El Arbol Hostel

Very bad, the worst experience. Bad service from the beginning, they stand on the right foot with force just to give rules, they adapt to their taste, not the clients', they look for the cat's fifth leg even for a cup of tea, rude staff, poorly behaved without funny

When we arrived, there was no one to welcome us. In fact, the person at reception ends their shift at 4:30 p.m. (we arrived in the evening) so there is no one to respond quickly on site in the event of a question or problem. Mattress damaged and simply smashed. We find ***** hidden in the mattress. ******** which we give to the lady to whom we pay cash for accommodation (not possible by credit card). The lady apologizes but no compensation. There is a misunderstanding about the payment of the tax aimed at Chileans and not foreigners... Despite the context, no flexibility, except a few hours later and it is still slim. Lunch a bit limited but not necessarily bad.

Based on the opinions on TripAdvisor I arrived at this hostel, given that the accommodation where I regularly stay did not have rooms. It is well located, in the center of La Serena, next to the Japanese Garden (which is still closed). The place is close to the Mall and Bus Terminal, and the main Av. where transportation to Coquimbo passes. Being close to the road at night you could feel the cars passing by (unfortunately at night I felt many motorcycles passing at high speed), if you are a light sleeper it could affect your rest. I asked for a room with a private bathroom (the TV didn't work), which was spacious and quite comfortable; The bathroom was in front of the room and was very very small, it did not have any space or rack to leave minimal things like toothpaste or soap. The hostel is a fairly spacious house with a patio, well equipped in terms of kitchen and implements. There is a lady who does the cleaning every day, which keeps the place very clean. The breakfast was quite basic and simple, for the price it could be a little more (add yogurt or cereal for example), I only took 1 morning for that. The floors are made of wood, so you could feel all the movement on the 2nd floor (I was on the 1st). The same when other passengers arrive or have breakfast, you could hear all the conversations. The price is quite high considering other nearby hostels with similar services and lower price (and equal quality)