Picking the right place to stay when traveling can make or break your experience. So, between your explorations to find the best spots in Guadalajara for mariachi and eating scrumptious tortas ahogadas, you might be considering Selina as the place to rest your head.
In this Selina Guadalajara review, I’ll share must-know details about this upscale hostel, its location, and what to expect.
Accessibility Note: Selina Guadalajara isn’t wheelchair accessible. However, you can read our Guadalajara accessible guide for more details on wheelchair accessibility.
My Selina Background
As a digital nomad, Selina is my go-to choice when traveling because of their coliving packages.
That said, I self-fund 100% of my Selina stays, and they don’t know I write reviews on their hostels. So, you’re receiving my uninfluenced opinion.
Fun Selina Info
In 2014, Selina opened its first hostel in a small Panamanian fishing town. The company then started expanding to other Latin American countries, thriving because of its niche as a boutique hostel chain.
They also began incorporating cowork spaces into many of their hostels, which worked in their favor when an influx of office workers-turned-digital nomads emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, in 2020 Selina received $60 million that they’ve been putting towards global expansion.
So, not only can you find Selinas from Puerto Escondido to Mexico City and Playa del Carmen, but they’re also emerging in Europe, Australia, and Africa.
Selina Guadalajara’s Location
Selina Guadalajara is located in the heart of the trendy tourist street, Avenida Chapultepec. The moment you walk outside, you’ll be steps away from many restaurants, shops, gyms, and convenience stores.
Just as wonderful, getting to downtown Guadalajara from Selina is a breeze.
You can opt to take an Uber (the ride costs a few dollars, at most) or walk 30 minutes to the main Plaza de Armas.
While you need to be careful walking around downtown Guadalajara at night, Avenida Chapultepec often has lots of activity, so it’s an ideal place for spending your evenings.
Hostel Setup
Selina fits in with the buildings on Av. Chapultepec, as it’s a high-rise containing nine floors. It has a large staircase leading to the lobby, which is technically on the second floor. Their restaurant sits under the staircase, level with the road, open for guests and passersby alike.
Once you enter the lobby, you’ll encounter a large space with snacks, toiletries, and clothing for sale. The cowork is also on this floor.
From there, an elevator will take you to the many rooms and common areas throughout the hostel. Each floor has a tastefully decorated communal area, as seen in the cover photo of this article.
When you head to the 9th floor of this hostel, a beautiful rooftop will greet you. It’s here where Selina often hosts (often too loud) parties for their guests.
Rooms at Selina Guadalajara
Selina offers several types of dorm and private rooms to fit various budgets. Below are the options you’ll have.
Dorm Rooms
The dorms at Selina Guadalajara are nicer than your average backpacker hostel. Each bed has a blackout privacy curtain, a locker built above the bed, a personal little shelf, and outlets both by the shelf and inside the locker.
You’ll have the following dorm rooms to choose from, with the price getting cheaper the more beds there are in the room:
- 4 beds
- 6 beds
- 8 beds
That’s right—you don’t have the option to stay in a dorm with more than eight beds, which is different from many Selinas that offer 10+ beds per room.
Nevertheless, Guadalajara is a relatively cheap destination, so you won’t have to worry about outrageous prices for a bed like at the Selinas in Tulum and San Miguel de Allende.
One important note is that the dorm rooms don’t come with a towel. So, either bring your own or rent one at the front desk.
Private Rooms
If you have some cash to spare, upgrading to a private room at Selina Guadalajara is an excellent option. These rooms come with towels, toiletries, and a private bathroom.
Travel Tip: Ask for a room with a view over the city. Many rooms on the higher floors offer excellent vistas.
The Standard: A double bed for two people and a decent amount of space to walk around and store your belongings. It comes with a desk and one chair.
Family Room: This private four-person room comes with either one bunk bed and two twin beds or one bunk bed and one queen bed. You get to choose the style, subject to availability.
The Suite: A spacious and beautifully designed room with a sitting room, closet, coffee maker, and Selina’s premium in-room amenities. It can accommodate two people.
Studio Apartment: Make yourself at home with this beautiful apartment equipped with a kitchenette, dining area, and minibar.
The Loft: Perfect for the long-term or luxury traveler. The Loft can hold up to two guests and is equipped with more space and similar, but fancier, amenities than the Studio Apartment.
A Note on Selina Pricing
Selina operates on a flexible pricing schedule. The following factors determine the price of your room:
- How far in advance you book. The farther ahead you make your reservation, the cheaper your room.
- The number of nights you stay. The longer you stay, the cheaper the price per night will be.
- Refundable vs. non-refundable rate. The non-refundable rate is cheaper than the refundable rate.
- Whether you book with or without breakfast.
- Whether they’re running any promotions. Promotions happen often, so keep your eye out for them.
- Whether you’re traveling during a holiday or special event.
Amenities
Here’s what you’ll get to enjoy by staying at Selina Guadalajara:
- Shared kitchen (unless you book a room with a private kitchen)
- Free drinking water
- Strong, reliable WiFi
- Free social activities
- Movie room
- Restaurant
- Wellness area
I’d be remiss to write this Selina Guadalajara review without mentioning it’s a dog-friendly hostel.
In order to bring your pooch to Selina, you’ll need to book a private room. However, Fido will undoubtedly be the star of the show when you take him into the common areas.
Selina Guadalajara Cowork
Note: You must pay for the cowork to use it.
I’ve used a lot of Selina coworking spaces, and their Guadalajara facility is among my favorite.
Much of this has to do with it being more spacious than many of their other coworks. The Guadalajara cowork space also has a beautiful design, with large shared tables for moments when you want to connect with fellow coworkers and booths when you want to work with fewer distractions.
If you have an important conference, you can either use the free phone booth or sign up and pay for one of two conference rooms.
When hunger strikes, you can head over to the kitchen area to grab food you stored in the communal refrigerator. There’s also free coffee and tea.
In my opinion, the biggest downside to Selina Guadalajara’s cowork space is that they don’t lock the door. That, coupled with the fact that you enter it from the lobby, makes it easy for non-paying people to use this facility.
On the flip side, you’ll have access to this space at any hour of the day or night.
If you’re thinking about signing up for a colive package, which includes one or more months of accommodation and the cowork, check out my Selina Colive Review.
Safety
Selina Guadalajara is in one of the safest parts of the city. I felt comfortable walking down Avenida Chapultepec day and night, given that it’s well-lit and there are many pedestrians around.
Furthermore, an evening market sometimes occurs on the pedestrian-friendly street divide, which you can easily and safely visit from Selina.
During the daytime, I felt comfortable walking from Selina into the historic center of Guadalajara as a solo female traveler.
However, I always took an Uber at night, and encourage you to do the same. The area around Plaza de Armas is worth seeing in the evening, but you can run into trouble if you wander too far from this touristy area.
If you’re curious to learn more about safety in Guadalajara, check out my article, Is Guadalajara Safe?
Cleanliness
From my experience, the staff does an excellent job keeping Selina Guadalajara clean.
Of course, if you enter a public restroom or the kitchen shortly after an inconsiderate guest used them, you won’t find them in tip-top shape. But overall, the sheets have a clean, bleached-white feel, and the cleaning staff is constantly caring for the common areas.
Selina Guadalajara Review: The Good
Some of my favorite features of Selina Guadalajara include:
- Modern, new look
- Friendly, helpful staff
- Some rooms have city views
- Spacious cowork
Selina Guadalajara Review: The Not So Good
Below are some things to watch out for if you end up staying at Selina:
- Painfully loud music that makes its way from the rooftop to the upper-level floors in the evenings
- Street noise is an issue if your room faces Av. Chapultepec
Is Staying at Selina Guadalajara Worth It?
Everyone has a different travel style and judgment of what a “good” hostel is. Personally, I enjoyed my time at Selina Guadalajara and appreciated its centric, safe location.
If you have questions about staying there after reading this Selina Guadalajara review, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help.
Wishing you happy travels to Guadalajara wherever you end up staying!
P.S.—Will you be taking a bus to Los Guachimontones, Tequila, Chapala, or Ajijic? If so, don’t miss my posts on how to catch the bus to these destinations.
