Gaia Guest House

Honestly, this was one of the nicest places I’ve stayed in my 7 months of travelling - incredible value. I was looking for somewhere peaceful to work and enjoy the city of San Cristobal. It’s perfectly located, about a 10-min walk from the main high street, wonderfully quiet at night. The rooms are bright and spacious with comfortable beds, super clean and tidy. I appreciated the fireplace but it never got too cold. There is a coffee maker, water and a fridge with drink refreshments in the room. And then another annexe with fresh fruit, porridge, hot water, etc. all the properties look out onto the garden. I had initially booked 5 nights and extended to 10. Rush and Angelina were both lovely.

Property is amazing. It is spacious, private and had all we needed. A fully equipped kitchen. And even a living room with a fireplace :)

Nothing. It is perfect :)

Sweet little place with fireplace which was good for the chilly evenings and a balcony to sit out. The communal area, with fruit, water and facilities was helpful. A man who rents one of the properties long term was very friendly and helpful. Prior to arriving communication was good. Property grounds felt secure.

There was nowhere comfortable to sit… 2 very uncomfortable chairs by the fire, so we couldn’t really stay by it. No staff presence at all. One day our fire was lit for us and we really appreciated this but there seemed to be no one around to ask for anything

Location was excellent - only note is that in the evening (from 8-9pm even) the streets in the area get very quiet. Not unsafe, but worth keeping in mind for solo travellers, that a taxi at dark may be best. I loved, loved, loved that there was a water tank in the room. Since tap water is unsafe in San Cristóbal, that was essential, and I loved that I wasn't limited to the usual couple of bottles you get in hotels here. The "room" was huge, with the bed section behind a "privacy wall" from the living section. It made it very cozy. Hot water and water pressure in the shower were brilliant. Most amenities were provided. The internal courtyard was so quiet - I slept with windows wide open during the entirety of my stay and there were no noises. It was also not a full capacity, meaning the common area wasn't used by anyone - it probably would have been noisier if there had been many other guests, due to the location of the room. However, because of this locking the door was pointless, as the french doors open on the main "corridor". This speaks to safety, surely!

WiFi was a bit slow but didn't hinder anything, and the signal at least was good. The main note is, that going against the grain here, San Cristóbal actually gets pretty warm during the day if it's sunny. The room faces west and the windows are massive, but only one opens, so there wasn't much air circulation. So instead of being cold at night, I was actually very, very warm. Had to sleep without covers and with the windows wide open! Shutters may help (to keep the sun out properly during the day, better than just curtains), or just providing a fan for the bedroom area. To be fair I never asked, I'm sure Angela would have been very responsive as she always was. Didn't really get the instructions to not use the minibar in the room for own things - I did use it to refrigerate my water bottles as otherwise it was very warm, and it didn't seem to make sense to go to the common area for this. Finally - cleaning. The room was very clean when I got in, but then no housekeeping happened. I perfectly understand this for short stays, but with the heat (again) the bins actually started smelling because they weren't emptied (especially the bathroom!). So I feel like a basic round of housekeeping every day may be needed. Angelina (the housekeeper) was lovely but I only crossed paths with her on day one. The rest of the time it felt a bit "lonely" as I never saw any of the staff. Again though, Angela was always very responsive on WhatsApp.