Welcome to my final Peru hostel roundup! I’ve reviewed accommodation from the big city, the jungle, and the highlands, and now I’m covering my favorite region — the coast. The hostels in this roundup are proof that you don’t need to break the bank to enjoy an oceanfront view or a swim up bar!
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Kokopelli Paracas
This freshly-opened hostel is already becoming a backpacker favorite, and it’s easy to see why: a central beachfront location, an affordable on-site restaurant, modern pod dorms, and loads of amenities like a pool, ping pong and pool tables, and free kayak and catamaran use.
Paracas is a tiny town, and this hostel is within walking distance of everything — the tiny town boardwalk, the pier for tours to Ballestas Islands, travel agencies selling ATV tours of the reserve, and stops for buses heading up and down the coast.
But for us, this hostel was a destination in itself. Breakfast was hearty, hammocks were abundant, and the international staff were friendly and chatty.
Best of all, the hostel features modern pod dorms. I love this style of dorm and wish more hostels would adopt it! Each one has a built-in locker, a personal outlet and a light. They provide tons of privacy and you can basically have your own little private pod room simply by hanging up a sarong.
Beachfront for nine bucks a night? I think this’ll do!
Amenities: Pool, daily breakfast, kitchen, restaurant, bar, wifi and computer use, kayak and catamaran use, SUP rentals available
Pros: Amazing beachfront location, good value pod beds, fantastic breakfast
Cons: No refrigerator in the kitchen, pool needs cleaning
Room tip: Go for the pod dorms! They are cheaper and better value
Price: Six bed dorms are $12.50, six bed ensuite dorms are $13.50, eight bed dorms are $11.40, fourteen bed ensuite pod dorms are $9.
Book Here: Kokopelli Paracas
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Loki del Mar Mancora
The Loki in Mancora is legendary among backpackers in South America — it’s basically a beach resort for budget travelers, complete with high-rise rooms, inviting pools, and an oceanfront location.
This is truly a party palace. Daily activities tend to center around drinking games (though one afternoon there was free yoga, which I loved) and the bar is pumping late into the night. This is great if that’s the scene you’re looking for — if not, there is no escaping it. With no soundproofing, you will be awake until the bar shuts down, whether you like it or not!
Luckily there are ample spots for daytime naps, from colorful hammocks to highly coveted daybeds. With a onsite restaurant, there’s no need to ever leave the grounds — and many don’t.
My only annoyance at Loki was the wifi situation. It was the worst I experienced in Peru! While this obviously affects me more than it might affect others, I heard dorm-mates complaining that they couldn’t Skype home or send Facebook messages to friends. And the worst part was I heard the staff telling people there was nothing they could do, because it was like that all over Mancora. That was blatantly untrue — every restaurant I went to had speedy connections.
There’s really nowhere else like it — if you want to party wildly by night and lounge poolside by day, this is the place to be in Mancora.
Amenities: Pool, daily breakfast, restaurant, bar, wifi and computer use, daily activities
Pros: Great location, lively bar, free yoga classes
Cons: The worst wifi I experienced in Peru, very loud
Room tip: Request a room on a higher floor for an ocean view
Price: Four bed dorms are $14, six bed mixed or female dorms are $11, eight bed dorms are $9.
Book Here: Loki del Mar
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Kokopelli Beachpackers Mancora
After loving the Kokopelli hostels in both Paracas and Cusco, I was excited to try out their Mancora outpost.
There is a not-so-secret rivalry between the two most popular hostels in Mancora, and guests at Kokopelli seem proud to be “not Loki people.” While we enjoyed both hostels, we definitely connected more with the slightly older and more travel-experienced crowd at Kokopelli. We also noticed Kokopelli was the hangout spot for area surfers, which made for a nice mix of travelers and locals.
Like its rival, Kokopelli has a pool, a ping-pong table, and amazing drink specials at the bar.
Our private room was spacious and blessedly quiet even when the bar music was blaring. However, the shower was little more than a dribble. In fact, it was so bad that we thought it was broken, though when the hostel handyman showed up he declared that was “just how showers were in Mancora.” Another clear untruth — our shower at Loki had the pressure of a fire hose. (And, funny enough, the wifi was flawless at Kokopelli!)
My only other complaint was the breakfast. I loved the free breakfasts at the other Kokopelli locations, and this one just wasn’t up to par. I mean, the bread provided was hamburger buns. For breakfast? No thanks.
If the idea of partying with gap-year backpackers is not for you, don’t skip Mancora! Check out the Kokopelli — it might be the perfect fit.
Amenities: Pool, daily breakfast, restaurant, bar, wifi and computer use
Pros: Good location, laid back crowd, swim up bar
Cons: No kitchen, poor breakfast, food slow
Room tip: Request a room away from the bar for a quieter night of sleep
Price: Eight bed dorms are $11.50, four bed dorms are $14.50, private rooms with private bathrooms are $28.
Book Here: Kokopelli Mancora
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This post was made possible by Hostelworld and the generous hospitality of Kokopelli and Loki. The content of my reviews was not influenced in any way by these partnerships — as always, you have my honesty above all else.
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Related posts:
The Hostels of Peru: Part II
The Hostels of Peru: Part III
The Hostels of Peru: Part I