As excited as we were to arrive in Todos Santos, we were surprised by how few places there are to camp in the area. We consulted with our iOverlander app, and reviews were pretty mixed too. The beach sites were pretty crowded and many had litter everywhere. One particular RV park near downtown had terrible reviews — it was reportedly infested with fleas and had dirty bathrooms. ¡No gracias!
So when we spotted the Todos Santos Hostel on the map, we got a bit excited. After all, we just had a really pleasant stay at the Peace Hostel. Perhaps hostels were the way to go?!
The Campground
Upon our arrival at the Todos Santos Hostel we immediately noticed that we were a 20-minute walk from the downtown area. For most, that’s a huge perk. We ended up using our van for most of our downtown exploration, simply because when you have two kids under 7, you want to minimize any of the complaining! But for others, the hostel’s proximity to the town’s lively center via bike or walk was ideal.
The second thing we noticed is that it isn’t a large property. There’s a shared lounge area in front of the main building, which housed the front office, a large common kitchen and rooms. While I can’t speak to the rooms in that building, it did seem like a lot of their guests were staying in those bunks.
Behind the main building, there is a beautiful lush garden that is very inviting. Towards the front of this area, there are a few designated tent sites along the left side. A bit further, there are three designated areas for van campers like ourselves. We got pretty lucky — there was one spot left when we arrived! Our site was right next to another camper. At first, it appeared that we wouldn’t have much privacy here, but it ended up being a non-issue. Steven was fairly chatty with the two camper vans that were staying the same weekend as us, and we ended up getting some good tips on where the best eats were in town. The camper van spots are tight, and we wouldn’t recommend staying here if your rig is longer than 19.5-feet. However, the hostel was open to allowing longer vans to stay outside of the hostel (basically on the dirt road) for the same price, with the same access to all of the amenities. To be honest, it’s worth calling in advance to talk to the office manager to ensure a spot if you’re traveling this way with a van.
Towards the back of the property, there were super adorable canvas tents for guests to stay in. You can peep some of the photos here! There was also a double room with a garden view if you’re not into the whole tent-thing.
Amentities at Todos Santos Hostel
As I mentioned earlier, the hostel had several common areas. The kitchen is pretty large, and had plenty of space for guests to store their food. The main shared lounge had a couple of dining tables, and plenty of seating for those looking to hang out, read or get some work done. Right next to the lounge area is a bar, where you can purchase beer or mixed drinks from the bartender in the late afternoon and evenings. You could also access the WiFi pretty easily from here (although without a WiFi extender, it didn’t quite reach to the camping areas).
Behind the two van campsites, there is an open-air sink area and a row of bathrooms and showers. This entire area was always clean, and I’m pleased to report that the showers were hot. With great water pressure!
The garden area also happens to be the boys’ favorite amenity. It’s a fantastic little area that you can walk through, or as Levi and Harvey preferred, designate as their own space. Seeing our boys use their imagination under these trees in Todos Santos made me smile. When I asked what they were doing, Harvey said matter-of-factly, “We’re camping. Levi is my Dad and I’m his son, and the van is the store. Um, lady, can I buy some yogurts to take to our campsite?” Of course I obliged, charging two kisses for two yogurts. ?
While we didn’t take advantage of it, you can also rent bikes from the hostel!
The Cost
The price at the Todos Santos Hostel is a bit on the steeper end of our Baja travels. For our camper van site, we paid $250 pesos + $190 each per child (so $630 in total) per night. At the time of our travels, this was around $32 U.S. dollars a night. Still not bad in the big scheme of things!
I also did a quick search on the canvas tents and private double room. Both appear to range between $45-60 per night. Definitely reasonable!
Overall, we would recommend the Todos Santos Hostel over some of the other options nearby. You’ll enjoy the stories from fellow travelers, and sleep well at night knowing you’re not being bitten by fleas! ?
