel Hotel Hostel, Seattle, USA



"The hostel's biggest draw is its location. Refreshingly detached from the sirens, panhandlers and 24/7 pace of central Seattle, this is a place to come to sample some of the city's more unusual attractions in a neighbourhood whose motto is 'De Libertas Quirkas' (Freedom to be Peculiar)." - Brendan Sainsbury

10. On the Corner, Kolomyya, Ukraine



"I arrived at On the Corner the day before the American ambassador was due to visit. He'd heard so many Peace Corps volunteers rave about the place, he'd decided to come and check things out for himself!" - Marc di Duca