Tomo Hostel

The front desk staff are super helpful and point you toward food and shopping. The rooms are clean, with good shower pressure, though it's not a fancy or particularly social hostel. The downtown location is great, close to the Malecón 2000, but most of the area shuts down after a certain hour. It's fine for a day or two while you're on your way elsewhere. There are quite a few odd rules, like not washing or hanging up clothes.

The location is amazing, literally a one-minute walk from the Malecon, the coastal waterfront downtown. The third floor has a terrace and kitchen, and the place is right beside a police station. After a long cab ride from north Cuenca, we walked around at night and saw lots of people on the streets. We felt totally safe.

A block from the Malecon, one of the city's main attractions, and there's a really nice breakfast and hangout area. The dorm rooms are great, with lockers, AC, nice beds, and comfortable mattresses and pillows. You'll need some cash for the key and locker deposits, but there are plenty of ATMs around. I didn't enjoy the TV room, though it's a nice one. Lots of thoughtful details in a lovely place to stay!

The place is clean and central, but the rules and extra charges were a bad experience. At 2pm they insisted I leave the entire hostel for an hour so they could clean the common area, which had already been cleaned. They said it was “policy.” They also charged me $2 to rent a towel and required a $20 cash deposit for my key. I only found out about both charges hours after I'd decided to stay, not by email or when I arrived. No other hostel in 6wks in Ecuador made me do this.