Hostel Usturre

I’d been concerned by the bad reviews, but the staff member from Argentina was really helpful when I got there and suggested some nice places around town. I had a private room with a comfortable bed. I could hear a neighbor’s TV at night, though it didn’t go on very late. The bathroom wasn’t smelly or dirty. Maybe I got lucky, but I had a good stay.

Even though I’d booked weeks ahead, I arrived to find the hostel was full. They did offer to call another place for me, which I appreciated, but when I got there, nobody had called ahead. Luckily they still had a room, though that could easily have gone the other way. Book here only if you’re okay with possibly having to find somewhere else at the last minute.

Really handy spot for a surfing break. You can leave your room key at reception and walk barefoot to the beach with your board in about three minutes. The staff are friendly and make organizing things easy. There are bars and restaurants nearby, plus supermarkets.

We paid in cash when we arrived, as the receptionist told us card payment wasn’t possible. After we’d checked out, the same amount was charged to our card anyway. We never got a receipt. We couldn’t reach anyone by phone, and the first email reply just said they’d look into it. They only started responding after Hostelworld contacted them. The receptionist gave several excuses about us paying by card and told the owner we were in touch and the matter was resolved, but he never contacted us. The owner left us to deal with him instead of sorting it out. At checkout the reception area was open but empty, and we waited at least ten minutes. We were promised a refund, which never came. Five months later we still hadn’t got our €130 back, which is a lot of money. Avoid this place if you can.