Arequipa, Peru Hostel Review-Home Sweet Home

Sunset and a view of Chachani from Home Sweet Home's rooftop

Home Sweet Home

Address: Rivero 509A

Cost: $20/night, double room, private bath and shower, including breakfast

Layout: There was one main building with the majority of the rooms in it.  Many rooms were interior rooms with no exterior windows.  The rooms were fine, nothing special but not bad either.  They were pretty clean, and they even had televisions with cable in them. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I was able to knock back a few beers in the room while watching the World Series while we were there.  While I don’t like to make a habit of watching TV while traveling, I like beer and baseball, so once in a while isn’t going to kill anyone.

There was also a separate building with only a few rooms in it.  This had a decent sized kitchen, common room, dining room, and computer stations.  It was a nice place to hang out and unwind, but with the exception of breakfast, not many people made use of it, at least while we were there.  There were also a few rooms upstairs on the way to the rooftop, which overlooked the city and was certainly an added bonus.  It was a great place to watch the sunrise and sunset, both of which we did.

Breakfast: Breakfast was a pleasant surprise at the Home Sweet Home.  We had only traveled abroad in Europe up until this point, and this was the second city after Lima on our RTW, so our experience with hostel breakfasts consisted of bread and jam, usually a toaster, and some coffee and tea.  Home Sweet Home provided at least a bit more, with scrambled or fried eggs added to the normal staples.  It was a nice change of pace, and all guests sat at a table and were served.

Amenities/Computer Access: A good breakfast being included is always a nice touch that saves a few bucks.  There were also free computer stations (two of them) and most of the place had wireless access, also for free.  We were able to get it in the first room we stayed in, but not the second.  It was available in all common areas (didn’t try the roof though).  There was a decent sized kitchen and a second refrigerator in the main building.  Second fridges are always welcome.  They also stored our bags in a locked closet while we were on the Colca Trek, which we booked through them.  Their travel agency was fine.  Booking a trip was rather easy, and the trip itself was incredible, so be sure to check out the Colca Canyon trekking page.

Hospitality: This is where the Home Sweet Home fell short, in my opinion.  It was described, both in guidebooks and online, as a warm and inviting place, and we just didn’t feel it, especially after coming from the Albergue Verde in Lima and then staying at La Casa Blanca in Arequipa later on.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say the staff was rude, but they certainly weren’t warm.  As you’ll see while reading through my hostel and hotel reviews on this site, I’m not the pickiest person in the world when it comes to accommodation, and a friendly smile and an effort of sincerity go a long way with me.  When a staff acts like I’m an inconvenience, that annoys me, and I felt that from several members of the staff here.

Obviously language barriers can be a problem at times, but this was not the case at the Home Sweet Home.  If customer service was better, this would be an incredible place to stay, but the extra $7US we paid to stay at La Casa Blanca was well, well worth not having a few beers at night, and you all know how much I love beer.

garage door repair carlsbad