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Raju Guest House is a cozy and intimate hostel run by a family that also seems to live on the property. The majority of the staff don’t really speak English, but they are friendly and still try to offer assistance whenever they can.
The Location
This hostel is located slightly north of the city centre on a quiet but prominent avenue. It’s less than a kilometer away from the main square in Huaraz and just a couple blocks away from many of the bus stations. While the hostel is located on a main avenue, there aren’t a lot of stores, restaurants, or attractions immediately around the area. Guests will have to walk toward the city centre for more entertainment.
Locating the hostel can be a bit difficult too, as the accommodation doesn’t have very good signage. It’s a nondescript grey-and-beige bricked-building situated above ground level that can be easily missed if not paying close attention.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are several single and double private rooms located on the main floor and the dorm rooms are all situated on the second floor. There is one large room with twelve basic, mixed dorm beds, and within that room is another dorm room, with two sets of bunk beds and a double bed. The larger mixed-dorm room lacks any type of privacy and can be very noisy, as most guests need to travel through this room to get to the exit. There is also only one light for the entire room and only a few power plugs to share. There are no individual lights per bed, making it very difficult to not disturb other travelers.
The smaller dorm room with five beds off the large dorm room offers a bit more privacy. Again, there is only one light for the entire room, but there are several more power plugs to share.
There is also a limited number of washrooms available. On the second floor with all the dorm rooms, there is only one washroom to share. The shower area is only divided by a curtain, with no floor separation. This makes the entire washroom messy and wet after a guest uses it. While the water pressure and hot water is pleasant, there’s always a line up to use this washroom as it’s the only one available on this floor. The drainage is also always clogged and the floor is often wet.
There are two other three-piece washrooms on the main floor across from the kitchen, but the far distance from the rooms usually means these are unused.
Common Spaces
There are a couple sofas in the main check-in area, but it’s mostly used by staff. Near the back of the property is a clean kitchen area with several tables for guests to use, but it is also often empty. This hostel is not particularly active or social, rather it’s a quiet place favoured by guests going or coming back from several day-long hikes. Right beside the hostel is also a small, local bar. While it's not particularly interesting, it does offer live music. The music from the band travels very easily through the walls and can be extremely loud in the dorm rooms at night.
Summary
Overall, Raju Guest House is a clean, cozy hostel. However, the layout of the main dorm room can be distracting and not entirely ideal. The potential noise and vibration from the neighbouring local bar can also be frustrating.
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+3
Charmaine
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on Jul 4, 2018
Location and Contact
Location
• To get to our hostel, from the airport you have to take a bus from the district of Taricá, which takes 20 minutes to arrive. • To get from the main bus station, you can take a taxi that takes between 8 to 5 minutes, or you can walk there as they are very close (1 blocks).