The Hostelz.com Review
The receptionist and her helpful little boy are a delight at HI - Tupiza - Valle Hermoso Hostel and will do their very best to help you in the town, and are eager to improve their English. The hostel runs tours, which, according the dozens and dozens of penned reports from previous residents, are very well reviewed.
The Location
As one of the closest hostels to the bus station, Valle Hermoso is very conveniently located when you arrive in Tupiza, particularly after the stress of the border crossings that the majority of Tupiza's tourists have just been involved in. Tupiza itself is a small town with very few accommodations, and this is no exception, more than a few blocks away from anything you may want. An advantage of this particular location is the seemingly perpetually open shop a few doors down, and more importantly the absolutely delicious saltenas being deep fried just a few metres down the road every morning until she runs out (usually about 1 p.m.) and the great sauces to go with them.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms -- both privates and dorms -- are very open, airy, clean, and well decorated. There are no bunks here, just good, solid wooden beds -- six to a room in the dorms. There are plenty of blankets, as it gets cold here at night. There are also bedside tables and lamps, larger tables and chairs, and in some cases, televisions. There are no lockers, although valuables can be locked away in the luggage storage at reception. Just don't try and get anything out at night. Alternatively you could just lock your room as the receptionists do try to make use of all the rooms and if they are not busy will put groups of friends in a room to themselves.
There are two spacious bathrooms on each of the three floors, all containing a toilet, sink, and shower -- all work well and are clean (but finding a toilet with toilet roll in is a rare thing). Hot water isn't a guarantee either.
Common Spaces
There is no real common room here -- there is a nice, sunny roof terrace, although it could do with some chairs and tables if any social gathering is to happen up there. There is also what looks like a bar/restaurant with two long tables, although no drinks or food are served. There is a TV here, however, and it becomes a social place when major sporting events are on. The kitchen is locked unless you ask otherwise, but it does have the basic amenities. Because of these factors it is not a very social hostel at all, a fact helped thoroughly by the sulky night guard, who will walk into your room without knocking to rant at you if any noise is preventing him from doing his job of sleeping in an empty room. The book exchange involves one of the hostel's books for either two of yours or one of yours and a small fee, which is a nuisance, but does mean there is a larger selection of books available than most hostels have.
Summary
The rooms are some of the most visibly appealing we've seen in any hostel and the warm colours and heavy blankets certainly contrast the cold weather nicely. The owners and receptionists are wonderfully friendly -- it's just such a shame they are let down by the rude night guard, who wears a beanie too small for his head and a face too miserable for Ebenezer Scrooge. Getting him to let you in after dark can be a considerable chore as you wait for him to tear himself away from sleep or television only to scowl even more as he laboriously unlocks the gate. Other than this guy, it is a very nice hostel that just needs to work on being a little less boring. Tupiza is no Las Vegas admittedly, but a hostel that makes an effort to create some life after dark would do much better.
The Location
As one of the closest hostels to the bus station, Valle Hermoso is very conveniently located when you arrive in Tupiza, particularly after the stress of the border crossings that the majority of Tupiza's tourists have just been involved in. Tupiza itself is a small town with very few accommodations, and this is no exception, more than a few blocks away from anything you may want. An advantage of this particular location is the seemingly perpetually open shop a few doors down, and more importantly the absolutely delicious saltenas being deep fried just a few metres down the road every morning until she runs out (usually about 1 p.m.) and the great sauces to go with them.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms -- both privates and dorms -- are very open, airy, clean, and well decorated. There are no bunks here, just good, solid wooden beds -- six to a room in the dorms. There are plenty of blankets, as it gets cold here at night. There are also bedside tables and lamps, larger tables and chairs, and in some cases, televisions. There are no lockers, although valuables can be locked away in the luggage storage at reception. Just don't try and get anything out at night. Alternatively you could just lock your room as the receptionists do try to make use of all the rooms and if they are not busy will put groups of friends in a room to themselves.
There are two spacious bathrooms on each of the three floors, all containing a toilet, sink, and shower -- all work well and are clean (but finding a toilet with toilet roll in is a rare thing). Hot water isn't a guarantee either.
Common Spaces
There is no real common room here -- there is a nice, sunny roof terrace, although it could do with some chairs and tables if any social gathering is to happen up there. There is also what looks like a bar/restaurant with two long tables, although no drinks or food are served. There is a TV here, however, and it becomes a social place when major sporting events are on. The kitchen is locked unless you ask otherwise, but it does have the basic amenities. Because of these factors it is not a very social hostel at all, a fact helped thoroughly by the sulky night guard, who will walk into your room without knocking to rant at you if any noise is preventing him from doing his job of sleeping in an empty room. The book exchange involves one of the hostel's books for either two of yours or one of yours and a small fee, which is a nuisance, but does mean there is a larger selection of books available than most hostels have.
Summary
The rooms are some of the most visibly appealing we've seen in any hostel and the warm colours and heavy blankets certainly contrast the cold weather nicely. The owners and receptionists are wonderfully friendly -- it's just such a shame they are let down by the rude night guard, who wears a beanie too small for his head and a face too miserable for Ebenezer Scrooge. Getting him to let you in after dark can be a considerable chore as you wait for him to tear himself away from sleep or television only to scowl even more as he laboriously unlocks the gate. Other than this guy, it is a very nice hostel that just needs to work on being a little less boring. Tupiza is no Las Vegas admittedly, but a hostel that makes an effort to create some life after dark would do much better.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2011
Their Description
HI - Tupiza - Valle Hermoso Hostel Details
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Great bed, worst service ever, and they don´t even provide papel! This hostel has to decide if it is a hostel that looks after its guest or a tour operator. Seriously there is no one that works in the hostel, if you have the most simple enquiry you have to wait in the line with those trying to book a tour, this can be half an hour wait. Everything is a rip-off, you even have to pay to use the kitchen or keep something in the fridge. their currency rate is a lot worse than anywhere else in town. The advertised credit card facility doesn't work and you will instead be frog marched to the bank in the morning (this by the way will make you late for your tour of the Salt Flats) and don't even try to complain, very quickly they don't understand English (although they speak it perfectly when trying to sell things to you) and even threatened to call the police if I did not go to the bank with them. Listen the rooms are clean and lovely but stay somewhere else (even if it isn't as nice) and save yourself hours of wasted time and energy trying to get anything done. They are so cheap with everything they don't even supply you with papel! — Scott , Australian (2009-03-22) Very nice hostel! Great family and wonderful hospitality. — Anonymous (2005-03-15)