Reviews of Hostal Maria Casa

29 December 2011 Rolf would recommend this property

Liked: Very friendly familly! Individual service! We like it very much!

Disliked: Rolf left no negative feedback.

11 November 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Lovely garden area, close to the central core.

Disliked: The common area tables were right outside my room. I paid for a single room to have a bit of quiet, privacy and there were times when the common area was very noisy. Earplugs a must for that particular room ! Usually hostels of this type serve breakfast in the mornings ..... next time I would likely search for another hostel simply for that convenience.

27 October 2011 Laura would recommend this property

Liked: Everything about Maria´s Casa was wonderful! Very at home feel, the hostel seems to mainly be run by Maria´s two sons (yet she lives there) and Maria´s brother Pancho is often in and around the hostel, helping people make their very own leather sandals! First night we were there we had a group bbq with all the other travelers in which Mauri cooked and taught us a little history of the area. All rooms are private with their own keys and the backyard is beautiful, with 5-6 different fruit trees growing the scenery is quite beautiful. Another big plus is the fact that it is literally a 3-5 minute walk from the bus station in La Serena and about the same distance from the highly recommended EcoTourism tours. We booked 3 nights and ended up staying 5, I would highly recommend Casa Maria to any and all travelers (Maria speaks Spanish/Italian, Mauri speaks Spanish/English, and Andres speaks Spanish/French a big plus)

Disliked: Nothing

14 October 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: mother and son who run the hostel are verry friendly. he speaks englisch. location is perfect less then 5 min from bus terminal. 5 min to mall. 7 min to city center. 20 min to beach. There is a lovely big garden to sit in with big tables so you can eat outside. everything in the hostel is clean. good big kitchen.

Disliked: no wifi in the room (but good in the common ereas), no laundry service (but there is one in the mall).

12 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: good location to bus station and handy to city centre Nice garden area

Disliked: Erratic hot water in showers

13 August 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Good value for money - we stayed in a double room which was basic but clean, comfy bed. The family that run the place are really great - they helped us out with maps, lots of information on La Serena and surrounding area, good recommendations on places to eat and we even got to watch a rugby game on their TV! Kitchen is basic but well-equipped. Nice garden. Near supermarket, shops and only 5-10 mins walk from town centre. If you want a quiet place, this is it. Also good for kids, there was a family staying there at the same time as us and they seemed to have a good time.

Disliked: Location was good for us, but some may think it's far from the centre. I think the directions from the station need to be clearer as we got ripped off in a taxi when it's literally a couple of minutes' walk!

11 July 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Very friendly hostel- lovely staff. Went out of their way to help. Definitely recommend

Disliked: None

08 July 2011 Imogen would recommend this property

Liked: The staff were really friendly and always wanted to help. The showers are lovely and hot and the beds are very comfy! You can also make your own flip flops with Pancho!! Overall areally nice place!

Disliked: None

30 May 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Nice place, great staff (especially Maria, she tried to teach us some Spanish), you can make your own sandals/flipflops with Pacho. Really cool!

Disliked: No breakfast (but not a big deal), and the shower. But these are always questionable in chili.

29 May 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Close to the bus station and not too far from the centre of town either. The staff were very friendly and helpful. It was a pleasant place to stay and would highly recommend it.

Disliked: Nothing

30 April 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Andres, Maria´s son seems to run the place now, is very friendly and takes time to explain a little about La Serena to all. Ultra helpful too, booking our onward accommodation. Great location for bus station and town.

Disliked: Kitchen smallish but adequate.

19 April 2011 Patrick would recommend this property

Liked: Maria and her family are so warm and welcoming ! Her son surprised us at the bus stop which is less than 5 minutes walk. Maria made us all tea and coffee as soon as we arrived while they spent time telling us about the area. Beautiful home and they have recently renovated the kitchen so more than enough space for everyone to cook etc. Plenty of blankets to keep you warm! Such a wonderful family who are happy to help you with anything and always asking about your day . Would definitely recommend staying here !

Disliked: Nothing

18 April 2011 Helena would recommend this property

Liked: The rooms are basic but nice and good value for money. The set up of the place is good with a little garden towards the back. the kitchen is small-ish but has most of the things you might need. The staff are very friendly and helpful.

Disliked: n/a

23 March 2011 Marcel would recommend this property

Liked: Maria is a very friendly and welcoming person who makes you feel at home. Unfortunately for us we don't speak Spanish so we could only talk to her with our hands and feet. But Andres speaks English and gives you good information about La Serena.

Disliked: The walls are very thin so you can hear every cough of your neighbor. Toilet paper is not always provided and there is no breakfast (only coffee and tea).

20 November 2010

Liked: Met some great people there. Seemed very safe and fairly relaxed.

Disliked: Quite cold at night, and having to walk all the way down the garden path to get to the toilets and shower each time wasn't nice. Cramped kitchen.

17 November 2010

Liked: It's an interesting set up.

Disliked: As with all the backpacker mecca hostels we've encountered on this trip, we didn't like it. The rooms are in little huts around a courtyard and path, we were there in November and it was freezing so I can only imagine what it's like on a cold month. The first night after arriving into La Serena completely disoriented at 10 pm, we were confusedly told that we would be spending the night across the street at what looked like someone's house (but was actually a dormant hostel in someone's house) because they didn't have the room that we had reserved. While we met some nice people, the facilities were crowded and in short supply and it was cold and there's no breakfast. There are tons of hostels in La Serena, you could find one cheaper with better amenities if you arrive in the day and walk around.

19 October 2010 stacey would recommend this property

Liked: The people, Pancho, andre, maria and ,mauritzio are absolutely amazing, This is a family home, but you are really made to feel welcome and treated well. The free internet is fantastic, though the kitchen to small to accommodate more than 2 people cooking at once, this is being fixed though. The rooms are clean and well kept, though they get extremely cold at night, so wrap up. The only thing that would ,make this place perfect for me would be a basic breakfast. Great guest house, great people, great location. I will be back to hang out with you guys again, and thanks for everything.xx

Disliked: Size of the kitchen, outdoor toilets, and no breakfast

29 August 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The staff were extremely friendly and helpful, advising us on what to do in the local area. The family made us feel very welcome.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

05 August 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Really friendly staff, and helpful for booking trips, accomodation elsewhere etc.Nice open eating/kitchen area.Comfy beds.

Disliked: Couldn't get the shower above tepid.

31 July 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Lovely little place with fantastic, friendly owners. Cute rooms and lovely outdoor areas.

Disliked: Not heated and very open, so quite cold in winter. Also advertises breakfast but did not include it, and the internet was down. Still, the owners gave us homemade soup one of the days that it was really cold.

08 July 2010 Tom would recommend this property

Liked: Very welcoming and friendly. Close to bus stop and not too far from the centre of town. On a quiet street. Clean, simple, homely. Very small kitchen but otherwise perfect.

Disliked: Very small kitchen.

23 June 2010 Bevan would recommend this property

Liked: They had a very nice outdoor area that would be great in Summer. Maria was very kind and wouldn't let us even wash our dishes. The hostel had a family feel and the staff were very welcoming.

Disliked: Bevan left no negative feedback.

02 May 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Friendly Staff!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

30 April 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: excellent hostel.lovely people. great barbeque at night. Lovely clean rooms.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

13 November 2009 Matthew would recommend this property

Liked: Very friendly place with character. Very welcoming.

Disliked: Matthew left no negative feedback.