Hostal D'Mathias — Hotel in Baños de Agua Santa

UPDATE: I returned to pick up my bag and who I assume is the owner cleared up the confusion and I got my overcharged money back. (One of the employees just wrote down my payment in a different location that the others couldn’t see, or something). Bumped up the score to a 4 bc outside of this problem I had no issue with the hostel, and I’m happy it was resolved.

Original: Look, I never write reviews, and up until like 10 minutes ago I had no reason to write one here. The hostal is fine, the price is good, the bike rental is cheap. BUT MAKE SURE THEY WRITE DOWN HOW MUCH YOU PAID.

I stayed here 4 nights total, and rented a bike. Around $6.50 per night, + $5 for the bike. I initially booked two, and paid for it up front. Not a problem. Later I asked for two nights more, and paid for the rest when I rented the bike. I paid the man working reception $18. That’s $13 for two nights and $5 for the bike. I shouldn’t have had to pay anything else.

Except, he must not have written it down correctly, because when I came to return the bike just a couple hours later, it was a new lady at reception who seemed to think I still owed something. I explained that I had paid the man working morning shift, but as they are the ones who are supposed to keep record, she was clearly skeptical and said she would ask him. (I’m not blaming her, since she was doing her job and yeah, if it’s not in the record book then she has every right to be skeptical). I figured that he would clear it up with her since I definitely paid correctly and the situation would end.

EXCEPT, when I went to check out today, the same lady told me that the man said I only paid for the bike and still needed to pay for the two nights! I don’t understand how he could have forgotten, since I gave him a $20 bill to cover the $18 charge. After trying to explain further, I eventually gave up and paid for an extra two nights (that I did NOT get) just to alleviate the situation. It’s their record book against my word, so I was never going to win.

But I AM right. I paid for everything, the guy didn’t write it down/forgot, and then I had to pay $13 extra. Ultimately not that big of a deal, but big enough of one for me that I feel compelled to write it down and warn others. By all means, stay here, but MAKE SURE THEY KEEP RECORD OF...

We loved Hostal D’Mathias. The reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because the WiFi didn’t reach our room and we didn’t have hot water. The hostel is half a block from the bus station, which was very convenient. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We arrived at the hostel at 6AM and they let us check into our room early. We stayed in one of the private “matrimonial” rooms (one double bed), it was on the top (5th) floor and had a private bathroom. I don’t know if it was because we were on top floor, but the WiFi was not available in our room. We did see many people just hang out in he lobby on their phones and leave, quickly and at random times, which leads me to believe the WiFi wasn’t available in other rooms as well. They do have two computers in the lobby as well in case you need to go online. The kitchen is communal and there’s plenty of seating space.

The hostel staff helped us with information on many things to do around. We only had two days in Baños so we decided to climb up to Casa d’arbol. The hostel receptionist said that the hike up and back down was a total of 4 hours, so we figured it’d only take 2 hours up. It took 4 hours up. Not recommended unless you really love hiking. The next day we did the bridge jumping ($15) and spent the afternoon at Luna Runtum as their spa visitor package (so worth it!!)

TIPS: there’s a very good cafe close by where we had breakfast and we highly recommend it. It’s called Cafe Colibri. The cafe is cute, it’s run by a lovely family, the food is delicious and there are...

My husband and I enjoyed our time at Hostal D'Mathias. The location is great - very close to the bus station and everything you could need in Baños. The staff are lovely!! There are incredibly helpful and can arrange tours - we rented bikes for only $5 a day per person to do the route of the waterfalls. They even helped my husband find a doctor when he got sick. The place is immaculate - the kitchen, bathrooms, rooms, and lounge areas are all spotless. The water was hot, the bed comfortable, and the free towels and soap a plus. The two kitchens are incredibly well-stocked, making cooking meals enjoyable. The wifi is great throughout the whole hostel-I was able to have a video chat without issue. The only negative thing I can say is that my double private room was on the top floor next to the rooftop common area. When guests smoked, I could smell it in the room. The common area closes at 8pm but it isn't enforced. You'll probably have to tell people it's closed when you're trying to go to bed. My recommendation is that the hostel either has the night security person enforcing this or install a rope with a sign saying "closed" across the entrance so people who are staying up there can access their rooms but it discourages people from loudly talking and playing pool outside the rooms. Regardless, I still highly recommend...