Hostal Orquídea — Hotel in El Valle

I dont know where those positive comments come from but my stay was certainly different!||My room (private) was incredible dirty: dead animals everywhere, towel was full of dead ants and my pillows had no sheets. There were sweat, coffee stains on it and I had to ask for a change.||The common kitchen was the most disgusting thing: old rotten food everywhere, which of course attracts millions of flies running over dishes, food, furniture etc..||||The lady who runs this place doesnt care a thing. Mainly sitting around and let two locals do all the work, which I think they have never worked in a hostel before.||||I wanted to stay for two nights but one night was the most I can handle in such a disgusting place! It is also a clear rip off charging European prices for such a filthy place!||||The morning I left the boys (who by the way dont speak a single word in English) couldnt help me with information about the bus timetable, neither were they able to call me a taxi. So I had to walk 20 minutes into town in such a incredible heat.||||The orchid garden is not worth a visit, fairly small and unattractive. And I also learned that orchids doesnt look pretty at all times because I have seen...

On the good side, the folks there are very nice and helpful. But they usually leave completely in the late afternoon. To be safe, do NOT arrive after 4pm or office could be completely locked up for the day. There are several buildings - some dorms, some private rooms. I stayed in dorm off the office. This has another small private room off it. If you get there first, you get the private room a dorm room price! I was there at low season, so rarely another person in the dorm. Often had the entire office building completely to myself.||||But on the down side, the kitchen was grungy and dirty. My shower was cold water only. Toilet was broken and middle of night it overflowed with toilet water flooding the entire office area. I had to wade in and do plunging duty myself to stop the flow since I was there alone, no staff. ||||But realize that these people are not really in the business of running a hostel. They are orchid growers and conservationists as FIRST and main interest. This is a non-profit org. I think the rooms are an afterthought to keep it funded. So all in all, I don't mind contributing to their cause. It was in fact a beautiful quiet setting to...

We traveled to El Valle and needed a place to stay and found the Hostel Orchid in our Lonely Planet book. It's a great hostel that is quiet and very comfortable. They have wi-fi, hot showers, and you can even visit the Orchid Garden for free when you stay there. It's about a 5-10 minute walk from downtown El Valle with restaurants, shops, and markets. We visited the Nispero Zoo to see the golden frog and took a hike to find the square trunk trees during our stay here. The people at the hostal were friendly, but not very informative when it came to asking questions about the town. One girl there had only been working there for a week. If you go out to dinner, make sure you leave early. Most places to eat close up around 6pm so there is not many choices for dinner options. We only spent one night in El Valle because we couldn't find enough things to do. If you like hiking and nature, this spot is for you and I would recommend staying at the...