Check Out These Hostels In
Playa Del Carmen
Traveling on a budget?
Wanting to network?
Just looking for a cool place to hang out?
Playa Del Carmen hostels offer a lot more than you might think.
I lived in hostels for the first two months I was here in Playa. Slept in them, drank at them, ate at them, even did business in them. Made a TON of friends. Some of whom I’m staying friends with and will definitely visit when I go to their countries.
Point is, the hostels here are great for more than just cheap places to stay. Way more. And they are not just for backpacking college students. I’ve met doctors, marketers, entrepreneurs, models, actors, copy editors, retirees and even an Irishman in hostels. There is really no downside to hanging out at a hostel. And if you don’t like one hostel, it’s super easy to check out of that one, walk a couple blocks, and check into a new one in twenty minutes or less.
Some of the main benefits of hanging out in hostels can be:
Sleep Cheap
- From 100 MXN ($5 US) per night for a simple, clean place to sleep (shared room) and keep your stuff (plus free breakfast), to 600 – 1,000 MXN ($30 – $60) for a private room in a fancier hostel (prices will depend on the season.)
Immerse yourself in Playa Del Carmen
- Get involved in cool things to do in the area
- Many hostels have weekly events, activities and excursions. It could be a barbecue, a ride to a great beach, play games, or a karaoke night. This is a great way to meet your fellow hostel guests, learn how to get around, get to know the area, or, if it’s Mojito Lesson Night, get good and sloshed.
Add to your FB friends
- Make friends and network
- New buddies, traveling companions, business contacts, and lovers can all be found very quickly in the extra-social environment of a hostel. People who stay in hostels are usually very open. It’s typical for someone to walk up to you and directly start a conversation like, “Hi, I am Serhad, I am from Svitzeland, but my family bloodline is Kurdish (down with the Turks!). What is your name?”
Drink Cheap
- Many hostels have a bar area where you can get two beers for 50 MXN (less than $2.50 US) or a shot of rum, tequila, vodka etc. with the juice mix of your choice for 30 MXN. This is half to one-quarter of what you’ll pay in most restaurants and bars in the area.
- Have a LOT more fun than if you stay at a hotel where you are kept more or less separate from the other guests.
Actually, you can get many of these benefits from hostels without actually staying at them. Just go and hang out for dinner and a drink, and listen to the live music. I know a couple who are in their 70s who have done this. They loved it.
So, from my experience, here are just a few of the hostels in the area that I can recommend.
Sayab Hostel
Insta: @sayabhostel
Calle 6 entre Av. 15 y 20.
This one is first because I lived there for two months. No other hostels appealed to me as much as this one, mainly because I liked the people here, and also the main hangout area around the pool is very chill. Great, laid back atmosphere.
Depending on the time of year, a night here will cost between 200 MXN for a bed in the spacious 18-bed room, where I stayed, to about 650 MXN for a private room. If you stay more than a month, talk to Tito, the owner, for a discount.
Free breakfast.
@goodvibesdiving operate inside the hostel. Run by Facundo and Luca. They can take you to any scuba diving site in the area, from Cozumel to the local cenotes (underground caves).
The pool is the centerpiece of the courtyard.
People generally hang out there.
The bar has wooden swings you can sit on while you’re waiting for your drink. Beer is 50 MXN for two.
They cook dinner four days of the week. As per usual with hostels, you get free use of the kitchen as well.
Parties happen frequently here. Much music and dancing Argentinian-style, as many of the guests and most of the staff tend to be Argentinian.
The Yak
Insta: @theyakhostel
Calle 10 Norte Bis entre Av. 10 y 15
This place is fun. Artistic atmosphere. Look closely and you’ll see that a lot of thought has gone into every detail.
The atmosphere during the day is quiet, isolated from the outside world, relaxed. Hang in the hammocks, chat on the chairs, cook in one of the two well-furnished kitchens, or go to the roof and look down over the city while you eat or work on your computer.
Beer and shots are 30 MXN each.
They arrange daily activities for guests. Dinners, game nights, live music, karaoke, and excursions to cenotes and beaches are on the agenda every week. Wednesday nights are Mojito Lesson night. For 100 MXN you get a lesson on making mojitos, plus all the mojitos you can make and drink. Always a hit.
Nightly prices are between 300 – 700 pesos per night, shared dorm or private room.
Che Hostel
Insta: @hostelcheplaya
Calle 6 entre Av. 15 y 20.
Che, across the street from Sayab, is for rooftop parties. Rather than having a courtyard like the ones above, Che Hostel is a tall, narrow building, with the rooms stacked on top of each other. At the very top is the hangout with the bar, cooking area for when they put on dinners, and a small pool that sits near the edge of the wall and looks down over Playa. You can see the beach from here, just a few blocks away.
Selina
Calle 2 esquina con la Quinta Avenida
Selina is more upscale. It’s a chain hostel with locations in 18 countries. The Playa del Carmen branch is located right in the head of downtown near 5th Ave. When you enter through the narrow entryway from the street, the first thing you see is the bar area, which takes up a third of the main courtyard. It’s covered by a palapa-style grass roof, and hung with decorative lights. It looks fantastic at night.
Next to the bar is a spacious area where they host events and live music. The pool is through the arch on the other side of the bar.
They offer a yoga deck, and even a very nice-looking shared workspace called CoWork. Perfect for traveling entrepreneurs and digital nomads.
Beds are from about $7.60 USD per night for a bunk in a 10-person room to $60+ for a “deluxe plus” private room.
3B
Insta: @hostel3b_soslounge
Calle 1 esquina con Av. 10
Hostel 3B, on the corner of Calle 1 sur and 10 Av. Very popular for their parties. A lot of international DJs have performed here (a list of them is published on their website). They have one of the coolest rooftop lounges in the area, and twice a month they have their “Usual Sundays” party on the SOS rooftop lounge. The place can fill with over 500 human beings at once during those, it’s said.
And, after 9:30 pm, they only play Underground Electronic. “No Pop, Commercial, or Reggaeton allowed,” to quote their website.
They have all the typical amenities of a hostel (shared kitchen, safe deposit box, free wifi etc.) along with games, and bicycle rental.
Prices start at around 233 MXN for a bunk in a shared dorm and go up to $40+ USD for a private room, depending on the season.
Go here if you want to party.
That’s just a short list of a few of the most popular hostels in the area.
There are a LOT more. But you can see from these examples, hostels have a lot to offer for almost everybody.
