Aline Hostel — Hotel in Chefchaouen

After initially deciding not to write a review to leave the guests a to make up their own mind, a very disturbing event that I will explain below made me reconsider.

The short-er story: this hostel is wonderful. I met so many great people there, woke up to the sun rising over the Spanish mosque on roof, listened to the children's sing next door, watched to moon appear behind the mountains...it is a pity that it is managed by lazy, dishonest and dare I say dangerous people. I stayed long enough to learn it the hard way. However it is likely that you will never be impacted by this behavior. Just ask for a receipt for everything (stating how many nights you paid, the fee that you negotiated if you left your bags in storage etc.). Then everything should be fine.

The long story: as I said, I stayed a while in this hostel. If my stay had been shorter I probably wouldn't have anything bad to say. However came a day when I asked if I could leave my bicycle and luggage for a week. The answer was positive, against a fee. Fine. We (verbally) agreed on 15dirams per day. I came back 8 days later to pick up my things, handing 120 dirams to the manager as agreed upon. This is when I was told that we (apparently) never agreed on 15 dirams a day, and that I forgot to take into account the 'emotional cost of leaving stuff like this without a care in the world. Because you know it's so difficult to run a hostel, people don't care and you don't care. So it's 500 dirams'. The following surreal conversation is not worth describing. I had to run a few errands before I came back, left the money (120) on the counter and collected my stuff. Fast forward a few weeks later, as I am writing this review. This morning, while working on my brakes, I noticed something strange. A mark on the housing near the caliper. It could not be mistaken: someone tried to cut the cables controlling my brakes. I thought and thought and thought. When could this have happened? I hardly ever leave my bicycle unattended, so it was easy to pinpoint the rare occurrences when it was the case. Which led to this strange departure from Aline, my suspicion being reinforced by other problems that happened with other guests during my stay. So while no clear conclusion can be drawn on suspicions and without proof, I think it is enough to leave a (I hope fair) warning.

To sum it up: enjoy the beautiful city of Chefchaouen and have a great time meeting interesting travellers and exchanging eating goat cheese and olives on this relaxing rooftop. But keep in a corner of your mind the idea that the people managing this hostel are not to be trusted.

PS: beside the cash-collecting person smoking weed all day downstairs, there is actually someone that works hard from early in the morning to late in the evening in order to make our stay as pleasant as can be. She makes our beds, cleans our sheets, prepares our breakfasts according to our taste, sadly too often cleans the dishes abandoned in the sink, and so much more, with the concern of being on our way as little as possible. When you leave, maybe communicate your gratefulness to the housekeeper. It is not an easy job she has, and what would be the point of all this love that can be felt when travelers meet if it was not meant to be shared especially with those who make our journey so...

Hostel Aline should be your first choice when choosing your lodging when visiting Chefchaouen! The welcoming staff will accommodate you to their best abilities and offer superior service. The rooms are clean and spacious as well as comfortable beds. When choosing a hostel to stay I am always fearful of the bathroom conditions. I am pleased with the conditions of the bathrooms of Hostel Aline! They were extremely fresh and clean. There is at least 1 bathroom on each floor of the hostel including the terrace. There are 2 bathrooms on the 2nd floor of the hostel. Breakfast is served on the terrace and you can enjoy your breakfast while overlooking the sunrise on the mountains and the blue houses of Chefchaouen.

The owner and manager are highly knowledgeable about the attractions and sites of Chefchaouen. Upon arrival, the manager of the hostel greeted me and gave suggestions on where to get the best restaurants and where the best place to watch the sunset over the stunning blue city. They also are knowledgeable about transportation and navigating area for hikes and taxi services. Hostel Aline is in a prime location with mountain views within a local neighborhood. You will get the best experience conversing with locals and tourists. There are locally owned shops to purchase your daily needs within a few steps of the hostel. Within less than a minute you have produce stands, mini markets, and novelty stands that are open for extended hours from morning and night. There are also plenty of locally owned restaurants and cafes in the area to have a great meal or snack.

As a female traveler, I did many outings with the people I met at the hostel as well as alone. While out walking the streets in the neigborghbood I always felt safe. For travelers who love to take pictures, there are many photo opportunities within the neigborhood and terrace of Hostel Aline. I also work remotely the Wifi is fast with a stable connection. Overall my stay at Hostel Aline was positive and I would definitely recommend and would stay...

One of the best hostel I stayed so far. Initial plan was to stay in Chefchouen for 2 nights. However, I stayed for 2 weeks. One of the factor that made me stay aside from the beauty of this town, is this hostel and the owner, Mr. Islam. Staying in this hostel will not just give you the chance to meet interesting fellow travelers to hangout and get to know but also to feel at home and be accepted as a family by Mr. Islam. He is the kindest man I know in all my constant travel around the globe. He is always there to help you with anything he could. The barbecue night that he helped us prepare in multiple occasions in the rooftop is to die for. He always prioritise his guests needs over anything else. Hostel location is also the best in town, you can easily get a taxi and drop right outside the hostel door while also having access to the medina right after you get out of the hostel. It is centrally located with easy short cut passage not only to the medina but also to go to the market, to the waterfalls including a short way if you want to trek into the mountains. I highly recomend this hostel if you are in Chefchouen to enjoy and have a memorable stay. If you are tired of having  those locals approaching and persistwntly following you to sell something, this will be the best...