Best Hostels in Cancun & Playa Del Carmen
In this blog you will find my experience staying in the top rated hostels in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. All of the hostels offer beds for as low as 10 USD a night . After doing some research I found these places to have the best reviews on Hostelworld, Booking.com, and Pinterest. The main things I was looking for was the location, wifi connection, cleanliness, and safety for solo travelers. None of these stays were sponsored and they are solely based on my experience.
Cancun
Selina Cancun Laguna Hotel Zone
During my time in Cancun I stayed in one hostel it was Selina. Selina is a chain of hostels with locations all across the world. Selina is a well known coliving spaces offering office space for rent, yoga, and usually surfing. For more on what to expect at a coliving/hostel check out this post.
This Selina had many advantages beyond the price. The first one was the location it was in the hotel zone of Cancun and only 10 minute walk from the public beach. The other advantages were the fast wifi, and a huge pool with a water view. I found this hostel to charming and have tons of space.
The only cons of this hostel were: the bar and restaurant were temporarily closed, the shared kitchen could have been cleaner, and the beds did not have a curtain. Overall, I would rate this hostel 8 out of 10. However, given the recent pandemic, Cancun is the most closed down city in all of Quintana Roo. Therefore, I found Cancun as a whole to be a little boring since almost all things were closed.
Playa Del Carmen
Playa Del Carmen is about 40 mins from Cancun and can easily be traveled to by ADO bus. In Playa Del Carmen I stayed in two different hostels, however checked out quite a few in the area. Be careful of the reviews of hostels in this area as many did not living up to the pictures.
So upon arriving my first night in Playa Del Carmen I stayed at the Selina yet again. There were quite a few differences in this location than the one in Cancun. The main difference was the size of the pool as it was kind of small. There were also fewer areas to chill in the hostel and quite a walk from 5th avenue the main street in Playa Del Carmen.
There were two main things I liked about this Selina. The first one was most of the rooms had a balcony. The other one was the fast wifi and was only a 3-minute walk from the public beach.
However, this hostel bathrooms were not very big and there was only about 8 hours a day you could use the air conditioning. Limits on the use of the air conditioning is something to look out for when traveling throughout Mexico as this is very common. Due to the strict rules with the air, this made for a night of sweating. Overall I would rate this hostel for a 7 out of 10. It is great for people looking to work and don’t mind the air restrictions.
The other hostel I decided to stay in was Hostel 3B. This hostel is known for its outrage Sunday parties, house music DJ’s it brings in, and its rooftop pool. Given the pandemic restrictions, I did not get to experience any of this.
There were two main things I liked about this hostel. The first one being the warm showers. In Mexico, this can be hard to find so it was great to have a good shower. The other thing I really liked was the rooftop pool and the location being so close to the bus station. This place is perfect if you are catching an early bus or looking to stay in more of a central.
The only cons of this hostel are that the beds did not have curtains and the overall size of the hostel was a bit small. In conclusion, I would rate this hostel a 7 out of 10. Given its party reputation, I would not recommend this hostel to anyone looking to get serious work done as it lacks workspaces and quiet hours.
As you can see there are quite a few options for backpackers looking to spend under 10 USD a night. The best recommendation I can give to anyone looking to spend some time in the ether of these locations is only booking a 2 nights max at any hostel before arriving. This will give you the chance to ensure you like the location and allow you to check out multi places.
Lastly, if you are traveling with a group of two or more look into Airbnb. In both Cancun and Playa Del Carmen you can find private apartments for as low as 25 USD a night. Always remember to travel safely and embrace the hostel experience.
“Put down the map and get wonderfully lost.”
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For more on my travels throughout Mexico check out these guides:
-xoxo Mickelle
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