Hostal Estrella de Mar

The location is generally very good, but getting in isn't. The path to the main door is a dark dirt alley, muddy when it rains, with weeds, junk, and garbage along the sides. The rooms are run down, especially the bathrooms. The staff are good, and the son who runs the place is very nice to deal with.

We had an affordable room with air conditioning and an ocean view, though not all rooms have one. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean was lovely. The owner was very nice. We used Google Translate to communicate, since I don't think she speaks English and my Spanish is very basic. Finding the hotel was tricky. You go down an alley, and the signs are faded. I booked through booking dot com, and the owner sent a map with directions, but the site shrank it until it was unreadable. The shower was good once I realized the hot and cold taps were reversed from what I'm used to. I also had to let the hot water run for a while to warm up.

The room was basic but serviceable, with comfortable beds and a pretty view. We usually had hot water, though it took a little while to come through. They kindly held our luggage at check-in and checkout, which saved us from carrying it around all day. It's close to everything, and we'd rent here again. It was a little tricky to find at first, though I may have missed the directions. Go to the Police Station and take the dirt driveway between the first hotel and the police Station. A few lizards got in through the large gap under the door, but stuffing a towel there stopped them.

The ocean view comes with inmates from the prison next door able to stare into your room. We're leaving early. There's an extra fee, plus another percentage that wasn't disclosed. The place is down a side street next to a sewer outlet, and the putrid smell hits every time you walk to the hotel. It isn't worth the entry fee. The dog is shaky, so keep a few feet back. People in the jail next door can look into your room.