Willka kuti hostel — Hotel in Arica

Two years ago I visited Arica and walked with two heavy bags (a duffle bag and a backpack) for four hours in the centre looking for a place that would accept Mastercard. After walking along the coast towards Willka Kuti (the hostel I had found on Google maps before my phone battery died) I was hoping that they would. When I got there, they didn't at the time accept Mastercard BUT allowed me to stay anyway and let me know that I could pay when I was able to collect my money (my sister had to transfer it by Western Union which was closed on what would have been the day after). I was extremely happy and relieved. I was finally able to rest after a short but tiring journey from Peru and a long walk around Arica's city centre. I only stayed a few days in low season but the staff were incredible! They were all very kind and helpful; ready to give advice about the places to visit and the transport options available. They even lent me a phone charger for the duration of my stay as mine didn't work in Chile. I stayed in a mixed bunk dorm which was the first time I did so and boy was it comfortable! The beds were like clouds which made getting up hard as I didn't want to part with the comfort of my bed. There were also curtains for each bunk and each level of each bunk which made me forget that I was even sharing a room (when I wanted my privacy). I had a wonderful time and it's literally on the beach so every morning I took a beach walk and relaxed in the sun. It's also within walking distance to the bus terminal (about 15 to 20 minutes on foot and about 5 by car) and a large shopping centre with a grocery store (about a 5-7 minute walk). It's also close enough to the centre for those who like walking (about 30- 35 minutes on foot) and if you have all day, from the centre you could walk to the other beaches along the coast (5- 30 minutes on foot from...

Unfortunately had a bad experience st this hostel. They cancelled our room at midnight before we arrived on overnight bus, apparently due to a Hostelworld issue but then didn’t contact us, ignored my messages and filled the room. We ended up in a twin room without a bathroom which usually is no problem with except there is only one bathroom/ shower inside for the whole hostel so its constantly occupied. There were more volunteers than guests which created a strange vibe and they moved/ took my food on more than one occasion which was weird. Place is grimey and poorly maintained, E.g. no working lighter in the kitchen so I had to ask every time I wanted to cook something, maybe the 8+ volunteers could have replaced it… We came to surf but the surf was pretty bad (wrong time of year) and the boards they rent at the hostel are old, broken foamies so not suitable for the choppy conditions. There’s also not anywhere else that rents decent boards. Would be ok if you had your own board, happy to cook for yourself and surf was good. Lots of places to chill out and chat - we met some great other travellers there. Otherwise recommend giving...

We had a terrible experience at this hostel, one of the most expensive that we stayed at. We arrived from a night bus at 7am and they were fumigating due to mosquito eggs, so we were not allowed to check in until 5pm (instead of 12pm). They had also given our room with a private bathroom to someone else, so we had to change to a room with a shared bathroom. We don’t mind this normally, but there is only 1 toilet and shower between 10 or so travellers, so there is a long wait every time. No apology or discount was given for these inconveniences at all.

It’s also pretty clear that the hostel is occupied by long term guests who were stoned in the kitchen while we tried to cook dinner, it made for a weird atmosphere. The kitchen is small and dirty also, and the breakfast is poor, not even eggs on offer.

Overall I would recommend...