Arts Factory by Nomads

We stayed here with our friends in a 10-bed dormitory for one night. The hostel is huge and well-decorated with various areas to relax, including hammocks, couches and lots of dining tables. The staff members were nice and the overall vibe was very chill. The dorm had a tin roof and no sound-proofing. The beds were dusty and the pillows flat and badly stained. The lockers were also made of rusty metal with creaky hinges, so definitely bring eye masks and ear plugs if you want some quality sleep. The kitchen was absolutely disgusting with dirty dishes everywhere, no dishwashing liquid and overflowing rubbish bins. On the bright side, the showers were pleasantly clean. The parking lot is huge as well so parking was no an issue. As some others have mentioned, it can be a fair walk into town especially with the summer heat.

We stayed here with our friends in a 10-bed dormitory for one night. The hostel is huge and well-decorated with various areas to relax, including hammocks, couches and lots of dining tables. The staff members were nice and the overall vibe was very chill. The dorm had a tin roof and no sound-proofing. The beds were dusty and the pillows flat and badly stained. The lockers were also made of rusty metal with creaky hinges, so definitely bring eye masks and ear plugs if you want some quality sleep. The kitchen was absolutely disgusting with dirty dishes everywhere, no dishwashing liquid and overflowing rubbish bins. On the bright side, the showers were pleasantly clean. The parking lot is huge as well so parking was no an issue. As some others have mentioned, it can be a fair walk into town especially with the summer heat.

Let’s start with the good stuff: The community is pretty incredible. People from every country, every walk of life could be found, and can come together to bond. It’s a very welcoming place where socializing is at the forefront. Customer service from the staff was good, easy check-ins, check-outs, and I saw the manager interacting with a few guests and it was always very pleasant. The amenities of having a pool and volleyball court, outdoor and indoor seating, decent WiFi, chargers in the social areas, and hammocks were a nice touch. I’d come to hangout, but I wouldn’t spend money and stay the night here again… Now for the not-so-great stuff. Cleanliness 2/10 unfortunately very poor maintenance. It all feels broken down, abused, and grimy. I think there’s a general lack of respect because of how gross things are, that nobody bothers to be the Good Samaritan if everyone else is gross. This goes for the bathrooms, the kitchens, common areas for dining, the pool, and of course the dorm rooms themselves. It’s over-priced for how dirty you feel while staying here. I’d probably prefer to stay in my own pitched tent over the dorm rooms, in the dry season. It is quite a ways away from town, around a 15-20 minute walk doesn’t seem like much but without shade, in direct sun and humid heat during the summer, it’s rough. Especially if you’re backpacking, plan to take an uber or taxi from the bus stop. I wish they offered a bus to/from town like the other hostels in the area do. Bring a bike AND A LOCK if you don’t have a car/ van for transport. Randoms are fine, but it does feel a bit odd that anyone from anywhere can come and go, without having a room reserved. I bet many people take advantage of that, which probably adds to how unclean it feels. I didn’t have any bad interactions, but many people are using some form of *medication* so limit your expectations on community behavior. The rooms do not have AC, and I found it to be pretty hard to sleep in with only a ceiling fan and a floor fan while it was so hot and humid at night. Again, the general lack of accountability leads to very dirty rooms. If this place was cleaned from top to bottom, sterilized of grime and given some real TLC, it has the potential to be a much better space. Either more volunteers, more cleaning staff, or more strict security needs to come into play if the prices are to remain what they are. I hope to come back and have a better experience, for now it just has memories of some good people ❤️