Family-friendly Hotels in La Paz

On the first night I was in a 4 bed dorm and I was woken up at 4 am by the receptionist and a security guard. They got me out of bed and made me show my room key and guest card, as apparently in their system the room should be empty. Well, I was in the right room and I was taken out of bed without any need, apparently the receptionist registered me on room 307 and gave me the keys of 407. It was very unpleasant and I had a terrible sleep after that. I wonder why they couldn't wait until later to settle the matter. So I went to the reception to negotiate some kind of compensation for the unpleasant situation they had put me through, I suggested a complimentary breakfast (it costs about U$4.50). But they basically replied that they didn't care about the situation and that I could complain wherever I wanted. Selina is not a cheap hostel, so you're expected to at least be treated well, which was not the case. Before this happened, I would easily give it five stars, as it is comfortable, safe, clean. But the way they treated me wasn't fair, they treated me like I was doing something wrong, when in fact it was their mistake. Second night the private room smelled cigarette, I also let reception know but nothing was made. There were some dishes from a previous guest at the door and they stayed there until my check out. Both nights were very noisy. During check out I had to request the refund of the 35bs key deposit they charged me when checking in, but they said it wasn't registered on the system (again another ”system” mistake), so I had to insist I paid, very uncomfortable situation once more. It seems Selina La Paz needs to improve its management. The whole situation will definitely make me think twice about staying at another Selina.

The staff is good in English, the place is big and clean, there is stable hot water, we exchange bau-fi at the hotel for the price of the US dollar, the breakfast is full, there is welcome drinks, and the next time you come to la Paz, you will choose this hotel.

2-nights solo stay in April 2019. The hotel is located in the touristy part of old town, close to the Witches’ Market (Mercado de las Brujas). That might sound like a good thing, but it isn’t – the area reminded me of Old Delhi… dirty, busy and crowded. I was in a room overlooking the main road, and the windows just couldn’t keep the noise out. Note that despite the chaotic traffic and crowds, the area didn’t feel unsafe, even late at night. Plaza Major de San Francisco, Plaza Murillo and the Teleferico stations for cable cars to El Alto or Zona Sur aren’t very close, but walkable from the hotel (keep in mind that La Paz has steep hills). The hotel is in an old building with LOTS of staircases and open-air areas. Again, it sounds like a good idea until you have to run across an open terrace in pouring rain to get to your room. Also, access to many (most?) rooms requires climbing at least a few stairs. The walls are paper-thin and you can clearly hear conversations and other sounds from adjoining rooms. And that leads to my next gripe / observation – the room safe requires an advance science degree to operate. I read and re-read the instructions in full before being able to use it. Unfortunately, due to the paper-thin walls and the complexity of the room safe, I was woken up at 3am one night by the folks next door repeatedly failing to open their safe by entering wrong number combinations. I heard every beep of them keying in the numbers, the safe mechanism turning, and then beeping to indicate incorrect numbers. The room has an electric room heater, and extra blankets are available in the cupboard. The free WiFi had a good speed. I thought the buffet breakfast finished early for a hotel aimed at tourists. Food availability was an issue both mornings that I ate there, as popular items ran out and weren’t replaced. I was disappointed by the hotel’s service, particularly due to two incidents: • I got drenched in a sudden downpour one evening, and was told the hotel couldn’t provide an iron and ironing board when I asked, in order to dry my clothes. The person I spoke to didn’t offer any other ideas to help with the situation • I asked the receptionist while checking-out to mail postcards for me, and gave him BOB100 for stamps and his assistance. Those are the only postcards from my South America trip that didn’t arrive Free tea and hot water are available in the lobby area. I won’t stay again at the Hotel Rosario – the hotel, the service and the location just didn’t do it for me, especially for the price I paid. I plan to stay in the trendy Sopocachi area next time I’m in La Paz; or the vibrant San Miguel area in Zona Sur.