La Joya Hostel

Working-class neighbourhood, close to a huge Jumbo store, vegetable market and assorted stores. Clean hostel with kitchenette and adjoining sister restaurant/nightclub with excellent staff. In room #1, we had a loft bedroom and a great shower. Comfortable with a fridge and all the necessary amenities. Could have used a second armchair. Slower internet.

The photos looked so good! And the reviews seemed pretty good too…but this place was not at all what we expected. Let’s start with the positive…the staff were all very friendly. They are the only reason I’m giving two stars. Now the Cons: 1. The neighborhood was about 1.5 miles away from the touristic part of Valparaiso AND it didn’t seem like a safe or clean neighborhood. Later we read a review that someone had indeed been robbed right out front. We did walk to the touristic part of town in the daylight…still didn’t feel great about it. 2. Our room smelled terrible. It smelled musty and moldy, which wasn’t surprising once we noticed the mold in the shower. It also smelled a bit like a sewer. Eww. We chose not to shower while we stayed there. 3. The restaurant and breakfast were ok, but so many flies. 4. The rooftop patio was quite nice, though we weren’t allowed to use it our first night since there was a wedding. Made me mad since we had paid QUADRUPLE the price to be there for New Years Eve. 5. We paid an absurd amount to be there because of NYE and then they charged us even more than the quoted price. If I had known better we would have chosen something right in the touristic part of town OR stayed in Vina Del Mar and took a taxi in.

This place has great potential but is so bad we left early..The daily need to compete with the staff for the breakfast on offer is not pleasant. You shouldn't have to wait for staff to feed themselves from the breakfast buffet before you can access breakfast you are paying for. The wifi is very poor and constantly drops out We left before our booking was ended after talking to staff several times about the quality and the constant dropping in and out. This place was very noisy with staff yelling across the hostel at each other all day or playing very loud music. There is nothing on offer and staff don't actively let you know about anything other than the long list of rules. Minimal places to eat around area. The bathroom is terrible and the floors could do with a good wash. Not a pleasant stay

Kind of an interesting hostel in Valparaiso, it is clean and neat although I was uncomfortable outside of the hostel in the evenings. My room was set up as a loft, with sleeping upstairs and the bathroom and sitting area downstairs. Comfy beds and great showers with plenty of hot water. The attached bar and restaurant were great too!

I have never left a bad hostel review.. until now. This is hands down the worst hostel experience I have ever had. I was traveling all day and had a red eye flight and got in to the hostel at 3:30 am on the 18th so I booked the 17th so when we arrived on the 18th we could check in and get some rest. I even emailed the hotel to let them know we would be arriving at 3:30am on the 18th but booked the day before as well so we wouldn't have to wait until the 3pm check in. Here I am at 6:30am and they refuse to give me a room so I have nowhere to sleep. Worst travel experience. Worst hostel. I hate to complain but after no sleep and preparing well ahead of time to be left with out a room, I am not happy.

Superb facilities and very helpful staff. Only downside (for some people), it is not located in the most touristic area and the area around can be perceived as a bit rough. I however loved the location. 5 mins from the bus terminal. 5 minutes to a big supermarket. Very good pizza place just next door. 1 min from a very good bakery.

Room was comfortable and the kitchen was okay for cooking basic meals. It was quite far out of the centre of town but close to the bus station and the bus to vina Del mar. Staff were rude and charged us more than we should have been charged as they added on a tax that was not applicable to us and then said they were unable to refund us. We specifically asked about payment methods to make sure we were not charged extra and were told if we paid on card we would not be charged this tax, we were then told that paying on card was the reason we could not receive a refund. Staff were rude and unhelpful throughout our stay.

The place is pretty nice, very well located and close to the bus station, supermarkets, drugstores, metro and bus stops - in case you need to go further than the main area. It has nice restaurant with delicious food for a good price. Room was clean, spacious and lit, furniture was new, but acoustics is not that good since you can hear what people say next door and it bothers a bit if you need a rest. Staff is amazingly kind and helpful.. all of them!