Hostal Dulces Sueños, Panajachel

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Hostal Dulces Sueños Reviews

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A solid location is really the only thing that makes Hostal Dulces Sueños stand out in anyway or form. But Pana is small and a lot of other hostels have similar or better. While there's nothing particularly bad about this hostel to point to, there is also nothing particularly good either. Average is the perfect adjective.

The Location

This place has a fantastic location -- a ten-minute walk will take you smack dab in the middle of the strip, take a left and you'll head down to the waterfront toward the highest concentration of bars and restaurants as well as the docks, while a right turn will take you toward a great pocket of street food vendors and a supermarket. Everything in Panajachel is within an easy and enjoyable walking distance of Hostal Dulces Sueños.

Rooms and Bathrooms

Dorms on offer are four- and eight-bed dorms with bunk beds, most with en suite bathrooms. Doors are lockable but guests are not given a key, so all this would achieve is locking yourself or other guests out of the dorm. Dorms do not have lockers and there is no reception area in which to secure valuables. Private rooms come with the option of doubles or quadruple with en suite bathrooms.

Most rooms have an en suite with an extra bathroom in the hostal for overspill. Bathrooms and showers are clean and reasonably spacious, but with little in the way of shelving and hooks; also the en suite in some of the dorms doesn't have a door but rather a curtain over the entrance, which is more reason to sing on the toilet.

Common Spaces

The hostel is clearly a house with bunk beds shoved into some of the rooms. Because of this, the common area is set up like the TV room from "Family Guy," except there's no TV -- so there's lots of space but not many places to actually sit. There is a computer but it seems to be for staff use only. The outside seating situation is much better, with hammocks and plastic tables with chairs and umbrellas, plus lots of lush grass for lazing around or doing yoga. It seems like a quiet kind of hostel -- those seeking to party and socialize end up at the hostel directly on the strip, but it's not an unwelcoming vibe.

This place has a pretty solid kitchen with modern cookware, and it's kept pretty clean. Plus there is a microwave and free tea and coffee. Unfortunately, the kitchen is narrow and located between the front door and the rest of the hostel, so expect traffic.

Summary

This is a decent hostel, there's ok beds and kitchen, plus all the basic things you would expect a hostel to have. But there's a lot of little things lacking -- no lockers; insufficient seating in the common room, which is a problem during the wet season when sitting outdoors is no longer an option; and no atmosphere (good or bad) at all. It seems a shame, when Pana has such a fun and friendly vibe, for this hostel to not capitalise and expand on it.

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