El Nido One Hostel

This was the dirtiest place I've ever stayed. There was mold in the rooms. You could smell it and see it under the beds, and I woke up sick from it. I chose this hostel because it advertised warm showers, but the water wasn't warm at all. The staff barely cleaned, and during our four-night stay the bathrooms were cleaned only once. We hardly spent any time in the room, and there were very few other hotels open then, so we had to stay the whole time. If I could do it again, I wouldn't stay even one night.

The room was clean and nice, and good enough for the price. I didn't like the scent of the air freshener, though, and the aircon was really loud. Laundry wasn't available because the machine was having trouble. The staff were kind and helpful, but weren't attentive enough, especially for a first-time visitor like me who needed directions and explanations. The location was nice, and the Wi-Fi worked well.

The beach is right across the street, and it's a lovely place to catch the sunset. There aren't many restaurants nearby apart from the ones on the beach, which are quite expensive. The hostel has its own restaurant, though, and we ended up eating most of our meals there. The dorm rooms are very small, but the aircon works well. Every bed has a locker, a light, and an outlet, although some locks and most of the outlets didn't work. Wi-Fi was fine, but not everywhere, and there are no privacy curtains. There were enough bathrooms that we never had to queue, and they always had soap and toilet paper. The free water refill was really helpful.

The mold on the blank pillows was a dealbreaker for me. I could smell it in the room, and the AC filters were extremely dirty. The showers usually had very little pressure, and the toilets weren't very clean, though that seemed to be down to the guests rather than the owners. The rooms, especially the beds, were well below average. The owners and staff were exceptionally helpful, relaxed, and welcoming. The location is a mixed bag: close to shops, bars, restaurants, and the beach, but right on a very busy, noisy main road. It's okay in an emergency, but for a longer stay in El Nido I'd spend a bit more.