Socialtel Arequipa - Formerly Selina Arequipa

We really liked this hostel, so we stayed again after a Colca Canyon trek. The micro room we had this time was smaller than before. Two people with two large backpacks and day bags pretty much fill it, but it’s juuuust enough space for a short stay. Staff and property amenities are fantastic.

Amazing social place with people from all over the world, tho it has no heaters in the rooms. The blankets help to stay comfortable and warm during the night but I had to take three hot showers in a day to warm up. Absolutely beautiful from the decor and layout perspective. Great bar, nice service and central location.

A friend told me it was their favourite Selina, but it exceeded expectations. Property: The property is incredible - I worked beside a pool, in a hanging gazebo, and even from a treehouse. Nightlife: With a restaurant, bar, and club that hosts a popular rave every Thursday, I was never bored. Working: My basic home-office has me missing the coworking space they offered. Best I have experienced to-date!. Activities: Free yoga classes, free HIIT classes, and more tours than I could accomplish in 6 weeks will have me coming back. Staff: I saved the best for last, because what made this place special was the people. From Claudia and Matteo (front desk), Rodrigo and Alejandro (bartenders), Alfredo or Wilbur (security), Tisiano (photographer) or Luca and Lucia (management) - everyone of these people made me feel like I was at home.

Run down, unclean, lack of facilities. Despite how lovely this hostel looks on photos it is very run down and not well kept. The pool is unclean and all of the communal cushions are dirty. Our bedroom didn’t lock and the door was hard to open and close meaning you couldn’t come in quietly. Our AVT and white water rafting trip was cancelled and we weren’t made aware until 10 minutes before when we asked about it. We were then advised a refund for this would take up to 20 days. We were also not made aware at all that the water was going to be off for over 24 hours. No water, at all. No toilets, no showers, no notice, whilst they continued to accept new guests who were seemingly unaware too.

Nice decor and styling in the rooms, large and comfortable bed (we had a private room just a bit back from the pool area). The inclusion of a fridge was a plus point. The cleaning staff were helpful and courteous. When we checked in, the guys working reception helped us up to the room with our luggage (I had been volunteering in Arequipa for 2 months prior so had a few bags). However, when I asked on our way out if they had anyone available to help take our luggage to the taxi, it was a hard “no ofrecemos ese servicio” 😕 So I guess it depends who’s working that day as to what level of service you get. The bar area around the pool was nice with lots of seating options to chill out, but the water in the pool was absolutely freezing and even cold water swimmers wouldn’t be in there much more than 10 minutes! I removed quite a lot of bugs during my swim, so a regular clean with a net wouldn’t go amiss. The worst aspect of this place was the obnoxiously loud and unrelenting music. I couldn’t even get peace and quiet in our private bathroom. I get that the poolside party is their vibe, but I really don’t think they need quite so many hours of it in their schedule. With retrospect, I’d have chosen a quieter hotel. Finally, we booked a massage. I thought it would be a nice way to round off our trip, the price was equivalent to about £30 GBP which I thought was a good deal. I’d had an excellent massage at Selina in Baños, Ecuador, so I was looking forward to it. Well, both my massage (hot stones) and the one my boyfriend had (regular massage) were so comically bad that we still joke about it 6 months later. I asked the masseuse in fluent Spanish 5 times and in a variety of different ways to really use a bit more pressure, but no…. the two of us spent an hour each being half-heartedly rubbed with oil by someone who clearly had received very little training and was unable to locate any knots, any areas of tension, anything. I actually left more tense than I went in! I did tell the reception so I sincerely hope they have recruited a new massage therapist. Overall, there are some benefits to Selina such as the relative proximity to the city centre whilst also having a pool. However, I wouldn’t rush back and didn’t find it quite as good as the other Selinas I’ve stayed in in Central and South America.

Upon arrival, the ‘welcome’ we received from reception laid the foundations for our 3 day stay here. We checked into our 12 person dorm but in fact it is not even fit for 12 mice. It was tiny and had 1 shower/toilet for all of us. It is clear that backpackers are a side hustle for Selina and they really couldn’t care less about us. So, what is their gig? Digital Nomads of course! They populate the pool area and al communal spaces with their laptops and Bluetooth phone calls as they attempt to make a profit from selling goods on Ali Baba. They had priority over literally ever service the hostel had to offer. I would not recommend staying here until Selina either accommodates for backpackers or removes the word ‘hostel’ from their name. It should be called ‘A pretentious digital nomad retreat’. The communal space was aesthetically pleasing but segregated socially. That is all.