Hostel Alme

It’s in a handy spot near a supermarket and the main Av., and the staff were very friendly. The owner’s service was disappointing, though. It’s a very basic hostel, and the beds and pillows are hard. They offered to change mine, but the replacements were just as hard, with pillows made of foam pieces. Fine for a couple of nights. There’s no kitchen, and payment is cash only.

I didn’t have trouble with unfriendly staff, and nobody woke me up at night. What I did miss was a comfortable shared space where people could sit, talk, or work on a laptop. You can hear the cars outside in the morning. Still, it’s a good hostel.

I felt uncomfortable sharing with four local residents who had made up their own rules and seemed to overrule the hostel’s. The front desk was careless, and the toilet wouldn’t flush at all. It was dirty too, one of the most unpleasant places I’ve stayed.

The one good thing for me was how clean it was, though plenty of hostels meet that standard now. I wouldn’t stay again because of the owner’s attitude and the tense, distant atmosphere. The Mexican staff seemed affected by how the Russian owner imposed her rules on everyone. In my opinion, it’s all about business for her, and she should put more effort into making the place warm and friendly instead. Rules came up constantly, and I felt controlled during my stay. I’ve been to many hostels and never felt like this before. Some rules shocked me: the dorm door had to stay wide open until late evening, and whenever someone closed it, staff came straight over to reopen it. That felt like an unnecessary loss of privacy and made people uncomfortable. They seemed to use “that’s the rule” to excuse unfriendly behavior. The air conditioning also wasn’t turned on until 10.30pm, far too late for such a hot place. I missed having a welcoming atmosphere. To me, the owner seemed focused on the business side of things. She runs a hostel in Mexico, and I felt she didn’t take that into account.