Let me guess—you’ve got your surfboard and bathing suit packed, but you’re trying to figure out what hostel you should make your home base while in Puerto Escondido. I spent two weeks in Puerto Escondido, and I hope this Selina Puerto Escondido review will help shed some light on whether or not Selina is a good fit for you.
For transparency, Selina didn’t offer me any money or incentives for writing this post. In fact, they don’t even know I’m writing it.
Accessibility Note: Selina Puerto Escondido isn’t wheelchair accessible. If you’re a wheelchair user, check out our post on Accessibility in Puerto Escondido.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we might make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Selina Overview
Selina is a hostel chain that started in Panama. It’s renowned for colorful artwork, an engaged hostel community, and is geared towards digital nomads.
Before COVID-19, Selina secured an impressive $200+ million in funding to expand their network. The pandemic has only fueled investor interest in Selina’s potential; Selina wracked up millions of dollars more in 2020.
As a digital nomad myself, I almost always stay at Selina if it’s in the destination I’m visiting.
It doesn’t mean I’ve had perfect experiences each time (Is any place really perfect?), but knowing I’ll have (pretty) reliable WiFi—even in destinations that are notorious for terrible WiFi (I’m looking at you, Puerto Escondido)—draws me to Selina time and time again.
What Does Google Think?
Google categorizes Selina Puerto Escondido as a 2-star accommodation.
That’s fair, in my opinion.
The cowork space is a unique attraction to this hostel, but it’s not the only benefit. Selina Puerto Escondido offers loads of free activities, a pool, a jacuzzi, and a movie room, to name a few.
These features make Selina Puerto Escondido deserving of a higher rating than the typical 1-star for hostels.
Selina Puerto Escondido Location
Selina Puerto Escondido is located right across the road from the beach.
Need I say more?
I will because for surfers, this part matters—Selina is on the northern end of Zicatela Beach. The road between Selina and the beach is quiet, thanks to little vehicle traffic.
Zicatela is famous for its huge waves. This isn’t swimming water, folks. However, you’ll get to enjoy playing volleyball or basking in the sand on what’s likely the widest beach you’ve ever seen.
When hunger strikes, you’ll have countless restaurant options to choose from, as beachfront restaurants line the sand. Most of these restaurants are on the pricey side, so if you’re looking for cheap food, head across the road and back a block or two.
There’s a well-stocked convenience store a couple of blocks down from the hostel. It’s about a 10-minute walk to get to Playa Principal. This is a smaller beach with tourist shops and where you can take some great photos overlooking Zicatela.
Speaking of great photos, make sure to pay a visit to the Mirador Romance de Verano, which is just down the beach from Selina.
Hostel Setup
Selina Puerto Escondido did a great job of encompassing a beach vibe into their hostel design. When you enter the hostel, you’ll be greeted by a bar/restaurant and tables in the sand. A wooden boardwalk will lead you to the check-in counter.
From there, get ready to hike up some stairs, my friends. You’re going to want to travel with a backpack to make hauling your luggage up the steps look as graceful as possible.
The stairs are beautiful to look at with their wood and stone design, but they’re steep and they get slippery when wet. Did I mention they’re outdoor staircases?
A pool is located by the bar and up the steps. All the rooms are embedded into a hill, with paths winding throughout the property. It can be a little confusing to get around until you get your bearings, but once you do, I think you’ll appreciate its jungle-like design.
I loved my stay at Selina, but I must admit that one of the best parts about it was the cafe beside it. You can enter the cafe through an internal door at Selina, although the cafe itself is independently owned.
I highly recommend ordering one of their sandwiches. Just thinking of the homemade bread is making me want to go back! Their desserts are amazing too.
Rooms at Selina Puerto Escondido
Now we’ve arrived at our Selina Puerto Escondido review where we’ll talk about what’s likely one of the most important things to you—the rooms.
Dorm Rooms
Selina Puerto Escondido offers the following types of dorm rooms:
- 6 bed
- 8 bed (Male & Female)
- 8 bed (Female only)
- 10 bed
All dorm rooms come with sheets and a personal locker (you need to bring your own lock). Some also have an en-suite bathroom.
If the bathroom in your room is occupied, there are plenty of other communal bathrooms you can use.
Towels and blankets are available for rent. You’ll need to ask the front desk for details.
The dorm beds at Selina Puerto Escondido leave a lot to be desired compared to some of Selina’s other destinations. They have an approximately 2-foot board by your head, which offers minimal privacy.
However, you’ll have access to a small shelf and (usually) an outlet near your bed. The mattresses themselves are decent, especially for hostel standards.
Travel Tip: If you’re spending a lot of time staying in dorm rooms, consider bringing your own blankets and/or sheets. Snag a bottom bunk, then use the sheets to form your own little private tent.
Example of a fort tent you can make if you have a bottom bunk in a Selina dorm room:
Private Rooms
Selina always has a variety of unique private room options. They’re far from cheap, but they scale in size and amenities to serve a wider range of budgets.
The Micro: An ultra-tiny room with a full-size bed and barely enough floor space to put your luggage. It’s the most economical option on this list and perfect for those wanting privacy without an extra hefty price tag. You’ll need to share a nearby bathroom. It can hold up to two people and comes with towels and free toiletries.
The Standard: A more spacious option than The Micro for up to two travelers sharing a full-size bed. You’ll have a private bathroom. It comes with towels and free toiletries.
Family Room: This private four-person room comes with either one bunk bed and two twin-size beds or one bunk bed and one queen-size bed. You get to choose the style, subject to availability. You’ll have a private bathroom.
Teepee Standard: A signature Selina beach hut, the Teepee offers nature lovers a chance to sleep inside their adorable tents. You’ll have to leave your teepee to use a shared bathroom, but you’ll have an outlet by your bed and a mosquito net to keep out any unwanted visitors.
The Suite: A spacious and beautifully designed room with a private bathroom and Selina’s premium in-room amenities. It comes with towels and free toiletries.
The Suite+: Treat yourself to luxury with this comfortable getaway room. You’ll have a king or queen-size bed, a table, sofas, chairs, and a private bathroom. Towels and toiletries are included.
The Loft: What’s not to love about this private accommodation that can hold four guests and up to 15 visitors? There’s no shortage of amenities or space here.
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 book, the cheaper your room will cost.
- 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, Selina’s breakfasts are amazing. So, I recommend booking with breakfast included!
- Whether or not they’re running any promotions. Promotions happen often, so keep your eye out for them.
- Holidays and special events.
At the end of the day, you’re more likely to get a good deal on your room (and encounter availability) if you aim to make your reservation as soon as you know your travel dates. It’s pretty amazing to speak with fellow travelers and learn just how much they paid for their last-minute stay!
Amenities
A Selina Puerto Escondido review wouldn’t be complete without covering the amenities it offers guests.
One of the biggest attractions to the Selina brand is that they design their hostels so you don’t have to leave during your stay if you don’t want to. That’s not the point, obviously, but you get what I’m saying.
Here’s what’ll come with your Selina Puerto Escondido stay:
- Swimming pool and Jacuzzi
- Fun beach bar and delicious Selina restaurant food
- Movie room
- Free social activities
- Wellness area that overlooks the ocean
You can even bring your pet, provided you stay in a private room.
Selina Puerto Escondido Cowork
Selina Puerto Escondido’s cowork space is a dream. Complete with a thatched roof and a tasteful nature-oriented design, it’s a great spot to catch up on your emails after you hit the waves.
Speaking of waves, since the cowork is located on the second floor, you can get a glimpse of the ocean through the palm trees.
What amazed me most about this cowork space is that there were more locals and tourists who weren’t guests than there were Selina guests. As it turns out, good WiFi in Puerto Escondido is essentially non-existent.
That’s not to say that the WiFi at Selina Puerto Escondido is 100% reliable. Selina has seen an uptick in remote workers since the pandemic, and as a result, it’s dragged down the quality of WiFi.
Nevertheless, because of how popular Selina’s cowork is for digital nomads and how small the cowork space is, it means that getting a seat can be tricky. I recommend arriving at 7:00 am in order to secure a spot.
Speaking of 7:00 am, that’s the earliest you can enter the cowork. Once the door is open you can come and go throughout the day without needing a code or key.
Free coffee, tea, and water are available, although the water had a tendency to get sparse as the day wore on during my time there.
Are you thinking about purchasing a colive package? If so, make sure to check out my Selina Coliving Review. I’ll show you when Selina’s coliving is a deal and when it’ll drain your money.
Important: The cowork space isn’t included with your room price. You’ll need to book and pay for it separately.
P.S.- Are you interested in learning about other Selina cowork spaces in Mexico? Check out my Selina Mexico Cowork Review.
Safety
I felt very safe during my stay at Selina Puerto Escondido. They close up the hostel during the wee hours of the morning, with a guard manning the door to let guests in and out.
The hostel itself is well located, just outside the main center area and at the northernmost point of Zicatela Beach.
Compared to places like Cancun, there’s never a ton of people in Puerto Escondido (unless you’re there during a surfing competition). But, relatively speaking, the hostel is in an area with decent foot traffic. Like most places in Mexico, it’s best to take a taxi if you’ll be going anywhere at night.
Cleanliness
I was satisfied with the cleanliness at Selina Puerto Escondido. It’s a hostel, so shared bathrooms and common areas are bound to get messy at times. However, the staff seemed to be vigilant about cleaning.
Selina Puerto Escondido Review: The Good
- Directly across from Zicatela Beach
- Female only dorm option
- Decent WiFi for Puerto Escondido standards
- Amazing restaurant/bar area complete with sand
- Pool and a Jacuzzi
- Teepee style tent option
Selina Puerto Escondido Review: The Not So Good
- Lots of steep stairs that can get slippery when wet.
- Their smallest dorm size is 6 beds. Most other Selinas offer a 4-bed dorm room.
Selina Hopping?
If you’ll be staying at other Selinas in Mexico, make sure to check out my reviews on the following locations:
Is Staying at Selina Puerto Escondido Worth It?
For me, staying at Selina Puerto Escondido was worth every peso. I loved being able to walk across the street and having beautiful Zicatela Beach at my sandy “toe tips”. The stairs were a nuisance at times, but it resulted in toner thighs, so can I really complain?
Do you have questions about staying at Selina Puerto Escondido? Leave a comment, and I’ll be happy to help. Alternatively, if you’ve already stayed there, let me know your feedback about this Selina Puerto Escondido review.
Psst! If you’re concerned about safety during your Mexico trip, don’t miss my article on Is Puerto Escondido Safe? I analyze its safety from personal experience and data-driven facts.
Can’t decide where you want to base yourself? Check out my articles on Sayulita vs Puerto Escondido and Selina Sayulita.
I lived in Puerto for three years. I love it there and am moving back soon.
Hi Randy,
That’s great to hear! Puerto Escondido is certainly a stunning little coastal town. Wishing you the best of luck with your move!
Hey. I’m teaching German online and therefore I Need to do Videocalls 5 Hours a day. I’m not sure if therefore the shared workspace in selinas is right for me. Do you have to stay quiet or is it okay to talk? An answer would help! Thanks!
Hi Nina, People definitely talk in the cowork space, as there’s only one small area for taking calls (which isn’t very soundproof). That said, if you’ll be doing a lot more talking than your students for five hours straight, it might get a little distracting for those around you. It also depends on who happens to be in the cowork — I’ve been in Selina coworks where there are lots of people moving around and talking. At other times, it’s a quieter crowd in the same place. I know that’s not a perfect answer, but I hope it helps!
Hi! I’ve been reading all of your blogs on the Selina Colive program. I am really interested in going to Mexico next month, but am nervous about the spotty wifi you mentioned in Puerto Escondido and Isla Mujeres. I have to make 15-30 minute calls throughout the day. Do you think that was doable? Also a little nervous about safety due to what’s said in the media and by friends/family. I am a 22 year old blonde female who is well traveled. Do you think I will be okay?
Hi Sydney,
From my experience, the WiFi in both Puerto Escondido and Isla Mujeres didn’t go out as often as every 15 – 30 minutes; it was usually good for at least a few hours at a time, if not most of the day. The trick is keeping your fingers crossed that the WiFi doesn’t happen to go out during your 15 – 30 minute calls. If you’re making multiple calls throughout the day, I’d say the chances are pretty high that you’ll encounter some WiFi issues while on the phone at some point.
As a solo female traveler myself, I felt very safe at the Selinas in Puerto Escondido and Isla Mujeres. Both hostels are well located, so you’ll be steps away from restaurants, convenience stores, and (most importantly!) the beach. That said, applying common-sense safety practices that you’d use anywhere is key to maximizing safety (don’t walk down desolate streets at night, leave expensive jewelry at home, etc.). What I love about Selina, and working at the cowork in particular, is that it’s easy to make friends so that you can explore the area together.
Hi! I’m still thinking if it’s worth staying in selina because some friends told me la punta is better. What’s your opinion?
Hi Larissa,
La Punta is a very nice part of Puerto Escondido and is located about a 35-minute walk on the beach from Selina. Personally, I didn’t feel I was missing out location-wise by staying at Selina; I enjoyed having a quick walk to the center or a longer beach walk when I wanted to make my way to La Punta. Regardless of where you choose to stay, the important thing to know is that Puerto Escondido is small enough so that you can get anywhere you want on foot.
Of course, everyone has different opinions on the best spot to stay. I’d love to hear about your experience if you stop back here after your trip. I’m sure your takeaways will help future readers 🙂