2.5 Weeks At Viajero Hostel In Quito: Honest Review (2024)

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VIAJERO HOSTEL QUITO REVIEW: IS THIS HOSTEL WORTH IT!?

Are you heading to Quito and wondering if the Viajero Hostel is worth it!? In October 2024, Dylan and I stayed at Viajero Hostel for two and a half weeks and can provide our first impressions and honest opinions. After two and a half weeks, we feel we know this hostel like the back of our hand!

Drone footage of the Viajero Hostel in Quito! This blog post goes over my review of the hostel.

Viajero Hostel In Quito Review: An Overview

Before I get too ahead of myself, let me answer by saying YES, Viajero Hostel in Quito is worth booking! Dylan and I are both budget travelers, and Viajero had some of the best reviews and prices on the Hostelworld app! At first, we felt it was risky to book a hostel for our entire time in Quito because they are a hit-or-miss sometimes. However, I can assure you that if you book at Viajero, you won’t be disappointed.

Balcony View from Viajero Hostel in Quito

My Personal Viajero Hostel In Quito Review

The first thing I’ll say about Viajero Hostel in Quito is that it was probably one of the nicest hostels I’ve stayed at, and being a budget backpack traveler, that’s saying a lot. It’s in a prime location, is extremely clean, the staff is fantastic, the atmosphere is on-point, and even in a six-person dorm, you feel a sense of privacy. Let’s dive more into some of the details!

Location (10/10)

Let’s start strong with location. If you’re visiting Quito for the first time, you’ll probably want to book something near the Historic Center, and Viajero Hostel couldn’t be closer! You can find the Plaza Grande, La Ronda, and the Santa Domingo Church a few blocks from the hostel. It’s within walking distance from all the best attractions, and you can access the metro easily!

Dylan and I in front of the Basilica del Voto Nacional

Things To Do Nearby

Viajero Hostel is in a great location because you’re within walking distance of many great attractions. Some of the things that you can do nearby while staying at the hostel are:

Hostel Location Rating: 10/10

The Viajero Hostel in Quito has such a great atmosphere, I'd review it as a 10/10!

Atmosphere (10/10)

Next up, let’s talk about the Hostel’s atmosphere. It’s important to note that when Dylan and I visited, tourism was down in the country by 60% because of the power cuts and the political situation. That being said, the hostel wasn’t full of travelers. However, we still met other backpackers, socialized with the staff, and utilized the social areas.

Indoor bar social area at Viajero Hostel Quito!

Social Areas

One of the things we loved most about Viajero is that the social areas were comfortable, spacious, open, and had tons of fun entertainment. There was also a ton of different spaces to hang out in! When you walk in, there’s a seated area in the lobby next to the reception with a ton of information regarding transportation, tours, and more.

In the hostel’s bar area, there’s a ton of comfortable seating on coaches, a table, and at the bar. There’s also a ping pong table, billiards table, foosball table, cards, and table games to enjoy. Dylan and I took advantage of the ping pong and UNO jenga games when it was rainy or the power was out!

There are also a few outdoor seating areas to enjoy. Outside the bar area, there’s an open terrace with picnic tables, a fire pit, and even a treehouse! Before you descend the stairs towards the bar, there’s an open rooftop area with chairs and umbrellas. This hostel did not disappoint with social areas.

Dylan working on his computer at Viajero Hostel

Coworking Areas

For coworking spaces, the indoor bar area, outdoor terrace, and hallway desks worked well for us. During the day, the bar area had a relaxing vibe with music and great lighting. If it ever got too loud, we put our headphones in, but overall, it was a great space to work.

We also worked outside a few times on the picnic tables and the rooftop terrace. I did have trouble accessing WiFi from the treehouse, but everywhere else in the hostel connected to it well enough. There is also seating at the restaurant in the hostel, and we did some work there a few times!

Picture of Dylan, me, and our friend Nati from Viajero Hostel!

Staff

Even if the atmosphere is perfect in a hostel, hotel, or Airbnb, part of the experience depends on the staff. Truthfully, the staff at this hostel was one of the things that made our time here so special. Since the hostel was mostly vacant, we got close with the bartender, manager, and even one of the receptionists! We were invited to the receptionist’s hometown to learn about local traditions in Latacunga and to try guinea pig for the first time!

Overall, the staff at Viajero were friendly and welcoming. They were helpful when we asked for food recommendations, directions, and more. They even offered Dylan a free breakfast in exchange for him to host a yoga session!

Hostel Atmosphere Rating: 10/10

Viajero Hostel in Quito has comfortable beds even in the dorm! I cover the entire hostels review in this blog post.

Accommodations (9/10)

Next, let’s get over the actual accommodation experience! Dylan and I booked a six-person mixed dorm because we’re budget travelers and tried to get by on less. The hostel does offer private rooms as well. Despite being in a shared dorm, we had a fantastic experience for our first hostel in South America and felt a bit spoiled!

Comfort

To begin, the twin beds were extremely comfortable. Each night, I slept like a baby! The hostel built the bunk beds with outer wooding that included shelving, an enclosed cabinet, charging ports, and two forms of interior lighting. Hanging out in the bunk watching Netflix after a long day of exploring Quito was the perfect way to end my day!

Assigned lockers at Viajero in our dorm!
Assigned lockers in the 6-bed mixed dorm room

Privacy

On top of the built-out bunk bed framing, the bunks also had pulley curtains you could use to give yourself more privacy. It was a great addition to the dorm room, especially when we wanted to head to bed before other bunk-mates! The curtains made it a more comfortable and private environment.

The six-person dorm room had a shared bathroom with two showers in a separate room. Sharing a bathroom with six other people takes some privacy away but that goes for any shared room accommodation. Plus, there were other bathrooms you could use throughout the hostel if needed.

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Our shared bathroom at Viajero Hostel in Quito in the six person dorm room!

Cleanliness

Overall, the hostel was spotless. The maids came to clean the dorms every day and changed the bedding at least once a week. The social areas, lobby, and bathrooms were well-kept and always stocked with toilet paper. Compared to other hostels I’ve stayed at in Ecuador, Viajero was very clean.

Hostel Accommodation Rating: 9/10

Services & Amenities (10/10)

The hostel included services and amenities that made traveling more convenient, including laundry services, free WiFi, free walking tours, and other day trip options you could book at the front desk. Let’s go over each of them:

Dylan doing work on his computer on the outdoor terrace at Viajero Hostel in Quito!

WiFi

Like many hostels, Viajero offered free WiFi throughout the building. We never encountered any problems with the WiFi other than it not reaching the tree house. Despite the treehouse, it worked well for us in the dorms, the social areas, and the lobby. There are no complaints here coming from digital nomads!

Laundry

To do a load of laundry, you can bring your clothes to the front desk and fill out a form. You can either account for each clothing item you’ll be washing to ensure nothing will be lost or check a box to forgo counting your items and holding Viajero liable. The receptionists then weigh your laundry because it must be 4 kilos or more to do a load. If you’re traveling solo, this requirement will be more challenging to fulfill, but if you wait until most of your clothes need washing, you should reach the 4 kilos.

After 4 kilos, it costs $2 per additional kilo. We did laundry three times at the hostel. The most we paid was $9 for our heaviest load. With the power cuts, we had to drop it off and pick it up twenty-four hours later. While you could probably go to a laundromat for cheaper, it was more convenient because we didn’t have to pay for detergent or wait for the load to finish, and they folded our clothing for us!

Dylan and I on our free walking tour around Quito!
Free Walking Tour

Tours & Activities

The hostel offered multiple tours, activities, and excursions for interested guests. Any day of the week, you could sign up for the Walking Tour to learn about Ecuador’s geography, history, language, and more. The tour also includes trying local candy and chocolate. It takes an hour and is worth experiencing!

They also offer day trips and tours you can sign up for at the front that go to Cotopaxi, Mitad Del Mundo, Mindo, Quilotoa, and more for a set price. On top of that, when available, they host fun events like bonfire nights, morning yoga sessions, beer pong and ping pong tournaments, and more!

Hostel Services & Amenities Rating: 10/10

Viajero Hostels breakfast in the morning!

Food & Drink (8/10)

Last but not least, let’s rate the food situation at the hostel. Viajero does not allow travelers to bring in outside food because there is a restaurant and bar on-site. The no-outside-food policy was one of the things we weren’t thrilled about booking at Viajero (it’s usually cheaper to make your own food than eat out). However, Quito’s restaurant prices were decent, so it wasn’t a big deal.

The restaurant had good food, though we found it to be overpriced. Breakfast cost $5 per person (though they did discount it frequently) and included toast, granola and yogurt, eggs, juice, fruit, and coffee. You could head across the street and find a similar breakfast for only $2, so we did that most mornings. However, we ate at the restaurant a few times when we wanted a snack or when working when it was the most convenient option.

The restaurant offered soups, salads, hamburgers, and other entrees. There were a few vegetarian options too (but few). They had unlimited coffee all day, though tea cost money after the morning. You will save money if you eat outside the hostel, but the food at the Viajero restaurant wasn’t bad either!

Hostel Food & Drink Rating: 8/10

Overview of Viajero Hostel in Quito!

Overall Rating: Viajero Hostel Quito Review (47/50)

Overall, I rate Viajero Hostel in Quito 47 out of 50 stars! It was the first hostel we booked in South America and was a great place to start our trip. We made friends with the staff, loved the coworking and social environments, and felt a high level of privacy in our shared dorm.

We also loved the cleanliness, free WiFi, free walking tour, and laundry services. The only thing that dropped our score a few points was the no-outside-food policy and higher on-site restaurant food prices. A sink within the toilet area would’ve upped our privacy score, but that’s a personal preference that didn’t affect us much.

Overall, we were so happy with our choice to book with Viajero Hostel and will book at their other locations in the future! I hope this Viajero Hostel in Quito Review helps you decide whether or not you want to stay here!

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