Hostel La Ballena Backpacker

Hostel La Ballena Backpacker Hostel in Las Galeras

About this hostel

Nestled in Las Galeras, this lovely hostel for £72 per night is a great choice for your next break. Situated in Las Galeras, within 700 metres of Las Galeras Beach and 1.2 km of La Playita Beach, Hostel La Ballena Backpacker offers accommodation with free WiFi throughout the property.

Amenities

Air conditioner

Kitchen / Kitchenette

Internet / Wifi

Smoking allowed

Laundry

Balcony / Patio

Wheelchair accessible

Map of Las Galeras

Nearby attractions

Hostel La Ballena Backpacker

3.9

Good(346 Reviews)

Hostel in Las Galeras

Reasons to book

Free cancellationFull refund if you change your mind

Includes essentialsKitchen / Kitchenette, Air conditioner, Internet / Wifi and more

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££££

About this hostel

Amenities

Air conditioner

Kitchen / Kitchenette

Internet / Wifi

Smoking allowed

Laundry

Balcony / Patio

Wheelchair accessible

Map of Las Galeras

Nearby attractions

Reviews

3.9/5.0

Good(346 Reviews)

100% verified reviews

5.0

Mar 2024

Schlafen ist dort nur bedingt möglich und leider sehr abhängig von dem Verhalten der anderen Gäste.

Die Lage ist gut jedoch sehr laut weil sich das Hostel direkt an der Hauptstraße befindet. Die Zimmer waren einfach ausgestattet aber sauber und zu unserer Überraschung hatten wir dort eine Dusche mit heißem Wasser und super Wasserdruck, was im Land sehr selten ist.

Unser Zimmer war nach oben mit einer Holzdecke versehen die gleichfalls als Schlafsaal der Gemeinschaftsbetten genutzt wird. Man hört jeden Schritt und alles was dort runterfällt oder bewegt wird. Es ist unmöglich nachts zur Ruhe zu kommen weil ständig Lärm ist. Dazu kommt noch der Lärm von der Straße. Die Gemeinschaftsküche war sehr schmutzig, deshalb haben wir es vorgezogen außerhalb zu Essen und das angebotene Frühstück (gegen 6 Dollar Aufpreis pro Person und Nacht) nicht zu nutzen.

10.0

Mar 2024

Fantastic!

Es comodo y limpio, cerca de todo

9.0

Mar 2024

Muy agradable la estancia , el ambiente muy familiar y la zona tranquila

Me gusto el ambiente del hostel , la cercania a la playa , tienen cocina y al costado hay una tienda donde comprar lo que necesitas , el personal que me atendió muy amable y me dieron mucha información sobre la zona . Recomiendo ir hacia la playita puede ser caminando o en moto , una de las mejores playas que he conocido .

10.0

Feb 2024

Good option for the private room in Las Galeras :)

Great location in the center of Las Galeras, cosy rooms and really good value for money :)

4.0

Jan 2024

No me gustó, no pude dormir bien ninguno de los dos días que estuve

Ubicación

La habitación compartida no tiene divisiones y da justo al comedor, no se puede descansar ni dormir, siempre hay ruido de las personas hasta tarde y desde muy temprano. A parte me tocó una cama al final que el espacio es muy pequeño que ni te puedes sentar en la cama

4.0

Oct 2023

We hadden liever iets anders geboekt maar er was verder niets beschikbaar

De airconditioning werkt goed en het matras is fijn.

De straat voor de accomodatie lag er compleet uit, dat maakte het erg lawaaierig en super stoffig overal. We hadden ook een scooter gehuurd via een kennis van de hosteleigenaar maar dit was echt een grote aanfluiting. De scooter viel na 30’minuten rijden uit elkaar, het was een ontzettend oude scooter die niet op gang kwam. Het heeft ons (helaas) een halve dag gekost om er met de verhuurder uit te komen. Daarna zaten we zonder vervoer. We hebben onze borg niet terug gekregen, erg slecht dat het personeel daar niet aan denkt en ook niks om geeft. Maar er werken vrijwilligers, misschien is dat de reden. We hebben zelfs nog een nacht verlengd omdat we door het drama met de scooter niet alle tours konden doen die we wilden doen. Er is geen korting aangeboden voor de extra laatste nacht. De waterdruk van de douche in de privekamers is erg slecht, heb maar 1 keer mijn haren kunnen wassen. Er zit geen raam in de prive kamers en dat merk/ruik je. Wanneer je gebruik wilt maken van het keukentje in het hostel dan moet je via de ingang naar buiten de accomodatie en via een extra zijdeur met de trap omhoog. Dit is erg omslachtig en de poort die naar boven leidt zat vaak op slot. Ook ‘s ochtends. Achteraf nog met de hostel eigenaar via de chat gepraat maar er is geen oplossing geboden.

5.0

May 2023

Expensive for what you get

The people are friendly and kind. Its a small but nice hostel, the decoration makes it nicer and the people around.

The kitchen does not have the necessary items for cooking, pan and pots area old as well as the forks, knives,etc. There is not microwave or blender and in general the kitchen is too small; the fridge is packed with someone's food and no space for people to put their food. The room is really hot with no much natural light. It think is too expensive for what you get. Drinkablewater isnot provided which mean buying plastic bottles often = no ecofriendly as it is mentioned around

2.0

May 2023

Rude staff, poor facility

There was nothing that I liked.

The staff seemed disappointed that I came only for a single night, as if they have to change sheets after me for nothing. What a welcome. Additionally, all the lockers in the dorm were full, the toilet was literally next to my bed, there was no where to hang and dry clothes either.

7.0

Apr 2023

Great staff, beach, isolated area.

Hostel is on a dirt road, 15 minutes walk to the beach.

Location is a ways from the beach on a road under construction, between motorcycles, cars and tractors, as well as deep holes in the road, it is somewhat hazardous. The hostel has amenities on 2nd floor which has limited accessibility on a rickety staircase. Staff is very good, room is basic but clean. Shower has no curtains. I had the whole first floor to myself as it’s 500 extra pesos per night for AC.

1.0

Mar 2023

Matress with urine smell, toilet not working , I paid for private room and bathroom

the kitchen area was nice

very disappointed with the management of the situation that my toilet was not working , I paid a private double room with bathroom , but eventually I had to use the shared bathroom. then they transfer me to other room with a toilet that was working, but this room did not have window , there was a smell to humidity inside, but the WORST was that I sleep in a mattress that had URINE SMELL, that is totally unaceptable, but they do not care at all, when I woke up my pijamas was with the urine smell from the mattress ,I told them in the next morning but they did nothing

7.0

Feb 2023

good enough not the best, has aircon

I stayed in the private room downstairs it was clean enough and has air conditioning I liked that, there wifi was okay

one of the stuff wasn’t that friendly and I asked to use the kitchen she said it’s only for people stay upstairs! (I’m part of the hostel!) anyway to be fair the other stuff was helpful and she helped me to pay with card, gave me some recommendations where to eat:)

6.0

Feb 2023

Pleasant

rare to find a backpackers hostel in the DR, and I enjoyed this place although the facility was a bit lacking and as usual in hostels the kitchen was well used and abused. friendly place though of course!

6.0

Feb 2023

Has everything you need, but it's noisy.

I liked the fresh air at night, woke up really good every morning. The hostel was clean and has everything you need. I really liked the outside area, it was a nice place to escape the noise and just read or write and look at the trees.

I didn't like all the noise coming from the street, the parties, the roosters and dogs. So if you come here and sleep in the dorms, don't forget your earplugs and sleeping mask, you will need them! Also the host was rude to me and my friend because we didn't spoke Spanish, even though I was trying to... This made me feel unwelcome there.

10.0

Jan 2023

Nice hostel!

Nice hostel, friendly and helpful staff. Great place to meet people. Right in town, a few minutes from the beach. Lots of restaurants and shops around, yet quiet at night to rest. Hot water, good water pressure, good internet and nice kitchen and common areas. I got a very nice room with view to the mountains, no mosquitos, the room wasn't hot and the fan works amazing, also mosquito nets available in case you need them.

9.0

Jan 2023

Its a good place for the value and for the vibe

we like Hostel La Ballena because it has very friendly vibe. We appreciate the convenience of a kitchen and nearby grocery stores . It is all in good distance to the beach . Private rooms have good bed, nice decorations on the walls

Unfortunately the street that the hostel is located on, is pretty busy, little noisy. There is also disco club nearby , so there is a lot of noise on the weekends . Pack your ear plugs, we will definitely bring ours , next time around !

4.0

Jan 2023

Dissapointing. More efforts needed.

The location is great, the staff was kind. The view from the balcony was nice.

Overall quite dissapointing. Dorms were uncomfortable, too much noise, no proper isolation. Hygiene issues, could be useful to get it sprayed against bedbugs. The hostel offers just about very basics, no efforts made into increasing satisfaction. The shower was not even a properly installed shower, and it was cold. Quite expensive for what is offered.

8.0

Oct 2022

A very cool hostel.

Beautifully decorated.

We didn’t have a fan in the room.

9.0

Sep 2022

Superb

We stayed at the hostel three nights. This is a very good price for the value. The room was nice and clean. The bed had a mosquito net which was very helpful as many mosquitoes sneaked into the room through the cracks above the door and windows. The private bathroom was also very clean but is not completely a separate room (there is no door at the entrance). There was a functioning fan and the internet also worked well. The hostel also offers laundry service for a 300 DR pesos fee. We took this opportunity to get our clothes washed and were very happy with the service. There is a small but clean common kitchen with a fridge where you can prepare some simple meals. There is also a nice common room next to it. The location of the hostel is great (walking distance to Playa Playita, Playa Las Galeras, Boca Chica). The guagua from Las Terrenas can drop you directly next to the hostel, you just need to ask the driver in time to stop the van. One minute walk away is also where the 5.30am direct bus to Santo Domingo stops. Below the hostel is a small (but quite expensive) shop, a lady selling local produce and a very nice and affordable restaurant (see Casa Rino's on Google Maps). During our stay, the hostel was very quiet and everyone respected the rule of no kitchen usage after 11pm. There was some bachata music coming from the restaurants/bars nearby, however, the hostel has nothing to do with it. If you need a very quiet accomodation you should look more on the outskirts of Las Galeras.

10.0

Aug 2022

Exceptional

Very nice hostel, super nice staff.

8.0

Aug 2022

very cute hostel, better than we expected when we first saw the entrance ! workers were nice and could help with whateve

good locations, cute decorations , kitchen functio able and had everything we needed. bed had a mosquito net which was very good because they are everywhere.

very noisy even after 11 pm (noice coming from the hostel lot the locals)

8.0

May 2022

Very good

The location is good. The room was clean and nice. You can use the kitchen. Its a save place. The volunteers were nice too. A good place to visit different beaches. Shops are close the hostel. Mosquitonet is provided. Good place to stay 1 up to a few days.

Its a loud place. Its not backpacker style when you were forced to give you cloths to the washing service for 300 peso. They say its strictly forbiden to wash your cloths by yourself using the bathroom facility. Also an in advance payable damage-deposit is oldfashioned and let you feel like an potential risk factor. Its a bit questionable that they let western backpackers work for free (in exchange for a dorm bed) while this work could be given to locals who need a job.

6.0

Apr 2022

Pleasant

Good value for money. Short walk to Las Galeras beach and the (limited) local amenities. People were friendly and the room was comfortable.

It was quite loud, both from the street and from socialising at the hostel so may not be ideal for quieter people! Bathroom and kitchen appliances were questionable - e.g. the shower head holder was broken, there was no kettle of any kind, few pans and no potable water bottle/dispenser.

9.0

Apr 2022

Superb

everything was good .

The mattress were not too comfortable

8.0

Mar 2022

Very good

a nice place and easy to socialize with other travellers. Close proximity to the beach and main attractions

the new receptionist from Sicily eith basic English causing confusion. I originally booked double room and finally got dorm bed with other five people in the room. There is locker for five person only so there is no place to keep belongings safe. room overcrowded. The male only room shared with ladies as hostel overbooked. Quite noisy place in the night

6.0

Mar 2022

Pleasant

Friendly and helpful staff. There is a nice kitchen and dining room.

Not very clean. Mosquito nets are broken and the location is very loud, direct next to the street and some bars.

FAQs

How much does this hostel cost compared to others in Las Galeras?

The average price for a rental in Las Galeras is £72 per night. This rental is £0 less expensive than the average.

Is parking included with this hostel?

Parking is not specified as an available amenity at Hostel La Ballena Backpacker. For more information, we encourage you to contact the property about where to park.

Is there a pool at this hostel?

We didn’t find pool listed as an amenity for this hostel. It may be worth double checking if a pool is important for your stay.

Is Hostel La Ballena Backpacker pet friendly?

Unfortunately, this hostel is not pet-friendly. Try searching again and filter for "Pets Allowed"

What amenities are available at Hostel La Ballena Backpacker?

We found 8 amenities for this rental. This includes air conditioner, kitchen / kitchenette, internet / wifi, smoking allowed, and laundry.

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Hostel La Ballena Backpacker

About this hostel

Amenities

Map of Las Galeras

Nearby attractions

Hostel La Ballena Backpacker

Hostel in Las Galeras

Reasons to book

About this hostel

Amenities

Map of Las Galeras

Nearby attractions

Reviews

FAQs

How much does this hostel cost compared to others in Las Galeras?

Is parking included with this hostel?

Is there a pool at this hostel?

Is Hostel La Ballena Backpacker pet friendly?

What amenities are available at Hostel La Ballena Backpacker?

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