Puerta Vieja Hostel — Hotel in Chiapas

The bonus of this hostel is that for 9 bucks you can get a bed and a pretty decent half board. But read along to know if it’s worth saving your money here.

Wifi is not appropriate for work. Also only present in the common area, not in the rooms.

Also here is the reason why I hated this hostel and it has been my worst stay in 7 years of traveling. Bed bugs! I got over 40 bites all over my body. They itch horribly and the spots look terrible. I might need to go to the doctor because the creams (for which I paid more than for the stay here) won’t work. After the first night when I got more than 20 bites, I reported the problem to the reception. They promised to perform some cleaning measures to make sure the bugs are gone, but the next night I was bitten even worse. I asked to change bed at 3 am, but they said they were full. In the morning, when I complained and asked for refund because I didn’t sleep for 3 nights and I didn’t want to stay there anymore, they said the refund was only possible after they sell my bed to someone else first. Imagine this! I show them 40 bites with huge inflammations and they say they will put a new guest in the very same bed! Also both the administrator and the manager told me exactly the same thing (seemed like using the same previously agreed script): “Tourists like you come and go and often bring such bugs with themselves”. Little did they know that I stayed in a high end airbnb in Playa del Carmen for 2.5 months and did not have any similar issue. Moreover I haven’t experienced this in my whole life, including years of traveling in different countries with different levels of accommodation. I am an experienced traveler so eventually I persuaded them to pay my refund, but when I stayed in the common area to work until a check-in time in a new place, the manager came up to me and asked me when I was going to leave. Horrible attitude. Is this normal to treat a human being who suffered sleepless nights in their hostel like that? I think it’s not only puerta vieja, but everything in the hostel is quite old, poorly maintained and untidy. Best conditions for bed bugs. Think twice if you want to...

Great hostel! Extremely social and very easy to meet other people and fellow travellers. The included breakfast and dinner are really delicious and a great way to socialise and meet people. If you eat a lot, the dinner may be a little small so keep that in mind. Also on the free dinner, you can only have it between 7:30-8:30pm which is fine. I had friends who were away for the day and I asked at 8:34 if they could save a plate for them but I was told it was ‘too late’ only to see two plates still made up in the kitchen the next morning. A waste if you ask me. It is difficult to communicate with some of the staff at times but that’s probably just due to a language barrier. Some of the volunteers were clicky and a little rude, but others were absolutely lovely and went above and beyond to help.

The hostel was very easy to extend which was important as I had only planned to stay two days and ended up staying eight! However each time I extended I often had to change rooms or beds which did get a little tedious after eight days. I don’t fully understand why the staff couldn’t let me have the same bed/room for the entirety of my stay. They said it was because someone else was arriving and was booked to stay in my bed (it would have made it easier for them to let me have the same bed and move the other person to the free bed and they wouldn’t have had to clean/change the bedsheets).

Also beware of the water, everyone says it’s the worst for a reason. I got sick myself as well as did many other people I knew that went there.

The activities are really fun and good value for money and free cocktails on Tuesdays and Friday and great but extremely dangerous. Beware that there will be absolute carnage on these nights and the next day everyone is often pretty dead.

Overall I had a great stay at puerto vieja and would be back in a heartbeat and highly recommend it during your stay in...

My recent stay at Puerta Vieja was, for the most part, delightful, highlighting the hostel's vibrant ambiance and commendable facilities. However, I feel compelled to share a concerning encounter with the reception staff, notably Gabby, which marred an otherwise positive experience.

This marked my second visit to Puerta Vieja, and my partner, though not a guest, accompanied me to help with my bags. After settling in, we joined a couple of friends in the common area. I availed myself of the dinner included in my stay and enjoyed a complimentary cocktail. Our group was engrossed in conversation when Gabby approached, asserting that my partner needed to pay $100 pesos for a night pass.

Attempting to explain that he was merely helping me and had no intention of staying overnight proved futile in Spanish to not draw attention to the situation. Despite agreeing to pay the fee, Gabby continued the conversation in English, raising unnecessary tension. It was disheartening to witness the situation escalate, especially considering the friendly atmosphere the hostel strives to maintain.

Even more surprising was the discovery that Gabby holds a managerial position. This revelation prompted me to question the hostel's approach to guest interactions. Given the diverse international clientele that Puerta Vieja attracts, it seems imperative for the owner to reevaluate the policies and communication skills of their managerial staff.

The incident left a sour note on an otherwise enjoyable stay, and I sincerely hope that the management takes steps to ensure that all guests, regardless of their background, feel welcome and properly understood...