Selina Antigua

It’s really nothing special for a Selina you can get much better rooms for cheaper in Antigua unfortunately.

As a solo traveller, I booked a private room for a bit more privacy and tranquility. How was I wrong... The private room I got was on the ground floor, close to reception and basically in the entryway, so imagine the noise of every single person leaving/entering the hostel, including at ungodly hours. The room was dark, extremely humid, tiny (no space to open a big backpack or suitcase) and nothing like the photos (they only show Instagramable photos on their website and Booking, obviously). And cherry on top, the bathroom window was impossible to close and was overlooking the same busy entryway, so ZERO privacy whatsoever. They also claim to have this sense of community in the common spaces, like a real hostel, but I didn't find it and I am not sure which crowd this Selina attracts. Horrible experience...

We didn’t know what to expect but we’re very pleased with our room + private bathroom. The bed was a king and comfy and the bathroom had amenities (shower gel, etc). There were towels and robes! It was pleasantly quiet for sleeping and we thought the courtyard and pool were fun and pretty. The pool was cold (!) which put my kids off using it. The person at the front desk was friendly and happily arranged an airport transfer for us.

This is one of best hostels / hotels I’ve ever stayed at! I‘ve stayed here a few times and I’m always surprised at just how down to earth, friendly and accommodating the staff are here. Amazingly friendly and always make me feel at home.

Selina is nice, but there is a clear line between the backpacking traveler and the budget-aware traveler. I think Selina tries to accommodate both but it’s clear it attracts the backpacker more than the budget-aware. The common spaces are cute and quirky, but again it’s quite a young crowd that gathers in the bar in the evenings. I did have a chance to take a yoga class, it’s nice that this is an offering but the outdoor yoga space is right next to the kitchen which is also open air and the people cooking their breakfast were not mindful of their noise and speaking levels at all. Overall it was a decent stay and served its purpose - that being a cost efficient place to stay while we finalized some wedding decisions.

The property is great, but the main thing that really took away from the experience was the loud pop music, from 9am to 10pm everyday, wherever you are on the property. Yoga room? Pop music. In your private room? Pop music.

Great city location Easy walking to all sites Town sites including look out, please the Volcanos can be seen from outside the hostel. staff are very good at trying to accommodate you needs, you can book hikes ATv tours and walking tours at the hostel. There is events on every day like movie nights, salsa classes, Spanish classes, and also the hotels offers spa services. Post card perfect location ! Well managed safe clean friendly Make sure you book Atitlan Selina it’s beautiful, after Antigua get 30% off if you book at reception also use Selina app to get discount codes , We used adventure travel to go on an ATV tour fun and easy way to see a lot of secrets of Antigua in short time.

Overpriced which is on me for not doing my research, but what I can’t forgive is being overcharged by this Selina location. During my recent stay in Antigua, I was expecting to be charged for ~$258 for two nights but was charged ~$334. I had moved my reservation at one point from 5/29-5/31 to 5/30-6/1 via a chat in the Selina app. At no point was it raised that my price would increase. If so, I would have canceled. I didn’t realize immediately because upon arrival I was given the price in local currency rather than USD. Given the strict rules regarding modifications/cancellations, I was also not able to cancel the second night (once I realized the pricing error). The front desk informed me that it was the “right rate” per their reservations department and directed me to them for further concerns. However, the reservations and customer care team have been completely unhelpful. Besides the pricing issue, I would probably have given Antigua Selina a 3 and Atitlan Selina a 4 but I would never stay at or recommend Selina ever again. Companies cannot simply decide to charge you a random rate without your consent. Hopefully this is not a usual practice of theirs but given their inability to correct the error and honor the quoted rate, I wouldn’t be surprised. Hilariously, I received a response to my review on Google asking where I booked through. I booked directly through Selina. They did not follow up further so I guess this response was just for show?

Enjoyed my stay. Love the aesthetic of the property.