Hostal Macambo

The room was clean, the free WiFi worked well, and breakfast was okay. The hostel is a short block from the cathedral square (main). There’s street reconstruction right in front, so cars can’t reach the hotel, but they can drop you off on nearby streets. It’s a short walk, and my taxi driver helped with my luggage. Before I arrived, they arranged a taxi for me. My dates at the hostel conflicted with my stay at the avatar lodge (another excellent option in Iquitos), and management quickly adjusted my booking so I could enjoy the jungle. Everything was okay.

Bianca at the counter was especially helpful and spoke very good English, and the evening staff member was particularly kind. My inside room was cleaned and scrubbed well every morning, and the included hot breakfast was fresh and excellent. The location is fabulous for a three-star hotel. It’s around the corner from the best stretch of the malecón, the path along the edge of town with lovely views of the lagoon and river area. There are three restaurants and a bar right there, and Plaza de Armes is a block away, handy for transport to the port and elsewhere. There was no hot water during my stay because of street construction. It had already been going on for six months and was expected to continue for about another year. The owner kindly gave me a partial refund. There weren’t any nearby hotels or gyms where I could pay for a day pass and take a hot shower. With the heat and humidity, though, the lack of warm water wasn’t terrible, and a cool shower was mostly refreshing. The TV signal was poor, and the internet was slow and unreliable. I had trouble uploading work photos and ended up using the virtual library, where the connection was excellent. I had the same internet issue at another hotel, so I don’t think this one was unique to this place. Cell service in the area was only 3G and was spotty for me as well.

The rooms were a great price for what you get, and I’d highly recommend this hotel to travelers in Iquitos. It was an amazing little gem, with air conditioning, hot showers, and great breakfasts.

The staff were very kind and helpful. They even got me copaiba and sangre de grado. My room was neat and clean, but room 203 had no window to the outside. There seemed to be a runoff roof tube draining onto the tin roof above my room. When it rained, the noise was incredibly loud all night, and sadly, earplugs didn’t help.