cheaper place near shangri la caribe?

hey all,

i'm planning a trip in may to visit a whole bunch of old friends gathering for a big get-together. they're all staying at the shangri-la, but unfortunately it's out of my budget. (actually the whole trip is, but i still want to be there!) i have around $150 US to spend on food and accomodation for the week so of course the cheaper the better, but i would like to be a near walk from my friends and of course in a place that's safe and clean. it doesn't have to be fancy. and my spanish is passable, so i don't need english-speakers at the desk, etc.

so i'm looking for hostels/cheap hotels where i could stay nearby. i was thinking of just doing the hammock thing at la ruina, but wondered if i would be eaten alive by mosquitos. also, do i need to bring my own hammock (ie buy one there?) and if so, is there anywhere i can do so within town without completely overpaying? it's hard for me to tell how far it would be from the shangri-la -- easily walkable? or too far? any other suggestions?

of course, the major appeal of la ruina for me would be the beach location. at the same time, i guess i will be spending virtually all of my time at the shangri-la with my friends. i wish i could afford to stay there! i'm a graduate student...

the only other mexican beach town i've spent time in is mazunte, which appears to be much cheaper than PDC.

thanks in advance!

betsey

bumping this as it seems i've been lost in the shuffle and will soon be shifted off the top page... maybe i should rephrase my questions? really looking forward to this trip...

(1) how long would it take to walk from la ruina to the shangri-la?

(2) will i be eaten alive by mosquitos at the shangri-la in mid-may?

(3) does anyone have a recommendation for another budget hotel or hostel that might be closer to the shangri-la?

thanks!
betsey

[Mapchick]

why don't you check out the El Palomar hostel
http://www.elpalomarhostel.com/eng/

You just need a place to sleep and keep your stuff safe, and like you said you'll probalby be spending most of your time at Shangri-La anyway.

You can get a dorm room for 100 pesos a night.

[james]

La Ruina. Skeeters shouldn't be a problem. The only problem is that you are at opposite ends of Playa but it's a nice walk. They used to have rental hammocks available, but they weren't very nice. You are best off with your own hammock.

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by betsbillabong

(1) how long would it take to walk from la ruina to the shangri-la?

(3) does anyone have a recommendation for another budget hotel or hostel that might be closer to the shangri-la?

The walk could be done in 30-40 min if you walk along 5th Ave., not the beach, and not in a hurry. Is not too bad and really safe.

Besides La Ruina, there are some other hostels in 5th Ave between 2nd to 4th streets. I have seen one more in 10th Ave, but can't remember the rates.

For 100 pesos, go for Mapchicks recomendation, looks good.

Thank you all for your replies. Very helpful.

So it sounds as if all of the budget places are down by the bus station/La Ruina and not up towards the Shangri-La. Too bad, but good to know. I have a couple of other questions:

The El Palomar looks nice, but camping on the beach sounds pretty nice too. Does anyone know La Ruina's current rates? I came across some things saying 60 pesos, but they were a couple of years old and I haven't been able to find a website or anything.

How much should a taxi between, say, the bus station and the Shangri-La cost?

Lastly, does La Ruina tend to be really noisy with people partying, or fairly laid back, or does it just depend?

Gracias!
Betsey

[Jesus]

With a some luck you will find something that cheap in the north end of town, but the busy (and so most frequented) area is by the bus station.

El Palomar vs. La ruina. Both can be noisy based on the location (very centrally located) and the crowd in the house. El Palomar is righ on 5th so it sure will be noisier, mostly.

I have found an OOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD playadelcarmeninfo brochure (this is the way I met this board, some years ago), with info on the hostel I mentioned on 10th ave.
Is Urban Hostel, 10th Ave between 4th & 6th streets. It says the rate is usd$10, but I have no current info. Try to e-mail at urbanhostel@yahoo.com

Hey, don't be lazy, you can save the taxi money and do some workout at the same time, you will be laying on the sand and partying the rest of the day.
For cheap food read the Changarros y Mas section and you will find great deals.

[Jesus]

Have just remembered that a peep mentioned the hostel on 10th, here is part of his report:
http://www.playadelcarmeninfo.com/pl...436#post109436

By cwgraffix.---------------------------

" Accomodation:
Dec.26-Dec.1 (the busiest time of year, mostly Texan-Oakie-Americans) -
Urban Hostel Deluxe, Av.10 Calle 4y6 (100pesos/night)
I would love to meet the person who thought up the "Deluxe" part.
I have stayed in many bad hostels, but this one was the worst ever. If you really hate someone, you know now where to send them. I have stayed in nicer jails.
"

" Hostel Playa, Av.25 Calle 8 (100pesos/night)
Now this is how it is done. 4 blocks from Mercado San Fransico. 3 blocks from the Beer Bucket. 2 blocks from semi-self service laundry (33 pesos 1 load wash and dry) 2 Blocks from Tacos Israel. Around the corner from Heather's Tamales to die for. Every bed has a net, fan, and locker. Beautiful woman walking around all day and laying down all night. Lounge area... kitchen... refridgerators. Friendly swiss girl at reception willing to do anything to make you happy :-) I can't believe I spent one night in the other place. Always remember to buy extra beer early on Sundays (the store won't sell liquor after 5)... You can make your money back on that nights stay by selling beer to guests who didn't know better. :-)

Food & Drink:
None of the tips I have got from this website were wrong... I printed the list and did about 75% of the taco and smaller places... Just some thoughts... the food in land seems much better... and when I say inland I don't mean 30th.... I mean not on the coast at all. The marlin tacos at El Oasis were terrible.... the Shrimp were excellent however. Service at El Serape was so slow and the food was average I just left waiting for my bill (asked 3 times)... they didn't seem to care. Breakfast at the stalls across from the bus station (the middle one in front of the diamond store) was great! I could not stop eating the tortas there. Hotest hot sauces had to be the green sauces at the no name bar and el oasis."
-------------------------------------------------

My only concern is that this other hostel is a bit farther from 5th and for a lone girl it would be a little bit more risky.

Wow, thanks a lot, Jesus.

It sounds like La Ruina will probably be the best for me. If I'm still going to be a long walk from the Shangri-La, I might as well be on the beach. I'm sure it will be fine. It is good to hear that review of the Urban hostel, though; it sounds as if the other one is the way to go, if I decide to be inland. I think you're right about the one on Ave. 25, it sounds a bit too far inland for me. I really like the idea of staying right on the beach. I was in Mazunte a couple of years ago (not too far from Escondido) and a bunch of people were doing the hammock thing... it seemed alright and kind of fun, but they were definitely getting eaten alive by mosquitos and sand fleas. Good to hear that I will most likely be escaping that...

[Jesus]

Hey, I would prefer to do that long walk every single day than sit at my computer at home. Plus, you are younger and can handle the job. I did that walk every day of my stay but I went farther to the north of Coco/Zubul beach, and did it mostly on the beach wich is harder.

I would even love to escort you on those walks, but unfortunately I have a chain tiying my ankle to my job and I don't see any chance of it letting go in the near future.

Ha, that's a good way to think of it. I'd rather be doing the beach walk, too. I'll probably try to mostly do it on the beach. Though I'm not sure I'm younger than you... will be turning 40 this year (ack!)

Thanks for the info!

BB

[Jesus]

Ok, already older than you, my BD was on the 16th, and yes I'm 40 now. A heavy burden.

If you want to get there faster, walk on 5th, if you want the excercise go along the beach.

Hey Jesus, glad to see you've preceded me into the big 40 and doing well! Congratulations! That's actually the reason I'm going to PDC... a good friend is turning 40 and invited about 15 people to the Shangri La to celebrate. Otherwise I probably wouldn't be going right now, as it's obviously not a good time for me money-wise! Still pretty psyched though. I will definitely walk on the beach, I think -- I love doing that.

Eternal light... eternal smog... life is a combination of both.

BB

[MWC]

One warning about La Ruina, if you're a single female. Especially on weekends it (and the Calle 2 area near the beach) can get very rowdy with laborers who come and camp on the beach, and drink cervesas, and otherwise get noisy and ribald.
pm "Sol" if she doesn't jump in, and she can give you her impression.

You might want to look again at that Hostel on Ave 25 and Calle 8.

[Mave]

I would second what MWC says about staying at La Ruina alone. Our 21 yr. old son stayed there a few nights last Nov. and was not comfortable with the local laborers who were staying there getting pretty drunk. He didn't speak spanish and you do, though, so your experience may be better. He thought they were messing with him a few times and was a little afraid to go to sleep. One time he woke up and a big guy was standing over his hammock, just staring at him. Kinda freaked him out!

He spent his first night at the Urban Hostel, and it was also not good...hot, buggy and loud. El Palomar looks much nicer. He'll stay there next time, he said. Good luck!

Mave