Tzunun Hostel

The terrace has a beautiful view of the volcanoes, and the rooms are good. The safe needs a large lock, though. One of the older local hosts leered at my wife and made uncomfortable comments when I wasn't around. Breakfast service was extremely slow: we waited 45 minutes and they hadn't even started cooking. Maybe the male host could help speed things up, or communication needs work, I'm not sure. The prices for breakfast upgrades also changed from one day to the next without any explanation.

The roof terrace has a wonderful 360-degree view, with the best sights of Fuego. We booked the triple ensuite room, which was spacious, clean, comfortable, and stocked with hand wash and shower gel. Filtered water was available too. Housekeeping didn't change the room bin or towels during our five-day stay, though the cleaning staff worked hard on the daily turnover. The general staff were either temporary volunteers or permanent employees who seemed miserable and uninterested. They wouldn't look at you, let alone speak. The place feels neglected and run down, and the communal seats are broken or nearly falling apart. Don't expect breakfast before 8:15 if you order at 7:30. We got no breakfast on three of our five days. There's no kettle for guests, which is a necessity for backpackers like us who want to make coffee or pot noodles. It's in a quiet part of town, but the hostel itself isn't peaceful and the atmosphere isn't good. We wouldn't stay again or recommend it to friends.

The courtyard, with hammocks around it, was a lovely place to relax, and the rooftop has great views of agua, fuego and acatenango. I slept well in a comfortable bed with privacy curtains, and the Wi-Fi worked great in my room and across the property. Breakfast can take a while, especially when it's busy, and there are only two bathrooms for the shared rooms, as far as I know. The showers had good hot water for me. Laundry was reasonably priced and ready by the end of the day. A couple of nights the bar played loud music until around 10 or 11. It was annoying, but not the worst I've experienced. I left my bag overnight while hiking acatenango and got it back without a problem. Filtered drinking water is available, but there's no kitchen or appliances, so don't plan on cooking for yourself. With my expectations, this was a great place.

Avoid Tzunun Hostel if you don't want your plans disrupted. I made two reservations through Booking.com, and the hostel canceled the five-night booking, then raised the price. I booked again at the higher rate, but they canceled that one two days before I was due to arrive, leaving me scrambling to find somewhere else. They also canceled a separate one-night booking I had for another week. I got messages through Booking, but no explanation.