Tu Casa Natura, Medellin

Tu Casa Natura is a quiet hostel in a pleasant neighborhood with easy access to the rest of the city through the metro system. It lacks the wild spirit that is often associated with hostels, focusing instead on budget accommodation with reliable amenities for travelers. The decor is simple and everything is kept clean and orderly.

The Location

The Estadio area isn't bustling and lively like other more popular areas of Medellín. Rather, the selling points of the neighborhood are the relative quiet, the safety, and the proximity to the Estadio sports facilities. (Ask around and you'll find that you can use a lot of these facilities, even as an extrañero, and sometimes for free). Even by the standards of the surrounding area, Tu Casa is extremely tranquil and tucked away in a quiet residential neighborhood. It's just a quick journey of a few blocks to find street vendors, restaurants, and grocery stores. There isn't a huge amount of options, but you won't be hurting for economical and tasty options in the area.

To visit other parts of the city, the Suramericana metro station is less than five minutes away. So it's very quick to get into the public transit system, and from there you'll have access to all of the most visited areas in town.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The physical setup for this hostel is a bit strange -- it seems like a converted apartment, so the dorms are small (on the order of a regular bedroom). That's not to say that they are cramped, rather it just means you will have very few neighbors. All of the rooms are generally kept locked and closed, but from what we see, it looks like most of the rooms have two beds. The largest has three beds and a door that can optionally connect to another two-person room.

The staff do a great job of spreading guests out, rather than packing folks into a single room before filling the next. That's more work for them, but it's appreciated by all the guests, since pretty much everyone essentially has a private room.

In terms of security, you'll be given a jumble of keys that will have you walking around the city feeling like a janitor. What this translates to in practice is a front gate that's always locked, and additionally, a front door that's dead-bolted at night. And guests are good about not opening the door for anyone. So the hostel itself is quite secure. You'll also be given a key to your room and a key for your window. There are no safes in the rooms, so it's a matter of trusting the few dorm mates that you might have.

The bathroom situation is lacking in terms of quantity at Tu Casa. There are only two small bathrooms, each with a single toilet and shower. Strangely, the bathrooms are gendered, so just hope that the gender ratio is to your advantage if the hostel is crowded. In terms of quality, the bathrooms are kept in excellent shape. They are very clean, there is reliable hot water, and hand soap. That last point may seem trivial, but it's relatively rare to find a hostel with bathroom hand soap in Medellín. You'll also be given a full-size towel for your stay, which is a nice plus. The shower situation could benefit from a few more places to place towels/clothes, but it's manageable in its current state.

Common Spaces

The common spaces in Tu Casa aren't extravagant, but they are perfectly sufficient and ample. There is an area to lounge with a few sofas and a TV, a small balcony, a dining area with a large glass table, a kitchen, and an enormous roof terrace. The primary selling point for the kitchen is that it is well kept and orderly. All the utensils are in good working order and clean. The refrigerator is tidy and there is a selection of beverages that you can purchase on the honor system. There is a stove, toaster oven, microwave, and coffee-maker for guests to use. It has a pretty standard amount of work space and plenty of room to move around if you are cooking with someone else in the kitchen.

On the terrace, you'll find a washing machine that you can use for free! There is soap for sale or you can use your own. The only condition is that you need to coordinate your wash cycle with the hostel. Also, you'll be at the mercy of the local weather to be able to line-dry your clothes. But it's free! Other than that, the terrace is relatively empty. It's a nice place to sit and read or do rooftop yoga, but the hostel would be well served to add a few more tables, chairs, or perhaps other amenities to make it a more usable space.

In terms of atmosphere, it's not a social hostel and definitely not a party spot. The other guests tend to be respectful and quiet, only exchanging a few greetings and brief conversations. That makes it a great place to relax without distraction, but you're probably not going to find a rambunctious drinking buddy here.

There are always a few quirks to any hostel whether good, bad, or neutral. The one that sticks out the most here is the odd placement of light switches. Almost certainly you will be left fumbling in the dark once or twice during your stay.

The Wi-Fi is reliable and quite fast in the common areas. It does fall off a bit in some of the rooms, but you'll still be able to catch a decent connection.

Finally, there are some unique rules for the hostel that are worth mentioning. They have a relatively early check-out time of 11 a.m., and they do stick to this. Basically, they will let you keep your bags around after checkout, but they do not want you taking a shower or using the kitchen. It's all very reasonable and they are quite clear about these rules when you check in. But they do stick to the rules, unlike other hostels that seem to keep the rules handy just in case there is a problem but otherwise don't mind.

Summary

Tu Casa Natura is an absolutely pleasant retreat from the commotion in Medellín's more popular tourist neighborhoods. It's extremely well kept and clean, along with being one of the more economical options in the city. If the hostel is busy, you will probably encounter some issues with bathroom availability. But if there aren't many guests, you may well wind up with a private room. Overall, you can't beat the value.