Hostel Jericoacoara

The breakfast was dry, tasteless tapioca, and the rest of the food didn't look appetizing. We tried it once and ate elsewhere after that. The shared kitchen was just as neglected, with dirty fridges that were defrosting. The room they moved us to smelled bad too, though it was a little better than the first one. That first dorm hit us with a strong sewage stench as soon as the door opened. There was about two inches of stagnant water in the shower tray, so I didn't shower. The volunteer at reception was kind but inexperienced, and said we could move the next day. My mattress was tucked behind a concrete wall with no air circulation, while the AC vent was on the other side. The bathroom smell came up through the floorboards and woke me during the night. There was no extractor fan, just two makeshift plastic pipes leading the smell into the dorm. The manager was hard to approach and wouldn't take responsibility. After we insisted and showed him empty beds in other dorms, he reluctantly let us move, then made us change our own linen. I later noticed the smell had got into the linens and my clothes. The building had crumbling ceilings, badly finished rooms and serious plumbing problems, and staffing and maintenance seemed poor. After nine months travelling around South and Central America, this was the worst hostel I've stayed in. I usually have low standards after so long in hostels, but this place was worse than the reviews suggested and shouldn't be operating. Based on my experience and the similar problems other guests have reported, I strongly recommend staying somewhere else.

The bed net was full of holes, so it was no use at all. We paid for the King double, supposed to be the hostel's best room, but huge cockroaches kept coming from the bathroom. We also found a frog. The AC was broken on our first night, though it was later fixed. We told reception that we kept finding insects even after the first cleaning, and asked for another clean or at least a partial refund for the trouble. They said another cleaning would count as an extra and cost more, and told us we should have gone to a resort instead. It's unacceptable that staff couldn't see what a serious problem this was for two people paying for a King room.

While I was staying here, I got very sick with dengue and had a chance to stay with a friend who could look after me, so I wanted to cancel the remaining days. The people working at the hostel said they weren't allowed to issue refunds and couldn't do anything. They told me the boss was travelling and didn't want to talk to guests. Hostelworld even lets you cancel, so I found this ridiculous. The owner apparently doesn't care. Worst experience. Don't stay here. And if you still do, I'd skip the breakfast.

The good parts were the location, friendly staff, drinking water, and a shared kitchen that was a nice space. The AC was also nice and worked most of the time. But I was hoping for an affordable private room after two and a half weeks in dorms, and I'm not sure it was worth it. I could have stayed in the shared dorm at Casa Gladius. I know the room was cheap, but that shouldn't mean poor basic cleanliness: the sheets were stained and had a huge rip, and there was no hand soap. The shower had no hot water, and the bathroom was cramped. The door had a big gap, so bugs got in. I had more than 20 giant ants crawling on the wall at one point, along with smaller ants and cockroaches. The staff also didn't seem to know much about the tours listed at reception.