Hostel Antorchas

The shared spaces were in bad shape, with dirty tablecloths left out for days and dead cockroaches in the kitchen. I wouldn’t want to cook there. Our first room cost $340 and was dark, with spiderwebs and an open bathroom drain that creatures crawled out of. We paid another $140 for an upgrade, but that room smelled strongly of urine from the start and had sand on the furniture, so it didn’t seem cleaned. We also left covered in bites, and my girlfriend is in severe pain and taking medication. Now we have to decontaminate all our luggage at home because of the bed bugs. On top of that, the manager made inappropriate sexual remarks about our bodies. We felt unsafe, and the comments were creepy and completely out of line. The owner clearly doesn’t care about hygiene or guests and just wants to squeeze money out of you. Save your money, health, and safety. Stay away.

We ended our stay dealing with bed bug bites that need medication, plus the stress of disinfecting our luggage and belongings so we don’t bring them home. The bugs were in the upgraded room too. We paid an extra $190 for a private bathroom and supposedly better room after the first one turned out nothing like the online pictures. That room was tiny, stuffy, dirty, full of spiderwebs, and had no air conditioning. Even the upgrade still had sand on the furniture, and both the room and bathroom smelled strongly of a damp, moldy basement. The common areas looked neglected for years. The kitchen had dead cockroaches on the floor, dirty cutlery, and tables with tablecloths that looked as if they hadn’t been washed in decades. I wouldn’t prepare or eat food there. I travel a lot and have stayed in cheap hostels, but never experienced anything like this. The price for such a disgusting place feels absurd and like a complete scam. Save yourself the money, stress, and health trouble. Spend a little more for somewhere decent in Dominical.

Christopher was a lovely host, so friendly, kind, and helpful. The location puts you between town and the beach, with easy access to what Dominical has to offer. Our room was clean, and there’s a nice pool and shared kitchen. We could also finish up remote work using the WiFi in the common areas. A great part of town and a laid-back atmosphere. I’d recommend it.

The pool is small, with a place to relax beside it, and the hotel has tents as well as rooms with shared or private toilets. The shared toilet was new and comfortable, with hot water. The shared toilet rooms, though, are old, very small, and need maintenance. The kitchen and its equipment were both poor. Breakfast was included and just okay.