Hostal Quito Cultural

The hostel was clean, the service was great, and it’s well placed for the Centro Historical and the rest of Quito. Our reservation for one night at Hostal Quito Cultural, made through a third-party site, didn’t reach them until the day after we arrived. We’d also booked a room with six beds, but their biggest room had only five.

The breakfast was fresh and tasty, and we left ready to explore. The women working in the café area were kind and helpful. The bathrooms in the lobby were clean, and the internet worked well in the common areas, though it was unreliable in the rooms. Both lobby computers were out of order. There was also a wait for breakfast, which starts at a leisurely 8am. We chose this place for its colonial charm and excellent location, expecting a clean hostel with basic amenities. Instead, we stayed two nights and regretted it. We only didn’t move because it was too much hassle. I once stayed somewhere so gross that I had to throw my clothes away. This wasn’t quite that bad, but it came close. The room smelled awful. Even a bag of overripe guavas only partly covered it. Some of the linen was clean, but other pieces smelled musty. The towels were dirty, and the pillows smelled like greasy hair. We saw blankets drying on a line, so they do get cleaned sometimes, but I doubt it happens often. After we spilled wine on the floor, wiping it up brought out sludge. The hostel won a TripAdvisor award in 2014, but I don’t think they’ve cleaned that floor since. The common-area chairs were stained and dirty. We knew the trolleybus line would bring noise, and it was manageable. Hot water took a while to come through. Other people seemed to get long hot showers, but I had about 30 seconds of hot water. The private bathrooms have a shared window area at the top with the next room. You can’t see through it, but you can hear everything. The keys were left downstairs and upstairs, and lockers cost extra, though the building itself was well secured all day. The proprietor spent much of his time in his room instead of at either desk, so he wasn’t around when we needed a map, clean towels, or a taxi. The terrace courtyard shown in the online photos was roped off to guests. This place cost much more than other hostels, yet it wasn’t as clean or comfortable. I’d look for somewhere else.

I slept better than I ever have, the bed was that comfortable. The shower wasn’t great, but the owners let me use their hair dryer. Breakfast and coffee were good, and I had a great stay.

We stayed here twice on separate occasions and I’d happily come back again. The staff were lovely and accommodating. The building itself is incredible, with a terrace and a 360-degree rooftop view. It’s such a great place to watch the sunset.