Flying Donkey Hostal - Hostel

It was handy being right in central Otavalo, and I'd stay here again. The place was clean, with a nice kitchen, and the staff were friendly, though they didn't seem as professional as people at other hostels I visited in Ecuador. The building felt a bit worn, with linoleum floors, and there was a sewer smell in the bathroom. Street noise was pretty bad at night.

For the price, the location and quality are amazing. The kitchen was okay and the staff were so nice. They even gave me a towel and a roll of toilet paper, haha. I met some really cool travelers too, though that always depends on who you happen to run into 😊

The rooftop view is awesome, and the dorm beds are comfortable with plenty of room for bags. The staff were friendly and had useful information, and I'd still recommend the hostel. A few things could be better: the drinking water cooler is chained to the wall, so you only get tiny glasses and can't fill a bottle. The shower hot water was temperamental, and the toilet bins weren't emptied often enough.

We turned up with a confirmed Hostelworld booking, only to be told Flying Donkey had no rooms left. They didn't seem sorry and didn't help us find somewhere else. We had already paid part of the cost through Hostelworld, so we asked them to cancel the reservation to get our money back. A whole day later it still hadn't been canceled, and we had to complain to Hostelworld ourselves.