Gecko

I stayed here for about 2 weeks so my experience will probably differ from others. Not sure where to start because this place treated me well. We'll talk about the hostel because after all, that's probably why you're reading this. Hostel dorms are good. There are three rooms with +7 beds in each (bunk bed style). Each room has A/C. Ceilings are high throughout. Airy and ventilated. The people that stayed while I was there were considerate towards one another (being quite, closing doors, not being obnoxious). My beef is that they only have 2 bathrooms to share with, what?, 30 people plus? That being said I never had an issue waiting for someone. Also, one of the rooms is located between the bathroom and another dorm room so people from the far dorm had to walk through the middle one to get to the bathroom. It never posed an issue but I should mention it here. The bathroom on the third floor has a his and hers sink. The drain pipe is connected to the wall, why do I mention this? The second-floor bathroom (the main bathroom where all the traffic is) doesn't have a drain pipe. It has a funnel-like sink that sits over a corner floor drain. Kind of gross when you are brushing your teeth or washing your hands and it sounds like an amniotic sac rupture hitting the floor. If you are wearing sandals, thinking about who spit and brushed their teeth prior to you and having water splash on your feet is a nasty thought. You have to do a Betty Boop feet together step back jump while spitting when you brush your teeth. I exaggerate, only a little. I digress. They always had hot water and the shower was nice. They have those gym shampoo and liquid soap dispensers. Someone stole my bar of soap but that was my fault for leaving it there for so long untouched. I guess I would steal it too if I saw a new bar of soap in a new travel plastic container that wasn't used for a while. Beds are comfy but are made out of a foam material. They came with a comforter (or quilt or blanket depending on which part of the world you are from). This place was great because there is a nice cafe/ restaurant area that has comfortable chairs, tables, and rooms to choose from. So if you didn't want to stay in the spacious dorm room (which had chairs of their own) you could go downstairs and chill. I couldn't believe the breakfast they give you. For the $6 stay you can choose from their resturant breakfast menu. This isn't a toast-and-banana-with-maybe-some-eggs breakfast. I'm talking omelets with Bambi bread or eggs with bacon and sausage and toast. I was skeptical at first and was waiting for it to come up on my bill but... no. They serve legit a breakfast at no extra cost. They have a designated internet router for pretty much every room there. Like 8 total. Main staff members speak English. Gecko is a business that offers everything. The building location of the hostel also serves as a trip planning agency, restaurant, bar, massage services in addition to the hostel. I got to familiarize myself with the staff. Some of the staff live there as well so when you come in late at night, someone is at the front, people are in the back, and some go home. What my take away from this is that it's safe. The people there know who is there and always keep an eye out for you and your things. It is a very symbiotic relationship between the staff. If you go with that in mind, you can appreciate all they do for you and the services they provide others. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a piece and quiet in your get-away/ travels. It is isolated and cozy, but as soon as you leave you are right in the mix. Great people work there that are genuinely invested in the service and tourist industry. One last thing. When you wake up from your sleep in the morning, there will most likely be the cleaning lady sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. She will be cleaning her teeth with a toothpick staring at the wall, at the bunk bed, or maybe even you. Some people found it creepy, some people annoying, I didn't care. She was cool.