Bauhouse Hostel and Bar, Benigno Malo10-31, Cuenca, Ecuador
Price
$10 for a dorm and $32 for a double.
In a nutshell
Sleekly designed hipster party hostel and bar for the nocturnal. We loved it the first two nights, but hated it the day we left after being kept awake until the early hours by a party. Despite it’s good looks, in the future we’d book a hostel in Cuenca somewhere other than Bauhouse. Party-lovers may think differently.
The people
The staff are super friendly and proud of their hostel, which has only been open a few months. They also like to party. One of the nights we were there, they had a party that went on until 3am. We asked them to turn it down three times – each time they said they would but didn’t. On the plus side, the next morning they decided not to charge us for that night.
Vegetarian friendly?
Yes. There’s a vegetarian-friendly breakfast including eggs, as well as veggie options on the bar menu.
Location
Bauhouse, Cuenca is in a good location right in the centre of the city, a minute’s walk away from the main plaza and surrounded by great restaurants, cafes, bars and shops. The location is faultless.
The rooms
We stayed in a cute double room. It was basic but stylishly designed with a bright red wall and great artwork. The bed was comfortable, and there were lockers for our valuables. The dorms are also great with cool style, staying true to the hostel’s name. Everything is spotlessly clean.
Entertainment
The hostel also houses a bar, which is open to the public and seems to be popular with young karaoke-loving locals. The drink deals and cocktails are great and we enjoyed our first nights there when the activity stopped around midnight. This was ruined by the last night when the party went on until the wee hours and we felt like we were sleeping in a nightclub.
Other than this, there is a good common area with a huge TV, which is often used for the aforementioned karaoke. Poker chips and cards are available on request.
What could be improved
In our opinion, Bauhouse needs to decide if it’s a hostel or a bar and prioritize/advertise accordingly. On the night we were kept up, the party was made entirely of non-hostel-guests. We asked for the music to be turned down three times to no avail. The bar guests were clearly prioritised over the paying hostel guests. We’d have never stayed there if we knew this was the case. A noise curfew of around midnight would be a good compromise.
The towel test
Towels and soap are provided on arrival.
Digital nomadism
There is free wi-fi but it sadly only works well in the common areas. Although these areas are light and airy, we’d have preferred to have the option to use the internet in our room too.
