Hostel La Ballena Backpacker

Me gusto mucho la ubicación, muy cerca a la playa, comercio de pequeños mercados cerca, el personal muy amable y presto a ayudar

En general muy bien…! Y la atención de la recepción fue excelente (la chica Española)

Todo bien solo que el aire acondicionado presentaba algo de falla…!

El lugar me gustó mucho, la ubicación excelente y la atención también.

N/A

vicina alla spiaggia

personale non accogliente, sporcizia , prenotato poiché unico disponibile

Para una estancia corta esta perfecto, Hab privada con ducha i wc.

La cama bastante incomoda y el ruido de la carretera era horrible

No hay ventilador para las camas del fondo, el primer día pasé mucho calor por cuenta de eso, el baño no estaba muy limpio

La distribución de las camas y la falta de ventilador

El trato muy cercano del hostal. Sobre todo Geepy el encargado.

Faltaba aire acondicionado.

Réactivité et accueil très sympathique, aidant et arrangeant

Le bruit de la porte de la terrasse avec le vent est dérangeant

La ubicación, el espacio de la terraza y más

La cocina olía a muerto

Las personas fueron muy amables y serviciales, la ubicación es buenísima queda sobre toda la vía principal de las galeras con acceso a la playa de las galeras (muy bonita por cierto y de donde salen las lanchas para otras playas) a unos 5 minutos caminando

La habitación realmente era un poco básica, no tenía televisor, tampoco había agua caliente, los enchufes de toma corriente eran un poco duros y la chapa de la puerta no se veía tan segura, realmente es un hostal para un tipo de viajero un poco más espontáneo y eso está bien, sin embargo por el precio creo que no valía la pena

I have stayed at this hostel before, as it is our gate way into the Samana peninsula where we go for long treks. Since my partner and I do not own a car, we hike everywhere or take public transportation and the hostel is in a perfect location where supplies are ready and available. The set up is good, the rooms are private, the private bathroom is great and the art is tasteful. In general the architecture and layout of the hostel is great, it has a well stocked kitchen (though small) that works. This was a priority for us as we wanted to cook our meals. It served us very well, though it may be a little cramped. Refrigerator, free drinkable water, a small terrace that looks out into plantain fields. Staff is great and helpful and the guys that were there at the time were very relaxed and nice. Would really recommend if you are not SUPER picky about noise (which is around until about 10pm).

Nothing bad to say, genuinely a great place that served our purposes perfectly.

Locatie erg goed de loop afstand is 10 minuten.

In de avond heel erg lawaai neem wat mee om goed te kunnen slapen voor de rest super goed alles.

Que esté bastante céntrico y que el personal es muy agradable

La limpieza no es su fuerte y es bastante ruidoso a la noche (por razones ajenas al hostel)

deja bastante que desear.. no lo recomiendo para nada, está fatal cuidado, las instalaciones son terribles, en el cuarto no se puede ni estar, huele mal, las camas son incómodas, el personal es desagradable, no volvería

personnel très dévoué et agréable ambiance collective familiale chaleureuse, voyageur.euses du monde entier patron et gérant très sympathiques, prêts à rendre tous les services hotel charmant, avec bois, bambous et materiaux naturels et grandes tables à l'ombre, belle terrasse pour les fumeurs moustiquaires dans les chambres et eau chaude dans la douche à 10 min à pied de la plage, près du centre, épicerie en bas

Everything perfect. Amazing

poder conocer otros turistas, la ubicación muy cómoda, que tenga cocina, el personal súper amable.

no tiene espejo en las habitaciones.

Die Lage war gut und es war sauber. Es gab kaltes Trinkwasser umsonst.

Das einchecken war chaotisch. Wir konnten die Küche und die Aufenthaltsräume nicht nutzen. Es war nie Personal da um unsere Fragen zu beantworten.

L’accoglienza dello staff molto disponibile e preciso minimal ma molto carino stanze rustiche con poco grande risultato

Prima qualche problema con l’acqua ma risolta subito

Personal muy amable. Lugar limpio y ordenado.

Nous recommandons à 100% parfaitement placé !

Never been there

Never been there

Tiene un encanto especial, es bonito y los trabajadores que están allí como viajeros a cambio de alojamiento, muy amables. A 7 minutos de la playa a pie y con colmados y restaurantes cerca.

Respecto a Faudelin que es el dueño del lugar, no estamos tan contentos. Llegamos a las 22:00 avisando 5h antes ya que la recepción cerraba a las 21:00. Al contactar con el, se acerco y su actitud dominante y de enfado dejó mucho que desear. Quisimos cocinar y la cocina no estaba limpia que se diga. Se escuchan mucho las motos de la calle, pero es inevitable al ser de madera. Fuimos a ducharnos el último día y salía muy poca agua y empezamos a ducharnos. Tuve que bajar a la recepción lleno de jabón y mojado con la toalla para ver que pasaba “con humor”. Se me ha cortado el agua en muchos lugares, no es problema y lo entiendo. Pero al llamar a Faudelin y contarle lo que pasaba colgó el teléfono. La atención ha sido pésima, porque ni saludar hace a sus huéspedes. No repetiré.

Tiene una gran ubicación cerca a las dos playas, es tranquilo y cómodo.

Excelente ubicación, a 5 min caminando de Playa grande y 10 de La playita. Cómodas las instalaciones y su gente muy amable.

Os funcionários eram simpáticos e prestativos. A localização é contral.

O quarto sem janelas tinha cheiro a humidade e pouco espaço. Os lençóis pareciam sempre húmidos ao toque. Pelo mesmo preço encontrámos melhor.

Todo muy bien.

L'ambiance backpacker, avec les parties communes, cuisine et terrasses. Le personnel accueillant. La conscience écologique qui est rare en République Dominicaine.

Assez bruyant du fait qu’il soit sur la route principale .

super personal, nette gäste, gut, um sich unter die leute zu mischen

viel zu laut. extremer strassenlärm und von den vielen musikboxen in der nähe. darüber hinaus extrem hellhöriges haus, in den zimmern hört man von oben und draussen jeden schritt

La gente.

Podría cuidarse un poco más el aspecto y la limpieza.

Staff eccezionale, mi hanno fatto sentire a casa.. grazie 😊 Ottima posizione Super consigliato 👍🏻👍🏻

Siamo rimasti molto soddisfatti del soggiorno. Lo staff è stato estremamente gentile e disponibile, permettendoci di effettuare il check-in più tardi del previsto senza alcun problema. La stanza era pulita e ben tenuta, e la posizione è davvero ottima: a pochissimi passi dalle spiagge!

L’unico aspetto che segnalo — più per chiarezza che per critica — è che al momento dell’arrivo viene richiesto un deposito di 500 pesos dominicani più una tassa aggiuntiva, cosa che non era specificata su Booking, dove anzi risultavano tasse e costi già inclusi. Sarebbe utile che venisse indicato in fase di prenotazione per evitare sorprese. Nel complesso, comunque, esperienza molto positiva!

Attention from staff, location, facilities, everything.

Overall the Spanish guy tried to help in all he could. However, I did not like how the italian person handle the 2 items described below.

There is no hot water, the laundry was returned wet when we paid for cleaning and drying service, no compensation was offered when he was aware of the situation. The shower handle broke while showering quickly with cold water, they requested to hold the full deposit even the handle was already deteriorated and well over its amortization life time. In my opinion this should not have been charge as it is normal wear and tear. If the item was new I would have understand but if the shower has 10 years and something breaks it could be normal wear and tear and its failure is not due to a single event. Making the person who experience the final failure to pay for it the full deposit I do not think it is fair but we did not discussed and give to them the full deposit but I would have handle the situation on a different way.

Las Galeras

Our stay at La Ballena Backpacker was underwhelming. The accommodation is very simple—which is fine—but it feels worn out and outdated. While technically clean, the place looks dirty due to its condition. The room was extremely small, with no air conditioning, just a fan. The lack of hot water wasn’t an issue for us, but it’s something to be aware of. The walls are paper-thin, so it was incredibly noisy—not just from the street, but even when someone moved in a bed in another room. And the pillows? Absolutely horrible. Honestly, better to sleep without them. Not sure why this place has such high ratings on Booking—for budget travelers, it might be just passable, but we wouldn’t stay here again.

Staff is amazing. Place is close to everything. Good water pressure , beds were ok. No air con ,but a big fan that kept us cool with a cross breeze. There was screens so limited mosquitoes. Great value for money

The noise level is bad. Motorcycles up and down the road all hours of the night. The bar down the road pounds out the music to 1am Friday and Saturday

Top location.

Was missing hostel vibes.

Clean rooms. There was drinking water available in the lobby.

Room was hot, so I expected a fan at least. Ceiling is too low. It's hard to stand up in the room if you use the last beds. The front part of the room has no walls, which means that the lights from the common area from the second floor and the street enter the room while you are sleeping. That's very uncomfortable if you are trying to sleep.

The manager in site Sophie made an extra effort to meet the requirements. The owner acknowledgef some mistskes The staff oversll seem that they all are trying HARD

The Lack of information. I did not know that Hostel closes at nigth Did not know that there is not xhange of sheets Staff dissgred in Front of clients Seemed that the payment process was most important Priorität. I was chsrged addizionslly. or air conditioning The price charrged allows me stsying in a 4 star in Santisgo. Sto Dgo boca chicq Must used same language Standard means. ...that will be without airconditionong,loud etc Feels punitive i had to stay in anither place as i hadleft the Keys

Staff and volunteers are really nice and helpful. It is a typical backpackers hostel in a beach village with a relaxed vibe. Dont expect any luxury but its a good place to meet other people. There is a kitchen which does the job. Beds are alright and have mosquito nets

Its very basic and especially on hygiene they could do better. Also, there is a bar with very loud music across the hostel, during the week they close around midnight but for example on a sunday they stayed open until after midnight and you can hear the music pretty well in the dorms

Close to the beach, atmosphere of the room.

Best Traveller Hostel It s a nice hostel with even nicer people working there. Angie, Sophie and Thai helped me wherever they could...giving great hiking informations, organizing my travel, finding my next hostel as well as organising affordable ways to go to great places and come back.... This girls are just beautiful and I had a great time with them. I will never forget. I highly recommend this hostel to all travelers, especially the ones who travel alone.

the shower was cold and had no pressure at all

Horribly

Attendance

Good location and friendly workers.

We stayed here for a week. There was no water for about 4 days.

Great location in the center of Las Galeras, cosy rooms and really good value for money :)

Common rooms, view on the patio, free drinking water.

From the ceiling/upper room there was sand and dirt falling onto our room/bed (linen were clean though when we arrived). Checkin was chaotic, unorganised and took about 30min. On the last day the volunteer at the reception asked us randomly to pay more because they messed up at the checkin and we were given a better room than we initially had booked. The volunteer said if we won’t pay it, she has to pay it herself. However, obviously switching our room because the hostel made a mistake is not our responsibility and asking for more money two days later feels off. After we declined, we heard the volunteer talking very badly about us and imitating/mocking our voices in another room. We thought this was very unprofessional behaviour and left with a bad feeling.

Very small and basic, holes in the mosquito net, no soap in the bathroom, couldn’t flush the toilets, breakfast was nice, friendly staff. You leave a deposit when you check in, in case u lose the key. Nowhere to park. Short walk to the beach. Free cold water. Was okey but wouldn’t really recommend.

Overall the place was good, no hostel vibe though

Nothing much to mention

comfy rustic feeling

no warm water at all, sometimes no water, sometimes no electricity

Clean, good kitchen, close to the beach, friendly staff. Had a great stay!

The people are friendly and kind. Its a small but nice hostel, the decoration makes it nicer and the people around.

The kitchen does not have the necessary items for cooking, pan and pots area old as well as the forks, knives,etc. There is not microwave or blender and in general the kitchen is too small; the fridge is packed with someone's food and no space for people to put their food. The room is really hot with no much natural light. It think is too expensive for what you get. Drinkablewater isnot provided which mean buying plastic bottles often = no ecofriendly as it is mentioned around

There was nothing that I liked.

The staff seemed disappointed that I came only for a single night, as if they have to change sheets after me for nothing. What a welcome. Additionally, all the lockers in the dorm were full, the toilet was literally next to my bed, there was no where to hang and dry clothes either.

Hostel is on a dirt road, 15 minutes walk to the beach.

Location is a ways from the beach on a road under construction, between motorcycles, cars and tractors, as well as deep holes in the road, it is somewhat hazardous. The hostel has amenities on 2nd floor which has limited accessibility on a rickety staircase. Staff is very good, room is basic but clean. Shower has no curtains. I had the whole first floor to myself as it’s 500 extra pesos per night for AC.

Best value/price when booked.

Room was too dark, stronger bulb/light would make it not as depressed. Kitchen very tiny. Not possible to check-out before 9.00? Deposit payment?

So the good part was the location was okay but unfortunately our stay was not pleasant at all. The Argentinian receptionist (Aylin) was very unfriendly, hostile had a constant bad attitude. We thought maybe it was just with us, however after talking to other travelers we found out we were not the only ones who had these encounters with her. We stayed on the ground floor in the twin room for 2 nights, it was nice that it had AC but the floors were covered in dirt and an old lunch box was found under the bed. A fellow traveler gave us a good tip to use our own t-shirts as pillows as we all had a feeling the bedsheets were not the cleanest (maybe the room hadn't been used in a while).We booked this hostel because of the kitchen facilities it mentioned. But it turned out, because we were staying on the ground floor, we were not able to use it. Our dinner plans had to be changed and we had to go eat out. Later we found out we can only use the kitchen between 9am and 9pm, wish the communication was a bit clearer. After the two nights downstairs, we decided to book a room on the upper floor, and after another extremely rude discussion with the Argentinian who was not able to find our reservation, she made us check out with all our belongings and come come back at 3, after this slight inconvenience we finally checked in. Within this time we also availed of the clothes cleaning service (wouldn't recommend, we think they just used water with no soap. The room upstairs was fine but we were welcomed by a big water puddle on the floor and non functional bathroom light. They also seem to sometimes turn of the water in the morning. All in all besides the not very clean first floor room and the weird rule with the use of the kitchen its an okay hostel if it wasnt for the Argentinian receptionist we would be back cause the other staff were very friendly and helpful.

the kitchen area was nice

very disappointed with the management of the situation that my toilet was not working , I paid a private double room with bathroom , but eventually I had to use the shared bathroom. then they transfer me to other room with a toilet that was working, but this room did not have window , there was a smell to humidity inside, but the WORST was that I sleep in a mattress that had URINE SMELL, that is totally unaceptable, but they do not care at all, when I woke up my pijamas was with the urine smell from the mattress ,I told them in the next morning but they did nothing

I stayed in the private room downstairs it was clean enough and has air conditioning I liked that, there wifi was okay

one of the stuff wasn’t that friendly and I asked to use the kitchen she said it’s only for people stay upstairs! (I’m part of the hostel!) anyway to be fair the other stuff was helpful and she helped me to pay with card, gave me some recommendations where to eat:)

rare to find a backpackers hostel in the DR, and I enjoyed this place although the facility was a bit lacking and as usual in hostels the kitchen was well used and abused. friendly place though of course!

I liked the fresh air at night, woke up really good every morning. The hostel was clean and has everything you need. I really liked the outside area, it was a nice place to escape the noise and just read or write and look at the trees.

I didn't like all the noise coming from the street, the parties, the roosters and dogs. So if you come here and sleep in the dorms, don't forget your earplugs and sleeping mask, you will need them! Also the host was rude to me and my friend because we didn't spoke Spanish, even though I was trying to... This made me feel unwelcome there.

Nice hostel, friendly and helpful staff. Great place to meet people. Right in town, a few minutes from the beach. Lots of restaurants and shops around, yet quiet at night to rest. Hot water, good water pressure, good internet and nice kitchen and common areas. I got a very nice room with view to the mountains, no mosquitos, the room wasn't hot and the fan works amazing, also mosquito nets available in case you need them.

we like Hostel La Ballena because it has very friendly vibe. We appreciate the convenience of a kitchen and nearby grocery stores . It is all in good distance to the beach . Private rooms have good bed, nice decorations on the walls

Unfortunately the street that the hostel is located on, is pretty busy, little noisy. There is also disco club nearby , so there is a lot of noise on the weekends . Pack your ear plugs, we will definitely bring ours , next time around !

The location is great, the staff was kind. The view from the balcony was nice.

Overall quite dissapointing. Dorms were uncomfortable, too much noise, no proper isolation. Hygiene issues, could be useful to get it sprayed against bedbugs. The hostel offers just about very basics, no efforts made into increasing satisfaction. The shower was not even a properly installed shower, and it was cold. Quite expensive for what is offered.

Beautifully decorated.

We didn’t have a fan in the room.

We stayed at the hostel three nights. This is a very good price for the value. The room was nice and clean. The bed had a mosquito net which was very helpful as many mosquitoes sneaked into the room through the cracks above the door and windows. The private bathroom was also very clean but is not completely a separate room (there is no door at the entrance). There was a functioning fan and the internet also worked well. The hostel also offers laundry service for a 300 DR pesos fee. We took this opportunity to get our clothes washed and were very happy with the service. There is a small but clean common kitchen with a fridge where you can prepare some simple meals. There is also a nice common room next to it. The location of the hostel is great (walking distance to Playa Playita, Playa Las Galeras, Boca Chica). The guagua from Las Terrenas can drop you directly next to the hostel, you just need to ask the driver in time to stop the van. One minute walk away is also where the 5.30am direct bus to Santo Domingo stops. Below the hostel is a small (but quite expensive) shop, a lady selling local produce and a very nice and affordable restaurant (see Casa Rino's on Google Maps). During our stay, the hostel was very quiet and everyone respected the rule of no kitchen usage after 11pm. There was some bachata music coming from the restaurants/bars nearby, however, the hostel has nothing to do with it. If you need a very quiet accomodation you should look more on the outskirts of Las Galeras.