You’ve seen it, you have definitely seen it. If you haven’t then you must be blind…
Ok we’re kidding but we are definitely talking about Cats in Space! One of the most stand out hostels in Ban Tai, with its crazy cats and galactic theme this is the realisation of owners Julia and Champ’s own imagination.
Phanganist went along with our friends Leo Beer to go and get the story from the cats themselves…
So Julia, tell us your Koh Phangan story…
I came to Koh Phangan first in January 2013 and I planned to spend a few nights but spent the whole rest of my holiday here which was just a week.
At that moment I had already fallen in love with Koh Phangan so I returned to Germany and focused my life on coming back as soon as possible.
I managed to go back in November 2013, I planned to stay for two months and in the end never left! I kept extending and extending then made the decision that I don’t want to leave at all.
Why did you decide to make a hostel?
I had helped out at a friends hostel and really enjoyed this kind of work. I enjoy being around people and socialising. It’s the whole thing though not just the social part, hostel managing is what I decided I wanted to do. I have enjoyed this more than anything I've done before in Germany.
The social aspect was always the most important though and the parties of course, and the fun.
I don't like to have this distance between staff and guests that I often encountered in hostels around the world myself. We are a big Space Cat family together with our guests and this is a major part of what makes Cats in Space so special and what our guests love us for.
So tell us how you came up with the Cats in Space concept…
When I was first thinking of names I came across all the cliches like sunsets, coconuts, beaches etc and I wanted to be different and to stand out from the rest. So when I thought about going against what is common on the island I thought about what is different to everything existing here but people could still identify with it.
Then I thought why not work with internet memes and cats were the first thing that came to my mind. Everyone knows and loves funny cat pictures, funny cats make people happy. Then I developed the idea even further which resulted in working with the craziest of them all: the space cats! And suddenly a concept hostel was born!
And tell us about the artwork of Cats in Space…
I knew from a friend that Star Lab Industries existed on the island and when I checked out their facebook page I instantly loved their own company design which also has a space-y touch so I was sure that we would get along perfectly in this way. I contacted
Chris and we spent an inspiring, creative and very fun evening with a couple of beers at the hostel. He understood exactly what I had in mind and what atmosphere I would like to create so it was a collaboration that was perfect from the beginning.
What do the guests think?
They absolutely love it! A lot of guests say that they booked it mainly because of the name, the concept and the paintings, sometimes without even looking at all the amazing reviews we have collected throughout our first year in business. They say ‘I saw it on hostelworld and instantly knew: Cats in Space! That's gonna be it!’.
What kind of guests do you get?
The majority of our guests are staying for Full Moon or Half Moon parties so most of them are backpackers in their 20s who love to have fun, make friends and party. Outside of major party dates it's more chilled and more guests are interested in exploring the island's beautiful nature, beaches and activities while still not saying no to a couple of drinks together in the evenings.
You have pretty busy, fun looking warm up parties…
Our main focus is to bring everyone together and create an atmosphere that makes it easy to socialize for everyone. Drinking games like beer pong, flip cup or our infamous jungle jenga are a great way to connect people.
Also, Champ is an amazing entertainer and makes sure everybody is having fun and nobody is left out when he is jumping around with a mic in his hand, announcing the next round of free shots, moderating a drinking game in progress or simply joking with the people!
On Full Moon and Half Moon nights we do all-you-can-eat BBQs and buffets to get the pre-party started. Everybody having dinner together as a large group is also a great way to get to know each other. Our pre-parties are really crazy and fun so many people join in throughout the night when they walk or drive by. Everybody is welcome to join the fun at the Space Cat base!
Champ, do you enjoy being the entertainer?
Yes! Entertainment is my favorite part of hostel work! When you see the people having fun then it feels so good! Everyone is smiling and laughing and having a great time together.
Entertaining the people helps a lot to form groups of friends who then go to the parties together and can look after each other. Nobody from Cats in Space has to go to a party alone or without friends!
What’s the funniest thing to happen here?
Julia - On a Waterfall Party night, two days before Full Moon when it suddenly started to rain heavily, a whole bunch of our guests took off their clothes and started dancing on the tables and on the street in their underwear, listening to the Weather Girls - It's Raining Men blasting out of the speakers! The garden hose came into play as well! Hahaha
Champ - For me it’s our Jenga game! We call it Jungle Jenga. With every brick removed, people have to dance or kiss or twerk or complete some other task. So many funny things happen during Jungle Jenga!
And what are your hopes for the future with Cats in Space?
To never lose the power and energy we have, to constantly improve the hostel even further and make it even better than it already is! We don't like when things stand still. We have the need to constantly evolve!
The island has seen a huge growth in hostels over the last few years, do you think there will be even more?
Yes definitely. I see newly opened places almost every month and especially because the competition gets bigger and bigger you have to provide something that makes your place stand out from others, something that makes it special!
We know you’re super busy but what do you like to do when you get free time?
In those very rare moments I like to go and chill out at nice sunset spots. My favourites right now are Three Sixty Bar and Koh Raham.
I also enjoy checking out various restaurants on the island and I still haven’t been to about fifty percent of them all. I am vegetarian so I love the vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Sri Thanu. Green Gallery is my favorite so far. They have the best hummus ever!
And what is the Cats in Space philosophy?
It’s always better to be a Space Cat!
An important factor for Julia and Champ is that Cats in Space is a party hostel but providing comfortable beds and pillows, cleanliness and a good night’s sleep is just as important as the parties and the social aspect are.
If you visit them then you will notice that after the parties everyone is together chilling out having a ‘hangover day’, watching movies together or just relaxing on the thai floor cushions. Julia and Champ are more than often there together with the guests and they also take the guests for a ‘cats' day out’ around the island, whether in large groups in cars or as a scooter gang.
They have a twelve bed dorm, an eight bed and six four bed dorms. Each one has powerful ACs working 24h and some of the nicest, strongest bunk beds we have seen so you don’t have to worry about squeaking or wobbling!
We hope you enjoy your stay at Cats in Space as much as we always enjoy our time there!
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