Santa Fe International Hostel

The first thing you will notice about this hostel is its striking mural, a sure sign that you are in the artsy town of Santa Fe. Upon arriving at the hostel, you will receive a handy walking map and visitor's guide. There is a bounty of free snacks and staple foods available, but it is advisable to use them only as supplements to your own food supply.

Chores are mandatory and usually involve some type of cleaning. You will receive instructions and can choose which one you will do. Doing chores used to be a tradition at many hostels years ago, but this may be one of the few remaining hostels in the world that still requires its guests to do chores. This is something you should know before you arrive because many travellers may rather avoid this hostel if they don't like the idea of doing chores on their vacation, and at this hostel not doing the chore is not an option.

The owner, Preston, is a notable aspect of this hostel. Many guests find him to be kind and welcoming. But he does have a very strong personality and he can be intimidating if you cross a line and end up on his bad side.

The hostel dorm rooms are accessible from the main building via outdoor corridors. The rooms are simple and tend to be poorly lit, but are clean for the most part. Watch out for the showers, though. You may want to bring flip-flops. Be advised that the bunkbeds are foam mattresses on hard boards.

There are several long-term tenants at the pension who tend to hang around during the day. There is a $2 charge for this privilege. There is also a $2 charge per day to use the internet, but there is only one computer so you take your chances as to its availability.

Directions from Greyhound station: Right on St. Michael's. Left on Calle Lorca. Left on 2nd St. Right on Cerillos. Hostel on right. The Greyhound station is open for only a couple of hours during the day, so don't plan on hanging out there for long before your bus.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2004