Reviews of Sandalio Hostal Cali

First, we arrived in the morning and, without further explanations on how the hostel worked (kitchen use, reception schedule, etc) we were let inside the room but we were told that check in would not be until 3 pm (how so?!) but till here, all good. At 3 pm I went to the reception, showed my passport, asked for toilet paper for our private bathroom (there was the end of a toilet paper roll when we arrived), as well as for the room key and then asked to pay. I was told that I could not pay by card because the machine reader needed to charge and asked to come back one a half hour later (which was okay with me as I was going to hang around the hostel for a while). When I came back to pay the machine stil wasn't charged (strange) and I was asked to pay the next day in the morning. I left the hostel and I when I came back at 10 pm I wasn't able to get through the main door with my key. I tried to call the reception on WhatsApp but I didn't receive any answer. A taxi driver who was parked outside came to see if I needed help and as he happened to have the number of the manager (or someone else working there) he call them personally and asked how exactly we were supposed to use the key: it turns out you needed to slide upwards the electronic tag which was not intuitive at all. At the same time, it would have been something super straightforward if someone had explained. The next day early morning, I wanted to retrieve my dry laundry from the line but the gate to the laundry area was locked and that turned out fine because I coul wait but imagine what would have happened if I needed to leave early. In fact nobody came to open the reception until almost 10 am and we needed to go ask twice whether our room would be available for an extra night but the guy kept saying he needed time to check that on his system (I wonder what he was really doing) and we never got an answer. So we packed our thing and made our way to the door. (to be continued below)

Again, we asked to pay for the third time and at this point the guy said that by card it wouldn't be possible despite the reception door being covered in Visa and MasterCard stickers. Eventually, we asked if we could receive a card payment link via message and that way we were able to put an end to this chapter. How all of this could be avoided: by having a working card reader available and by giving a small introductory chat with the guests explaining how the hostel works. On the positive side: the place is clean and strategically located.

Great location and facilities are acceptable.

I stayed here for a week while working remotely, and during that time David, the staff member in charge, was very helpful. Before leaving for the north of Colombia, we agreed I could store my things and stay for two extra nights when I came back. We exchanged a few messages before my return, but later I couldn’t get any reply despite several calls. I arrived late at night, alone, tired, and had to find another hostel on the spot. The next day David explained he didn’t have internet, but since the messages were marked as delivered and he knew I was coming, it was a bit surprising. And he also forgot to book the room. The main challenge here is communication – if you arrive after 5 p.m. or later in the evening, you might get self check-in if you‘re lucky and your message is seen in time. This can be tricky if no one is on-site. Also, while I was there, a couple had money stolen from their room. The police were called, but David couldn’t access the cameras without the owner’s permission, so there wasn’t much he could do. The guests were very upset, and nothing was resolved. When I later asked David about it, he claimed there was nothing to worry about because they “probably found the money,” which I know wasn’t true as I spoke to them before they left for another hostel. Also, there was no daily cleaning, which left the hostel quite dirty after a few days. To sum up, the main problems are poor communication, disorganization, and lack of effective help – meaning you can’t rely on the staff for important matters (or even basic ones).

The place is quiet and has nice shared areas, with plants and ventilation. The location is also great, nearby there are good restaraunts, cafes, salsa classes.

The kitchen closes at evening and night, so it's normally not possible to cook dinner.

This place is excellent value for money. A very peaceful space but a very short walk to all the attractions. I'd definitely stay here again.

The reception hours and access to the property was a bit unreliable, especially with a Sunday afternoon check-in.

Had a great time here. Really excellent staff, great location with a brilliant laundry service. 10/10.

Great location and price Staff were lovely. Simple but adequate and comfy. Nice environment and surroundings

Room a bit small, but adequate. Cold showers.

I can’t imagine a better hostel. The best stuff in the world with so much heart and a perfect location. I highly recommend!

Great location, staff couldn't do enough for you, comfortable private room.

It was a minor inconvenience to not have a mirror in the private room with no bathroom, meant bathrooms got busy just for getting ready to go out.

It was very cute with the little internal garden. The rooms are mostly twin or double rooms, not really dormitories, and it was very quiet so I had a room to myself. Location is great, very close to the touristy areas and relatively safe to walk around at night.

The shower leaked onto the floor a bit. Also, even though there are lots of restaurants nearby, they are all tourist prices haha.

Nice and quiet hostel in an excellent location in Cali. It was nearly empty when we were there and had a very relaxed atmosphere. The courtyard is a lovely spot to sit and relax.

The showers only have cold water which we didn’t realise before booking. Also there is a gap over the doors of the basic rooms so it is easy for mosquitoes to get in, we were covered in bites by the end of our 3 nights.

Cristina the receptionist was truly amazing!

They should clean the room in a daily basis

The location is great and the common areas are really nice, they have free coffee in the mornings. The staff is really friendly.

The private bedroom I had was really basic, just a bed, a fan & a night light. The bathroom is kinda weird, the sink is inside the shower.

The Jesus mural and the live fountain and open air space for meals and chilling

The girls

The girls and Jesus the son of Mary mural 😎

- the beautiful architecture of the house and the color of the doors - very friendly and helpful staff - nice, green common area in the patio - the rooms are named after sights of Cali, cool idea! - the free coffee :) - the central location - very clean

I really liked everything except that it was a bit expensive for a simple room without bathroom or breakfast.