Freelance Hostel — Hotel in Quintana Roo

LENGTHY REVIEW ABOUT CHECK IN AND 6 ROOM DORMS:

We arrived around 6/7pm and were not provided with any instructions on how to arrive to the place. it is not super easy to find however it does have a small sign out front. We knocked on the door and on the outside wooden window and no one answered, lucky there were two guest who let us in. My first impression was how unorganized checkin was, simply just entering the space. Our attendant looked frazzeled/ stress/ overwhelmed when we were there waiting even when we told him we had a reservations for 2 in a 6 space dorm. Our attendant proceeded to say we were not on a list and that there was no space, but when I looked down at a piece of paper- there was our names for 2 under my partners name . I am unsure of what happened, but the attendant continued to check upstairs rooms, and downstairs room to find a space for us. We ended up staying in Room 1. he gave us our curtains and bed sheets and was disappeared.

There was no tour of the place or space , no welcome, just a very direct and transactional. I didn’t feel very welcomed especially for my first time in Tulum.

The 6 room dorm:

The dorms themselves are nice. They are clean, and the beds are comfortable. There are outlets and a dimmable light. They provide you with a bed sheet and a curtain. The only downside was airflow into the cubes. They keep the temperature at 24-26C (76-78F) but because of how the cubes are designed, you don’t receive much “cool” air/ air flow. The cubes are stuffy and they can get very hot and humid with the privacy curtain. Not really what you want after a hot day in Tulum.

My experience in the 6 dorm bedroom-

I would have to say this was one of the worst stays I have personally had. I was hot most of the night, there was a guy next to me who just coughed 24/7 - I believe he was sick because he was always inside his cube, and rarely came out. Later I came to the conclusion that my partner and I was sleeping in the same room as the staff. ( Which make me wonder if they over booked?) In the 6 room dorms there is 1 shower and sink and other door for bathroom and sink (all in the same space) During my stay I would try to be as quiet as possible during the nights to be courteous to those around me. However I was woken up with bathroom doors being shut hard and left wide open.

The staff plays music at 8am in the morning which is pretty loud and can be heard within your small cube space, you can also hear the other residents talking outside which sucked because i was tired as hell and woke up too early. I didn’t get the best sleep or rest at the freelance hostel.

Can’t mention...

While the hostel is nice - the owner of this hostel is controlling and perfectionist, not letting people just be but criticising everything they do. Example: there’s no place to hang any wet clothes. So he made us put the clothes on a flat roof with very limited space. Two people put a towel on a camping chair which is when he freaked out and told them ‘what in the world makes you think you can put wet towels on furniture?!’ As well as threatening to kick them out. He blasts music for no reason in the morning and evening sometimes even past 11.30pm, but then on other days when he sleeps early he goes crazy about people playing cards quietly at 11 on the terrace and tells them to read the rules that it should be quiet by 11. I had to work there (I thought the name was an indication that it’s a workers’ hostel) and when I moved in I asked him if I can work in the common area and whether then they can sometimes make the music more quiet. ‘Of courseeeee’ he said but then when I did have a super important meeting one morning at 9am, he blasted jazz music during breakfast and I told them 4 times (!!!) that no one could hear me and if they can turn it down, with them just ignoring me and then telling me to go upstairs. I sat on the friggin floor of the terrace to do my important work meeting after that. Even people that didn’t work came up to me after and said they also thought it is unnecessarily loud.

Anything people do he will put a sticky note with a new rule on the walls (‘no sweat on the pillows, your feet off the pillows, unlock the door before opening the door’ blablabla). While the hostel is missing essential things like a clothing rack, security safes and shelves to put your stuff in the showers, I must say it has nice amenities and is modern and cheap. Breakfast is good. But this guy will have to leave or change his erratic behaviour if it wants to survive long term. Don’t go there if you want to have a good time, hang your wet...

Lovely stay at Freelance so far! I booked another night this morning. The vibes are immaculate; it's relaxed, yet people are proactive and busy on day trips during the day. The building is fresh and new, and although the name implies it's freelance/working travelers it's not the case. It's hospitable, affordable and more calm than other hostels in the area while only a couple of minutes away from downtown Tulum. Definitely worth your time if you're a solo female traveler.

The hostel itself is very near to the ADO station. I booked the female dorm and despite it being fully booked I had an amazing night sleep which I needed after staying at loud hostels with pumping music. When I arrived people were actively cleaning floors with disinfenctant and the bathrooms were also spotless - this was a welcomed relief! Nothing is broken here or under maintenance because it's is newly renovated. The kitchen facilities are also clean and organised. Shoutout to the staff for being so helpful and welcoming!

Nelson was very helpful from the moment I arrived and he gave excellent recommendations. He also shuttled myself and 6 others to Vagalume for a techno Tuesday night - Amazing beach club - and shuttled us home! Thanks to the girls for getting us the...