RocaMar Hostel Boutique

The hostel is thoughtfully open and outdoors, yet sheltered from the nearby tall buildings and main road. It’s a cute space, less than a 5-minute walk from the bus stop. The kitchen, showers, and toilets were clean, and even with lots of people around, we never had to compete for those shared spaces. Still, I wouldn’t recommend staying here. We’ve stayed at many hostels in the country and paid about the same elsewhere, but this room was bad. It was clean, but felt like a closet crossed with a big, bare plaster box, with two twin beds crammed inside and no bedside table for everyday things. The air felt incredibly stale. We had to run a fan 24/7 to have any chance of sleeping. The listing says the rooms have central air and heating, which isn’t true. The higher-end rooms have cooling units, and the others have fans. There is no central air in this country, so that wording sets an unreasonable expectation. The photos show the private suites at the front, not the dorms and twin rooms in back. Check-in was confusing, and it wasn’t clear who worked there. The woman who checked us in was great, but she was a working traveler, and we couldn’t tell who else to ask questions. That’s unusual for hostels, where staff or volunteers usually introduce themselves and take turns at a desk or in an admin role. Here, there often wasn’t anyone around, and the office was closed, including when we arrived in the afternoon to check in. The atmosphere around storing food felt oddly weird for a hostel. There were people about, but more residential staff than other guests, and the place felt much less warm and communal than other hostels. The courtyard furniture was partly broken and partly uncomfortable. They played bad American pop from 9am to midnight, so getting work done was impossible. They list checkout as any time before 11am, then told us that morning we had to leave by 10:30. And, most unusually, they charge a rental fee if you want a towel. It was in the listing, but still seemed nuts to us. The space seems well conceived, but the place felt like it was run by children. We didn’t feel welcome or able to relax, and were glad we’d booked only two nights.

The volunteers working here are some of the nicest staff I've met, genuinely helpful and kind. It's a great spot in a lovely area, just a short walk from the beach and surrounded by nature. An extra toilet and hooks in the showers for hanging clothes would help. Still, I highly recommend it.

I booked a shared room through HostelWorld 3 weeks ahead, but they cancelled without telling me the day before my stay. I had to call to find out they had overbooked. After the disrespect of cancelling our booking, they made us book another place at the last minute and pay a super expensive rate.

There's a cat! ♥ The rooms are basic, but the bed was comfy, especially the dreamy pillow. The hostel has a nice outdoor area, a pool table, and a pretty good kitchen. Staff were friendly and helpful, and they sorted out our plumbing issue quickly. It's a fair way from central punta del este, but we found places to eat about a 15-minute walk north. There's also a fresh market for groceries, salads, or sandwiches if you don't want to cook.