This hostel is actually pretty nice but the major downside is the hands off attitude of the staff. The guy working the reception couldn't come off any more miserable to be there if he tried. How did he even get hired? I had an easier time building rapport with his female co-worker, who was much friendlier despite the language barrier between us.
I think the owners keep the place as a secondary income source and aren't actually involved in the day-to-day operations. The staff is only on site to keep things running by performing the minimum logistics. There are no coordinated social activities.
The building has an interesting layout; a multi-level design with an exposed atrium, and an open rooftop serving as the dining area. There are plenty of bathrooms, along with individually partitioned shower stalls, and open sink-areas scattered throughout. I stayed in an 8-bed mixed dorm and despite there being no windows, the room remained cool with enough air circulation provided by the ceiling mounted fan.
On the downside, excluding the kitchen and arguably the reception area, all the common areas are outdoors and exposed to the elements. It rained heavily the first couple of days I was there, and both the kitchen and rooftop were later shutdown completely for renovation work. As a result, breakfast was held in the atrium. The entire situation was not ideal, but I was able to at least talk the lady into giving me a discounted rate for my final night's stay.
The complimentary breakfast consisted of toast and slices of papaya; completely forgettable. A bigger qualm I have is that they don't provide ANY drinking water. You have to purchase it from them, which is nuts. And they charge slightly more than what oxxo does.
As far as the ability to mingle with others, like with any hostel, it is largely luck of the draw. I happened to be there during slow season, but was able to make a few brief connections. I didn't find the design of the building to be particularly conducive to such activities; neither the rooftop nor the atrium seemed like comfortable lounging spots, and were lacking in intimacy. read more