Hostel Reviews or ‘Where To Sleep Around The World’

As we head round the world and find places to lay our heads, we thought we’d tell you what they were like. If they were good, we’ll let you know, and if they should be condemned, we’ll mention that too. So if you need a place to stay, check here and see what we’ve experienced!

If you’ve stayed at a hostel you’ve loved or hated, please email us and we’ll be sure to add your review on to our list! Just let us know the following info. Country: City: Hostel name: Address or URL (the more specific the better): Price Rating: Budget, Midrange, Pricey (with price if you know it) I Stayed : (when you were there) Comments :

Ecuador Hostel Reviews

City: Baños
Hostel Name: Hotel El Belen
Location: Reyes & Ambato
URL: www.hotelbelen.com
Price Rating: Budget (Double Private Ensuite USD15)
We stayed: Late April 2012
Comments: This place is a fairly average hotel in a nice town. Location wise, it’s pretty good, only a 5 minute walk from the main square, and also very close to the bus station.
The rooms are reasonably sized, with a TV and a large bathroom. However, the walls are paper thin, so conversations can be heard clearly in the next room. There also appears to be a large rooster that lives nearby, who does his best to wake you up as soon as dawn breaks.
The bathrooms are spacious, but the hot water is not particularly warm.
The hotel advertises that it has it’s own gym and Jacuzzi. In reality, there is one weights machine and an empty hot tub in the garage.
The staff are a bit of a mixed bag. The lady that runs the place is very attentive and helpful, though the younger guys that work there do not really seem to care much, and are more interested with trying to sell you a tour.
Wifi is reliable, but a little slow. It’s available throughout most of the rooms, but there are a few blackspots upstairs.
Overall, not a bad place for the price, but there are better places.

City: Guyaquil
Hostel Name: Nunapacha Hostel
Location:Balsamos Sur 308, Urdesa Central
URL: http://www.nucapacha.com/home.html
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm 10USD)
We stayed: Early April 2012
Comments: This is a good little place in one of the nicer neighbourhoods of Guayaquil. One of the drawbacks to being in a nicer area though, is that its’ a fair distance to the city centre ($4 taxi, 0.25c bus), but this isn’t too much of an issue. Buses are regular, and the hostel has its own taxi service.
Dorms are very large, each with multiple fans. These are very welcome, as this town gets very hot and humid at night. There are large security lockers which can fit very large bags.
There are two bathrooms on the ground floor, each of which are cleaned regularly. The kitchen is very well equipped, and there is plenty of room for more than one person to cook.
You are not allowed to bring your own alcohol into the hostel, but the bar is both well stocked and reasonably priced ($2 for a large beer).
There is a mid sized pool in the garden, though it looked a little green when we were there. However, it is nice to lounge around during the day. There are also a few hammocks dotted around the garden.
The hostel has it’s own travel agency for Galapagos trips. The prices offered are very competitive, and the service is good.
Wifi is free and available throughout the building. It is fairly fast and reliable. There is one computer available for general use.
There is a large white rabbit that lives at the hostel, so do not be alarmed if you see him wondering about (I had to do a double take first time I spotted him!)

City: Quito
Hostel Name: Secret Garden Hostel
Location: Calle Antepara E4-60 y Los Rios, San Blas
URL: www.secretgardenquito.com/
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm 10USD)
We stayed: Late April 2012
Comments: We liked the Secret Garden, except for a few small issues.
It’s in a fairly good location on a cobbled street, around 10 minutes walk from the centre of the old town. The area itself is one of the safer ones in Quito, but it’s still not recommended to walk around there alone at night. The hostel itself is very safe, with a security guard posted on the front door 24 hours a day.
There are some good common areas in the hostel – a roof terrace on the top floor, with bar and restaurant & an amazing view(!!), and a lounge/internet room in the middle. They serve a reasonably priced breakfast and dinner, although the portions are a little small. The dinner is very well organised – you order during the day, and everyone sits down to eat at the same time (really adds to the athmosphere). If you order your dinner before 10am, you get a free beer thrown in.
The bar itself is well stocked, but a little overpriced ($2.60 for a large beer, $2.80 for a glass of wine from a box, to which 12% tax is added). Alcohol is not served on Sundays (this is the law throughout Ecuador, but only really enforced in Quito)
A big downside is that all the common areas are closed at 11pm, and everyone is told to either go out, or return to their rooms. This can sometimes be a problem, as it’s not really safe to go wondering around looking for a bar late at night. It’s understandable that people have to sleep, but there has to be a better way of organising this.
The rooms themselves are large and clean, with large security lockers for all of the beds.
Bathrooms are fairly good, though the electric showers take some getting used to.
There is also a tour agency in the building. It seems to get good reviews, but also seems a little overpriced (a tour to the Equator costs $38 – you can do it for $7 independantly)
Wifi is very quick and reliable and available through most of the building.