La Sucursal Hostel — Hotel in Cali

Stayed here for just over a week. Impressed by Jose and his brother coming down to carry up our cases when we arrived and his very welcoming nature. There are free salsa classes every evening at 20:00 apart from Sunday which are of excellent standard (as usually the free classes are too basic but these were great!) We also took private salsa & bachata classes through the hostel as they have a small private studio with a mirror and 3 teachers who were all very good and at a very reasonable price of 125,000 COP for 6 classes. We arranged private Spanish classes through the hostel too which were not as great but still learned some things. (125,000 for 5 lessons). Each night the hostel organises an outing to a salsa club the one night we didn’t go it was really noisy (as unfortunately the noise travels easily in the hostel, especially on the stair case) until everyone left after 11 pm and again when they came back in at 3am but the boss dealt with the situation very well. Easy to get to know people and make friends. The beds were good, solid beds each with own fan, light & charging unit. The cleaner worked very hard but I think they could do with more cleaners as the bins in the bathroom were always full and the toilet paper and soap ran out quickly. I did find some hairs around my bed too. There was a small balcony area on the first and top floor with sitting area and hammocks which was good. The kitchen only had 4 small electric hobs so usually a fight to get to them-we ended up just eating out most of the time as it was too much hassle. The breakfast included is basic but can’t complain as it’s free and the rooms are a good price but you need to get there well before 10 am as otherwise boat things are finished. (2 eggs included which you cool yourself). The area is very nice (Granada) but we found most things were going on in San Antonio which was a good 25 minute walk away. We did find amazing cocktails and rooftop bar at Karen’s lounge on the opposite corner of the hostel which were 11,000 at happy hour and the restaurant next door Teckel did great, healthy rice bowls for around 14,000 (with 20% discount from hostel) and it was very trendy. Apparently the best restaurant in Cali is the Italian round the corner but we didn’t have time to go. We also found cheap, good local places to eat if you just walk slight further down the street. The area...

Worst Hostel experience on my trip so far. Super loud all day and night long (plus next to a busy road). Really hard to fall asleep and noise again early in the morning. My bed was next to the showers (Room 5 Bed 3) and people were taking showers at 1 am and I woke up because of the noise. I paid for 3 nights but left after two nights because I couldn't bear it anymore.

Staff at the reception seems unmotivated and if you ask them something it seems like a burden to them. Plus they always refer you to the WhatsApp group if you ask them about some information - what about human interaction?

Further, the Wifi signal is weak and you can't properly work on your laptop. In some areas of the hostel you don't even get a signal. So if you are a remote worker - this is NOT a place for you. (By the way - there is NO co-working space nor good tables to work on... The pictures don't represent the vibe in this hostel at all - very misleading!)

Dorms are dark with no charm. Would recommend to stay in this hostel if you are around 18-25 years old, you like drinking games, partying and you don't mind noise and loud music all day and night long.

Pro: it was a very clean hostel the breakfast (not included) was great and Eva who works there is very nice the curtains in the dorm & the fan, power plug and light are really good the reception staff when I checked out earlier was very friendly and gave me back my money for the last night which was super nice!

Improvements for the hostel: train your staff at the reception to be a bit more friendly and welcoming or do sth to motivate them improve your wifi music is ok, but it doesn't have to be so loud that you need to scream at each other during the day - makes absolutely no sense to me. On the terrace on the first floor there is no sun protection. Maybe you could install sth that gives at least a...

Based in the culinary hub of granada this hostel boasts a great family vibe and an atmosphere that resulted in me staying there for 6 weeks (including some volunteering, and that’s rare for me as I travel fast!) The owners are so warm and friendly and accommodating. Their passion about Colombia shines through, every visitor is made to feel part of the La Sucursal family. No information is far from reach and the owners and very kind enough to share top tips about the rest of the country also, including safety advice which Is much appreciated as far as I am concerned.

The rooms are spacious with large lockers under the beds. There are several bathrooms, and the hostel is clean and always maintained to a good standard. There is a 24 hour reception, regular free salsa classes, salsa nights out with staff, and many other organised events to experience the local culture. There is a fantastic large kitchen with many facilities including a juicer. Breakfast is also included with the great idea of self service, enabling a more relaxed vibe.

There are some great cheap and reasonably priced eats locally, and some great treats around. Try the Santa Theresa chocolate shop and Dolce ice cream shop, both within a short walking distance. The hostel is also waking distance to the centre, a couple of large supermarkets, a shopping mall, panaderías, restaurants, San Antonio (20mins), el río and many other locations.

The hostel also hosts great traditional festivities around Colombian celebrations, Christmas, new year etc. I spent Christmas and new year here and enjoyed the local traditions and games, and that the family took time to share these days with all the guests. So special and great fun!

If you want to learn Spanish, salsa or both, Cali is the place to stay. Fall in love with Cali at La...