Hostal Hermanas Ruíz, Trinidad

Hostal Hermanas Ruíz has stolen a march on its rivals (most of whom have no online presence and are only reachable by phone) by not only having an online presence, but enabling online booking as well. Trinidad welcomes a huge number of tourists each year and Hostal Hermanas Ruíz will be reaping the rewards for its forward thinking in providing budget backpackers a place to stay at a bargain price.

The Location

Not particularly handily located for the historic center of Trinidad, Hostal Hermanas Ruíz sits on Calle America in the southeastern corner of the city. It’s about a twenty-five-minute walk into the center and the bus station. If you arrive by collectivo taxi, you will be dropped at the door. On Calle America, there are a couple of small shops, and -- for those not wanting the trek into the center for dinner -- there is a very nice local restaurant Cafeteria America just three minutes’ walk away, opposite the rustic pottery factory. It serves local Creole food at local cheap prices -- another bonus for backpackers.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The hostel has just two apartments above the family house; both are three-bed dorms. Both are en suite with cold water showers and a balcony and sitting room. One dorm has two single beds and a double and is accessed via an outer stairway. The other dorm, accessed via the family’s sitting room, has two double beds and a single bed. If you like soft mattresses, then you’ll love it here! There are a couple of small bedside tables and a bedside lamp in each bedroom; for charging your devices, there are ample power points, mostly in the sitting rooms. The bedrooms have air conditioning and the bathroom is clean with towels and soap provided. The tiled floors are immaculate, but there is a little damp showing through the paint on a couple of the walls. The water pressure for the showers is also sometimes very low.

Common Spaces

The only common spaces are the sitting rooms in each apartment and the balconies. Each sitting room has a dining table, a fridge and two rocking chairs. Each apartment also has a balcony overlooking Calle America and there is a roof terrace at the back, though this was filled with piles of bricks on our visit. Reception is done downstairs in the family’s living room.

Summary

Hostal Hermanas Ruíz fills a gap in the backpacker market in Trinidad, particularly for those traveling solo who don’t want to stump up for a private room. It’s clean and efficiently run and meals are available here with advance notice at a rather high extra charge. The mattresses gave us problems as they are way too soft, but the sitting rooms are comfortable and it’s reasonable value. Although Calle America is a bit out of town, it does seem to have more than its fair share of rattling, noisy trucks, and buses passing by all day from early morning. The family can help book all the standard trips in and around Trinidad and help with tickets for onward travel. Guests are provided with their own key to access the apartments and, although the friendly family are always on hand downstairs should guests require anything, they basically leave you to it. No English is spoken here.