Welcome to my final Peru hostel roundup! I’ve reviewed accommodation from the big city, the jungle, and the highlands, and now I’m covering my favorite region — the coast. The hostels in this roundup are proof that you don’t need to break the bank to enjoy an oceanfront view or a swim up bar!

Kokopelli Paracas

This freshly-opened hostel is already becoming a backpacker favorite, and it’s easy to see why: a central beachfront location, an affordable on-site restaurant, modern pod dorms, and loads of amenities like a pool, ping pong and pool tables, and free kayak and catamaran use.

Kokopelli Paracas

Kokopelli Paracas Bar

Kokopelli Paracas Beach

Paracas is a tiny town, and this hostel is within walking distance of everything — the tiny town boardwalk, the pier for tours to Ballestas Islands, travel agencies selling ATV tours of the reserve, and stops for buses heading up and down the coast.

But for us, this hostel was a destination in itself. Breakfast was hearty, hammocks were abundant, and the international staff were friendly and chatty.

Kokopelli Paracas Pool

Kokopelli Paracas

Kokopelli Paracas Living Room

Kokopelli Paracas Kitchen

Best of all, the hostel features modern pod dorms. I love this style of dorm and wish more hostels would adopt it! Each one has a built-in locker, a personal outlet and a light. They provide tons of privacy and you can basically have your own little private pod room simply by hanging up a sarong.

Beachfront for nine bucks a night? I think this’ll do!

Kokopelli Paracas

Kokopelli Paracas Dorms

Kokopelli Paracas Dorms
Amenities: Pool, daily breakfast, kitchen, restaurant, bar, wifi and computer use, kayak and catamaran use, SUP rentals available
Pros: Amazing beachfront location, good value pod beds, fantastic breakfast
Cons: No refrigerator in the kitchen, pool needs cleaning
Room tip: Go for the pod dorms! They are cheaper and better value
Price: Six bed dorms are $12.50, six bed ensuite dorms are $13.50, eight bed dorms are $11.40, fourteen bed ensuite pod dorms are $9.
Book Here: Kokopelli Paracas

Loki del Mar Mancora

The Loki in Mancora is legendary among backpackers in South America — it’s basically a beach resort for budget travelers, complete with high-rise rooms, inviting pools, and an oceanfront location.

Loki Mancora

Loki Mancora Pool

This is truly a party palace. Daily activities tend to center around drinking games (though one afternoon there was free yoga, which I loved) and the bar is pumping late into the night. This is great if that’s the scene you’re looking for — if not, there is no escaping it. With no soundproofing, you will be awake until the bar shuts down, whether you like it or not!

Luckily there are ample spots for daytime naps, from colorful hammocks to highly coveted daybeds. With a onsite restaurant, there’s no need to ever leave the grounds — and many don’t.

Loki Mancora Hammock

Loki Mancora Breakfast

Loki Mancora Bar

My only annoyance at Loki was the wifi situation. It was the worst I experienced in Peru! While this obviously affects me more than it might affect others, I heard dorm-mates complaining that they couldn’t Skype home or send Facebook messages to friends.  And the worst part was I heard the staff telling people there was nothing they could do, because it was like that all over Mancora. That was blatantly untrue — every restaurant I went to had speedy connections.

Loki Mancora Bar

Loki Mancora Dorm

Loki Mancora Pool

There’s really nowhere else like it — if you want to party wildly by night and lounge poolside by day, this is the place to be in Mancora.

Amenities: Pool, daily breakfast, restaurant, bar, wifi and computer use, daily activities
Pros: Great location, lively bar, free yoga classes
Cons: The worst wifi I experienced in Peru, very loud
Room tip: Request a room on a higher floor for an ocean view
Price: Four bed dorms are $14, six bed mixed or female dorms are $11, eight bed dorms are $9.
Book Here: Loki del Mar

Kokopelli Beachpackers Mancora

After loving the Kokopelli hostels in both Paracas and Cusco, I was excited to try out their Mancora outpost. Note: this hostel has closed down, but here are some others in the area.

Kokopelli Mancora

Kokopelli Mancora

There is a not-so-secret rivalry between the two most popular hostels in Mancora, and guests at Kokopelli seem proud to be “not Loki people.” While we enjoyed both hostels, we definitely connected more with the slightly older and more travel-experienced crowd at Kokopelli. We also noticed Kokopelli was the hangout spot for area surfers, which made for a nice mix of travelers and locals.

Like its rival, Kokopelli has a pool, a ping-pong table, and amazing drink specials at the bar.

Kokopelli Mancora Living Room

Kokopelli Mancora Happy Hour

Kokopelli Mancora Private Room

Our private room was spacious and blessedly quiet even when the bar music was blaring. However, the shower was little more than a dribble. In fact, it was so bad that we thought it was broken, though when the hostel handyman showed up he declared that was “just how showers were in Mancora.” Another clear untruth — our shower at Loki had the pressure of a fire hose. (And, funny enough, the wifi was flawless at Kokopelli!)

My only other complaint was the breakfast. I loved the free breakfasts at the other Kokopelli locations, and this one just wasn’t up to par. I mean, the bread provided was hamburger buns. For breakfast? No thanks.

Kokopelli Mancora Ping Pong

Kokopelli Mancora Bar

Kokopelli Mancora Pool

Kokopelli Mancora Pool

Kokopelli Mancora Bar

If the idea of partying with gap-year backpackers is not for you, don’t skip Mancora! Check out the Kokopelli — it might be the perfect fit.

Amenities: Pool, daily breakfast, restaurant, bar, wifi and computer use
Pros: Good location, laid back crowd, swim up bar
Cons: No kitchen, poor breakfast, food slow
Room tip: Request a room away from the bar for a quieter night of sleep
Price: Eight bed dorms are $11.50, four bed dorms are $14.50, private rooms with private bathrooms are $28.
This hostel has closed down, but here are others in the area.

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This post was made possible by Hostelworld and the generous hospitality of Kokopelli and Loki. The content of my reviews was not influenced in any way by these partnerships — as always, you have my honesty above all else.

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18 Comments...
  • Shaun
    January 28 2014

    I need a shirt with that “I wish you were beer!”

    Kokopelli Paracas is exactly the kind of hostel I enjoy. Those bunks ain’t bunk, they’re pretty rad.

    I’d hang at Loki del Mar for a night or two but spend the rest of my time at chilling at kopelli Beachpackers Mancora.

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      Kokopelli Paracas was one of my favorite hostels in Peru! I loved it!

  • Laryssa
    January 28 2014

    I agree with Shaun — Kopelli in Mancora seems more like my pace as well.

    Loki looks AMAZING, but the words “party hostel” generally send me running to the nearest HI/YHA… I like late nights and having fun, but I like knowing I can sleep whenever I want.

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      That is definitely not an option at Loki 🙂 It is a lot of fun though!

  • Wow hostels with pools! I hope more hostels in Southeast Asia start adopting that!

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      I’ve only found one… PINK in Manila! Loved that place.

  • Andi
    January 28 2014

    I’m in love with all of the artwork and the pools!

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      They definitely love their murals in the hostels in South America! I think it is really fun.

  • Silvia
    January 28 2014

    I’m bookmarking all of these now because… if I do that then I’ll have to make it over to Peru soon? Ha well eventually at least!

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      I hope they help when the time comes, Silvia!

  • Rachel of Hippie in Heels
    January 29 2014

    Wifi is the biggest problem I have traveling in India. Almost no guesthouses have “working” wifi, and most restaurants don’t either, so I feel ya 🙁 ALso, I didn’t think I’d be craving hostels ever again but those looks fab!

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      Okay… you just killed all my desire to ever go to India. Just kidding (kind of). I am SO sick of bad wifi. Having reliable internet is one of the things I am most looking forward to about my domestic travels this summer!

  • TammyOnTheMove
    January 31 2014

    I don’t tend to sleep in dorms anymore, but I think if I had to sleep in one then the pod capsule one would be my choice. You seem to have a bit more privacy and noise protection, which I like.

    • Alex
      January 31 2014

      I felt like a dog that was retreating to its crate but I LOVED that thing! I spent unhealthy amounts of time in my little pod/crate 🙂

  • Jessie
    February 1 2014

    Pod dorms are where it’s at! Awesome photos. All those places look great, really enticing me to extend my trip further south!! :DDDDDDD I love the amount of wall art and paintings!

    • Alex
      February 2 2014

      Those are really ubiquitous in the hostels in Peru. I heard they give visiting artists a free place to crash in exchange for the murals. Nice gig!

  • AndesTransit
    June 26 2016

    I like hostels that have a swimming pool. They give me a hotel like vibe. Are these hostels safe? I mean, can I leave my laptop and a DSLR camera in my room and go for a walk or something?

    • Alex
      June 26 2016

      If you have a private room, that’s what I did! You can always invest in a Pacsafe or a Kensington Laptop lock if you want extra backup (check my obsessions page for more details.)

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