Avanti Hostel

So So
Nice building, spacious bathrooms, all clean and comfortable. When I arrived, the staff were very friendly and helpful, gave me a map, marked loads of areas of interest. No other guests were English speakers, so I was a bit isolated, although that's probably just bad luck and bad timing. Several dorms, including mine, are right next to the common room, and only a few metres from the speakers, so on weekends don't expect any peace in your room from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. I would have given a three or a four rating, but I had a bad experience on the last day. I checked out and left my bag there in the morning, and came back to wait for my bus. After a few hours lounging by the TV, they told me I needed to pay half my dorm price for the privilege of using their facilities that day. When I complained, one of the staff guys started going on to me about how it was a Hostel and not a Vegas Casino (?) and obviously I had to pay for the privilege, just like I would anywhere else. Well, after nine months in Latin America staying in Hostels, I can say for a fact that maybe one in ten make you pay for facilities if you're waiting for a bus for a while, and if they do, they make it really clear, it's written down somewhere. They don't tell you after you've been sitting around for three hours! I feel that one of the staff guys was really quite rude about it, although the girl was really understanding and apologetic. Even so, the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth about the hostel, and I won't be going back.