BajaNomad

Great Accommodation Find in Ensenada!!!

shari - 8-11-2015 at 08:21 AM

On my last trip to Ensenada I needed a place to stay as my daughter's new house wasnt ready yet. She just moved into a house near Playa Hermosa and ALL the hotels close by were full as there were a couple big events that weekend. Luckily one hotel owner told me about a new place down the street...it is called Hostel Todos Santos. Ordinarily I wouldnt stay in a Hostel but I was desperate.

Much to my delight this place was amazing!!! It is very very clean and bright and super secure. It is surrounded by a wall and you park inside it and ring a buzzer to get in the property. It is a big house and on the bottom floor are 3 big dorm rooms with bunk beds...one for guys, one for girls and a mixed dorm for families. $12 a night! Lots of bathrooms & showers for each dorm. And it's only a couple blocks from the beach.

Upstairs are all the private rooms which have their own balconies with sliding glass doors, great beds & bedding, and some have their own bathrooms too as well as a big closet, tv, fan... room prices range from $25-$35. Great views of the ocean from the balconies too with cooling ocean breezes.





It is a very quiet place and the owner makes sure it stays that way. The upstairs patio is fantastic and has tables and chairs and a lovely BBQ area for cooking too. We spent hours up there socializing with the other interesting guests from around the globe.


The communal areas are beautiful...the living room has interesting artwork, a big screen RTV for movies at night and nice leather couches for lounging on.




there are several areas you can socialize in...a dining room area too. the kitchen is well stocked and even has a cappuccino machine! Lots of fridge space for your food/beer/wine etc. It really felt like home. they even have 2 new massage chairs and plan to have pedicures there too!!!:bounce:


They also have weekly and a monthly rate for a nice private room of $428!! I hate to publicize this place as it will then be full when I need a room but it really is a fantastic place. It is new and the owner has some great ideas and is making it nicer...putting in some new rooms in a separate building and landscaping.

to find it...drive to the end of Playa hermosa..the one with the horses on it..where it ends and curves up to the main street...go through the stop light and turn left at the first street...Bahia Magdelena and its' on the left behind the big wall...sign painted on the wall. The owner is Mexican and a really nice guy who even offered to drive me to the bus depot! very congenial.

The email is todossantoshostel@gmail.com and they have a facebook page too phone # is 646-206-0468, cel: 646-190-8703
https://www.facebook.com/TodosSantosHostel?fref=ts

Please tell them Shari from Asuncion sent you as I told him I would put it here on Nomads!


[Edited on 8-11-2015 by shari]

David K - 8-11-2015 at 08:24 AM

Great find! Does the owner speak English for anyone needing that?

shari - 8-11-2015 at 08:29 AM

I spoke only spanish to him but he has a british fellow there helping out who does the schmoozing with English folks. There was a very nice mix of international guests who made it really interesting. It was so nice to have the option to either socialize or not...the rooms are nice to just hang out in like a hotel room and the wifi was excellent!!!

Directions

bajaguy - 8-11-2015 at 08:50 AM

"........to find it...drive to the end of Playa hermosa..the one with the horses on it..where it ends and curves up to the main street...go through the stop light and turn left at the first street...Bahia Magdelena and its' on the left behind the big wall...sign painted on the wall......."

For those that are directionally challenged:

1. Drive south through town on the Costero (Blvd Lazaro Card##as) past the Navy base.
2. At the end of the public beach, Lazaro Card##as dead ends at Calle Floresta.
3. Turn left (east) on Floresta.
4. The stoplight is at Floresta and Pedro Loyola
5. Bahia Magdalena is the first street on your left after you pass through the stoplight.......

dasubergeek - 8-11-2015 at 09:07 AM

And you're walking distance from El Pizón, on the corner of Pedro Loyola and Guaymas... yellowtail tiradito with sea urchin!

David K - 8-11-2015 at 09:12 AM

This should be close based on the directions?





Not sure how far north on Bahia Magdalena it is from Calle Floresta?

David

bajaguy - 8-11-2015 at 09:22 AM

Your map/arrows are correct

shari - 8-11-2015 at 09:46 AM

thanks for the maps DK and baja guy as usual for tidying up my messes..hahaha...I am certainly directionally challenged as you know.

I just read a review of the place on trip advisor and boy...a woman was rather not impressed with the owner but I found him to be quite the opposite...very very congenial, helpful and respectful...makes me wonder what the woman was like...maybe she didnt speak spanish? I thought the place was great for women! I felt very safe and cared for...and she mentioned some guys there who are obviously are not there now. The fellow he has on the desk now is fine.

BigBearRider - 8-11-2015 at 11:02 AM

Thanks. I will keep this in mind. Three of the last four weekends it's been very challenging finding a hotel room in Ensenada. All the hotels, including the crappy ones, were full. I assume it was the same the fourth weekend, but I wasn't there.

shari - 8-11-2015 at 01:55 PM

it is a great alternative to a hotel...cheaper and cleaner...like I said, I hardly EVER stay at a hostel but this one is more like a hotel...the bunk rooms are downstairs in the back and ya dont even see them and it's not like being in someones home either although it is a big house...goes to show ya ...ya cant judge a book by it's title! I would never have even gone into this place if I wasnt desperate and now it will be my new home away from home...if I can get a room that is!

I just remembered the staff there commenting on the client from hell story they told me...now I get it that this woman left such a crappy review on trip adviser...she deserves a spanking.

Bajahowodd - 8-11-2015 at 04:57 PM

A place with a wall around it reminds me of the infamous motor hotels.:biggrin:

Ateo - 8-11-2015 at 05:00 PM

I need to just move there now and retire. Can you tell I'm depressed? Looks like a sweet place.

Whale-ista - 8-11-2015 at 08:20 PM

Thanks for sharing Shari!

I checked their Facebook page, didn't see anything about pets - do you know if pets are allowed?

[Edited on 8-12-2015 by Whale-ista]

shari - 8-12-2015 at 07:24 AM

I dont think they take pets...as it would probably get out of hand with a bunch of barking dogs around and the owner has a big lab.....but having said that...there are always exceptions right? Maybe with a personal recommendation about your sweet lil buddy might work...let me know when you want to rent and I can call him.

Harvest - 1-15-2016 at 11:32 PM

I have registered on the website solely for the purpose of writing a review about this erm.... place.

I must say that I do travel frequently around the world and stay in various types of accomodations (hotels, hostels, airbnb, vrbo etc.) and this is an absolute WQRST place I have EVER stayed in, period.

Where do I start?
1) The place where the owner's assistant put us in is a frigging barn outside the main house (apparently, there's an additional block of rooms built outside the main building to accomodate growing demand??). It's cold (no heating whatsoever), dirty (the sheets had stains and hair) and stinky, no Wi-Fi or hot water to speak of (there was no hot water in the house either, but the wi-fi signal was present at least). Additionally a dog crapped literally just in front of our room and as it was dark my wife accidentally stepped right into the poo and that didn't help our mood.
2) The owner himself disappeared right after taking 560 pesos from us. His assistant (coincidentally also a Russian guy like myself) reimbursed us when we demanded our money back, but the other (british?) guy was less enthusiastic about it, were it not for the first guy being Russian I'm not sure we would have gotten our money back
3) The neighborhood is dark and there's nothing to do or go eat at night. Didn't feel safe either. Had to wrap up our search for dinner in about 5 mins as there was no other person about and everything was shut except for a fastfood joint.

I cannot think of a single reason to stay in this horrible dump. Please do not be misled by a single positive comment from a respected member of the forum, she probably just got lucky with her stay, contrary to other people's experiences (see tripadvisor etc)

BajaBlanca - 1-16-2016 at 09:00 AM

boy oh boy - sorry you had such a bad experience Harvest. If you want to go out and socialize, next time choose from the many places in the touristy area of Ensenada! So many great hotels right in the middle of the bufufu (Portuguese word for "the action"). We stay at El Cortez - the Bougainvillea restaurant next door is fantastic, the main drag is full of bars and restaurants and fun stores to browse in.

Shari's photos sure look nice. I love that they have an international staff and that you can see the water from the upstairs rooms. Those are major plusses in my book.

bajaguy - 1-16-2016 at 09:13 AM

I don't know what day(s) you were at the "motel", or what time you were looking, but being an Ensenada resident and knowing where this "motel" is located I am surprised you couldn't find anyplace to eat within a short distance.

David K - 1-16-2016 at 11:08 AM

A good idea is to ask to see the room BEFORE paying for it.

rts551 - 1-16-2016 at 11:23 AM

Obviously your in for a spanking now Harvest. Never speak your mind on this forum.

rts551 - 1-16-2016 at 11:26 AM

Quote: Originally posted by shari  
it is a great alternative to a hotel...cheaper and cleaner...like I said, I hardly EVER stay at a hostel but this one is more like a hotel...the bunk rooms are downstairs in the back and ya dont even see them and it's not like being in someones home either although it is a big house...goes to show ya ...ya cant judge a book by it's title! I would never have even gone into this place if I wasnt desperate and now it will be my new home away from home...if I can get a room that is!

I just remembered the staff there commenting on the client from hell story they told me...now I get it that this woman left such a crappy review on trip adviser...she deserves a spanking.


Shari, a spanking because they had a different experience. I prefer to hear all sides.

Bajahowodd - 1-16-2016 at 05:53 PM

We used to go down to Ensenada a couple of times a month for the weekend. We cut back our trips when Homeland Security created the mess at the border o the return trip. It just was not worth the hassle of waiting up to 2 hours to cross, after a weekend getaway.

We have stayed in many places both in town and outside. If we were looking for a more resort-style place, we would go to Estero Beach. But, in town, we have come to focus on Nico Saad's San Nicolas Hotel. The rooms are somewhat outdated, but quite comfortable. The hotel is very secure, and has a guard at their gated parking lot across the street. Not to mention, that there is a Casino in the building.

Nico is a great guy, who was an Olympic athlete. Very often around the lobby.

dtbushpilot - 1-16-2016 at 07:11 PM

Where are our manners? Welcome to Nomads Harvest.....

Harvest - 1-17-2016 at 03:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca  
boy oh boy - sorry you had such a bad experience Harvest. If you want to go out and socialize, next time choose from the many places in the touristy area of Ensenada! So many great hotels right in the middle of the bufufu (Portuguese word for "the action"). We stay at El Cortez - the Bougainvillea restaurant next door is fantastic, the main drag is full of bars and restaurants and fun stores to browse in.

Shari's photos sure look nice. I love that they have an international staff and that you can see the water from the upstairs rooms. Those are major plusses in my book.


We actually moved to the Hotel Cortez after we had our money back for this pigsty of a place. A major difference, if only for the hot water showers and heating! It was my mistake not to stay in that part of town in the first place, but I read the buzzing review and the opinions about the hostel whereabouts and went with it, unfortunately.

Harvest - 1-17-2016 at 03:56 AM

Quote: Originally posted by dtbushpilot  
Where are our manners? Welcome to Nomads Harvest.....


Thank you! As a whole this forum has helped me alot with my short Baja trip. For instance, TerraSal in Guerrero Negro and Cactus Inn in El Rosario proved to be very decent (albeit also chilly, but they had heaters at least).

durrelllrobert - 1-17-2016 at 11:30 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Bajahowodd  
We used to go down to Ensenada a couple of times a month for the weekend. We cut back our trips when Homeland Security created the mess at the border o the return trip. It just was not worth the hassle of waiting up to 2 hours to cross, after a weekend getaway.

We have stayed in many places both in town and outside. If we were looking for a more resort-style place, we would go to Estero Beach. But, in town, we have come to focus on Nico Saad's San Nicolas Hotel. The rooms are somewhat outdated, but quite comfortable. The hotel is very secure, and has a guard at their gated parking lot across the street. Not to mention, that there is a Casino in the building.

Nico is a great guy, who was an Olympic athlete. Very often around the lobby.


Stayed at Estero once and found the matress wet upon check in. Reported to front desk who sent a housekeeper to turn it over. :?:

motoged - 1-17-2016 at 11:54 AM

Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert  


Stayed at Estero once and found the matress wet upon check in. Reported to front desk who sent a housekeeper to turn it over. :?:


There you go....prompt customer service response. :biggrin:

shari - 1-18-2016 at 09:20 AM

wow...I didnt see the barn outside and yes they are building more rooms as they are often full of very happy guests. I stayed there recently again in a different room and had another wonderful stay with excellent wifi and an extra down blanket for warmth as the room was chilly. Many hotels in baja dont have heating and for the cheap price of this place I dont expect it to.

the owner goes out of his way to help out...he gave me a ride to the segundas and made me a cappuccino in the morning. The place was full of international travelers and many were repeat customers. My sheets were squeaky clean too as was the room.

Places have bad days and sh**t happens sometimes if you have a dog. But on the whole I certainly would stay there again...mainly because of the price. I found a nice restaurant a block away and there are tons of taco stands and a bar with live music too.

To each his own...no spanking from me for a bad review...obviously it was a negative experience in the "barn".