Hostal Los Octavianos Deluxe

Los Octavianos was a great base, in a beautiful area and less than a 10-minute walk from bars, cafes, restaurants, and local stores. The owners and staff helped arrange transport wherever we wanted to go and gave us brilliant recommendations. Steph, Gabriel, Sergio, Mauricio, and all the wonderful women who made breakfast and helped us deserve a huge thank you. We began our trip through Nicaragua here, returned before leaving, and stayed in two different rooms. Both were faultless for us. The friendly, helpful staff made us feel at home, and we loved the atmosphere and the authentic amenities, which gave the place a special charm we hadn’t found elsewhere on our travels. We’re sad to leave and excited to come back. Highly recommend it.

Right in the center, with a shop across the road that has pretty much everything and takes contactless card payments. It closes at noon, but there’s a 24/7 store to the left of the hostel. The location is amazing. I travelled around Latin America for three months, and this was the best hostel I stayed in. The staff were amazing and made sure I got the help or anything else I needed. The cook made the best breakfast, the food was great, and service was so good. There’s free coffee and a well-equipped kitchen with everything you need to make your own food. Thanks, Los Octavianos, for such an amazing place and stay. You guys are the best!

The sheets were stained, and the beds were terrible. The air conditioner leaked all over one bed and soaked two whole bunk beds, so I moved to one that was rock hard, with one of the oldest, lumpiest pillows around. There’s no night staff to help with problems, and nobody answered when I tried to contact them. Better mattresses might make it an adequate place to crash for a night. The pool looked great in the online photos, but in person it had a gross film on the water and I didn’t swim. They seem to have remodelled the bathrooms. The kitchen was meant to be available, but signs said not to touch anything, so I’m not sure who travels with their own pots and pans.

I’d recommend booking somewhere else. During our stay of several nights, the promised hot shower didn’t work. The owner said a plumber would fix it. The plumber came, couldn’t get the hot water working, and said he’d return, but never did. The owner also promised to come back, then stopped responding to our calls and messages over several days. The shower head was broken and felt downright dangerous, a real shock hazard. The linen was full of holes, probably from cigarettes, and the towels had dirt spots. They dry all the linen on the balcony, so it always looks cluttered. Breakfast was boring, the pool was somewhat cloudy, and air conditioning costs $15 a night, twice what we paid elsewhere. This hotel should drop “Deluxe” from its name.