Monkey Hostel (Parque Principal, Calle 57 and Calle 10, tel. 981/811-6605, www.hostalcampeche.com, US$7–7.50 dorm, US$15.50–17.50 s/d) has a great location overlooking the central park and is a good place to meet other backpackers. Rooms here are barebones: the dorms are fairly spacious, while private rooms are tiny white cubes—get a room with a balcony if you can. All are reasonably clean, and share well-maintained common bathrooms. The large common area is unkempt, but benefits mightily from large windows and park views. There’s even better air and views from the rooftop deck—the hostel’s highlight. Includes continental breakfast, full kitchen, Internet, laundry, and bikes for rent.

Hostal del Pirata (Calle 59 between Calles 14 and 16, tel. 981/811-1757, piratehostel [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$7 dorm, US$18.50 d with shared bath, US$21 d with private bath) isn’t as centrally located, but the common areas—a shady courtyard with tables, a TV room, and a rooftop kitchen and dining area—are classier and more appealing. The dorms and rooms are so-so: men’s and women’s dorms have beds with individual lights, fans, and lockers, but there’s only one toilet and shower for 12 beds. Private rooms with shared bathrooms have saloon-style doors, which some may find, well, not too private, but they’re still better than the cramped and stuffy rooms with their own bathrooms. Cool and eclectic, El Pirata doesn’t have the scene that the Monkey does, which is good or bad depending on your taste. Includes continental breakfast, Internet, laundry service, and bike rentals.

Hostal La Parroquia (Calle 55 No. 8, tel. 981/816-2530, www.hostalparroquia.com, US$10 dorm, US$20 s, US$30 d) Campeche’s newest hostel occupies a 17th-century mansion, complete with high ceilings and two small sunny courtyards. Internet, Ping-Pong, board games, and bike rental are all available in the lobby. The private rooms are tiny with springy beds, but the dorms are comfy enough, with sturdy bunks and individual lockers; the Cathedral room is the biggest and best. Continental breakfast is served at the sister restaurant next door, one of Campeche’s most reliable. The community kitchen is disappointing though—basically a microwave and hotplate—but the biggest bummer is shared bathrooms, which are clean but smell awful thanks to poor plumbing.

Hotel Colonial (Calle 14 No. 122, tel. 981/816-2230, US$17 s, US$22 d, US$30 d with a/c) offers the cheapest private room in town, and if you get one with an actual window and actual natural light, you’re stoked. But there are only a handful of those, and the place is so popular, especially with European tour groups, that you’re more likely to get a moist interior room. All are clean and have hot water (and exposed plumbing), a few have air-conditioning, and there’s a pleasant common area. The owner-operators are quirky, but in a good way.