Refugio de Sol — Hotel in San Francisco

This is a rare breed of hostel that combines superior accommodations with a laid back hostel vibe. Note that the Refugio de Sol and Hostel San Pancho are the same place - Refugio de Sol is private rooms on the 1st floor and Hostel San Pancho is dorm-style accommodation on the ground floor. Refugion de Sol is more like a boutique hostel. Both share a common area with kitchen and buddha-style chill out space, the highlight of which is a 5m long low table cut from one tree trunk.||||The hostel is located on the main street, but in a quiet part of town, about 5 mins walk from the centre and 10 mins to the beach. Bikes/trikes are available for free if the walk is too strenuous :-).||The rooms are simple, but nicely appointed. There are basic and standard (same as basic but with air conditioning) rooms plus 2 larger suites with private balconies. The rooms on one side have light, the others just face onto a corridor.||||The staff is fantastic and will cater to your every need! I really felt like part of the family. The village itself is incredibly laid back. It's so safe - you can leave your bike unlocked and no-one will take it. Make sure to check out the organic market on Tues- awesome food,...

I knew going in this was not a luxury hotel by any means, but I was hoping that previous positive reviews meant I was in for an overall pleasant experience. ||I stayed in one of the private rooms upstairs, not the hostel. The room was OK except that the windows opened to the public hallway, meaning the only way to truly secure the room was to close the windows, resulting in a hot stuffy room. There were also no screens on the windows, and my room had a lot of different bugs, including the biting variety. ||Finally, water was a big problem. I guess they regular shut off the water supply in this town. If a hotel has a good reserve tank, you would never know. I had booked 3 nights at Refugio del Sol and left after 2 because I had water in my room maybe a total of 6 hours the whole time. This means not only could I not shower, but I couldn't flush the toilet. When I did have water, the shower was freezing cold. I am not sure if my experience with the water was unusual. ||I will say management was nice and helpful and when I left due to the water issue they gladly refunded my...

We just stayed at Refugio de Sol for 2 nights. I stayed in a suite with my 2 kids. The photos on the website make the "suite" look a lot bigger than it really is. I know that's the case with a lot of hotel photos, but our room was not a suite at all-- and there was no privacy for the shower from the rest of the room. Refugio de Sol bills itself as B&B, and plays down the hostel part, but it definitely has a hostel vibe and a more hostel-oriented clientele, so if that's what you expect, it will be great for you. ||We also had a really hard time sleeping... I've traveled to 50 countries, mostly in Africa and Latin America, and the loud rooster near Refugio de Sol is the loudest I've ever heard. Even with earplugs and a pillow over my head, I kept waking up. The positives were that the room was clean and the staff were very nice and responsive. Refugio de Sol should sell itself for what it is, a hostel with some...