Wabi Hostel

Good location, great value, breakfast included

Had to walk in the rain to the bathroom

The Wabi hostel is a basic hostel in the centre of Playa del Carmen. It is a cheap option for backpackers with a nice terrace.

Great location, clean, nice swimming pool, hammocks and space to hang out. Cleaning staff also seen sweeping or cleaning property. Staff were kind and helpful to me with medical advice. Coffee shop with amazing frappe and nice sandwich on site. Restaurant too but I didn’t try it so can’t review.

Check in and check out very slow. Dorm room had air conditioner set at a high temp. The room was too warm for me to sleep. I upgraded to a private room and it was perfect.

I liked that this hostel has a great location, it is close to everything and you can pretty much walk anywhere you want. It has a big patio where you can spend time when you stay at the hostel and there are some nice and big rooms.

Before booking my stay, I did a lot of research and was a bit negatively surprised by my stay. Please note that I booked my stay through booking.com and when we arrived at the hostel, we were asked to pay the full amount there. The hostel, even if it uses booking for the reservation, will not charge you for the saved payment method, but will ask you to pay by cash or card. If you decide to pay by card, they will add a 5% transaction fee. I found this very unfair, because when I asked if it was possible to pay through booking.com, they said it was not possible to do so and that the only options were to pay by cash (which I did not have) or by credit card, otherwise they would not allow us to stay. Another tip for future travellers is that if you plan to sleep over, this is probably not the right place for you! This hostel is located in the heart of Playa and there is a lot of noise. On our first night we had a bit of trouble, we were given the first room near the front door and the front desk and in addition to the music from outside (you can hear everything inside the rooms), there were people yelling on the roof, hallway and front desk at least until 1:30 a.m. which was when I managed to fall asleep. When I tried to complain, I did not feel supported as it was explained to me that there is no quiet time in the hostel and that the noise usually stops at 3-4 am. That night I decided to contact booking.com, who was kind enough to contact the hostel on my behalf. I was offered a full refund or the option of changing rooms. Since it was my first night, we decided to give it another try and change room. The new room was nice even if the AC didn't work and It was extremely hot inside. Please note that there is only one person who speaks English. When I tried to explain my concerns, he was not supportive at all and for most of my stay I could tell he was definitely upset about what had happened. On the other hand, the lady who speaks only Spanish was really kind.