Hostal Vive la Vida

The kitchen is really well equipped, with a huge fridge and even plastic containers you can borrow for a day at the beach. Breakfast isn't included, but they do put out coffee in the morning, if you get to it quickly 😁. The place is well run and maintained, with friendly, approachable staff and a relaxed feel. I liked the cool decor and paintings on the walls, too. It's about a 10-minute walk to the beach. I'd happily stay again and recommend it to friends 🙂

The staff were cool, the patio was nice, and the place was clean, though not spotless. It's super central and really close to the beach. The dorms were just okay. The Wi-Fi kept failing from my second night on. The pool is only 60 cm deep and about 3 by 4 meters, so it's fine for cooling off after a hot day. No bedbugs or cockroaches that I could find, yay. They only turn on the AC in the shared dorms after 11 pm. For the cheap price, it's actually good if you're not picky.

There was constant heavy truck traffic on the street all day, even though the location seemed convenient. The common areas lacked comfortable furniture, and the shared dorms weren't in good shape. Lockers were small, mattresses were old, and the beds and sheets were noisy, so it was hard to get a quiet moment.

When I left early, they refunded the two nights I hadn’t used without any argument, which I appreciated. The setup itself was much more like a dorm than the single room I thought I’d booked online: a thin wooden divider separated it from the next dorm, and it stopped short of the ceiling. I could hear the strangers next door talking straight through the night until 7am. This seems better suited to younger groups who care more about keeping costs down than comfort. I wouldn’t choose it as a solo traveler looking for privacy or quiet.