Selina Villa de Leyva

The pool area had a great atmosphere, and I spent time there every day before walking around the corner into the heart of town. Selina was delightful and so well located. I had to try twice to get hot water, but it is there. Breakfast was included in my rate and felt like a fair deal. I’d come back and stay here again.

It was my first hostel stay, and I’d definitely use this brand again. There were lots of good spaces to spend time in, including a working area, ping pong, games, a pool, a community kitchen, and a library. The staff were friendly throughout, and the Wi-Fi worked well everywhere. Our rooms were clean and well placed, with a full-length mirror, shampoo, and other amenities.

We stayed three days, and I wished it had been less. There are cheaper hotels on the same block with more services, so this wasn’t worth the price. The shower is electric and awkward to use, with only a thin trickle of hot water, which is rough in cold Villa de Leyva. Check-in took 20 minutes before we got help, even though another person was at the counter, with only one person actually receiving guests. The restaurant hours were misleading too: the website said it was open until 10 pm, but nobody was there when we went for food at 9:15. Our WhatsApp message was read and left unanswered, and the listed phone number went straight to a machine. Food can be hard to find at certain times, so this caused a real strain. The room had no hot water in any useful sense, and the service was poor. There are better options nearby for the same or less money. We won’t stay here again.

There’s a lot to like in the hostel itself: it’s a big, beautiful house with different areas, a heated pool, comfortable beds with warm covers, and a good shower with pressure and hot water. The avocado toast is amazing, and you can get drinking water at the bar or coworking areas. Everyone working there was nice. But there were only four pool chairs for what seemed like around 100 guests, and the kitchen was short on cooking utensils. On the first night, the guard talked noisily near the rooms, then started his motorbike for 10 minutes at 7 am before he actually needed to leave, waking those of us by reception who wanted a lie-in. I was there for three days and two nights, but got just one afternoon at the pool because they put chlorine in it for the next two days. Horse riding wasn’t available unless two people signed up, even though the app said one person was enough, and apparently nobody wants to go during the week.