Hostel Candelaria

We liked this hostel enough to return after 13 years, having first stayed here in 2013. It's colorful, charming, and has a lot of atmosphere. Our simple room is small, clean, and sparsely furnished, with a fan but no air conditioning. We're here for two nights. The breakfasts are tasty and different each day, and the cooking staff are nice. Zocalo and other interesting places in Valladolid are within walking distance. There are just two toilets and one shower, which only has cold water. Since the hostel is nearly empty, that's fine for now, but it could be an issue if the place were full, even though it's not large. One receptionist is quite formal, which is a little irritating. We reached Candelaria Hostel at 2:45pm, finished the formalities, then had to wait until 3pm check-in to get the keys. We also learned there was a 300 MXN key deposit, cash only. Having just arrived from Europe, we didn't have cash yet, so we had to leave our passport as security until we could bring the money back. It felt like a lot of formalities when they already had our details on booking.com.

The common areas are clean, the staff are super friendly, and they cook a delicious fresh breakfast each morning. It's a great location, walkable from the main square, with good restaurants close by. I recommend La Selva. A couple of small things to know when booking: our private room's bathroom smelled bad, and there were lots of mosquitoes in the evening. Even so, I highly recommend the place.

The toilets and bathrooms were consistently clean, and reception staff were always happy to answer questions. The location is central but still quiet. A young woman at reception was especially nice and communicative. We had a small problem with the room we'd booked, but the staff handled it well and moved us to a better room that matched our booking. They also offer a cooking class for 300 pesos, which is worth trying if you want a fun activity. I'd definitely recommend this hostel to anyone staying in Valladolid.

The hostel is simple, nothing fancy, but it met my expectations for the price. The location is perfect, close to everything I wanted to see in Valladolid. Staff are very nice, the rooms and toilets are always clean, and breakfast is tasty. They also have lots of useful tips for exploring the city, and the cooking class was wonderful. I had a great stay.