The directions from the bus station were good. The hostel staff were helpful and friendly. I had booked a room to myself, and it was fine. There were lots of cafes, restaurants, bars, independent shops within a few hundred yards. I was going to Morocco, and was very happy that the ferry port was just a few minutes' walk down the street. The ferries from Tarifa take you into Tangier itself, not to the port which is called Tanger Med; so it's better to go from Tarifa than from Algeciras; so, in every way, The Melting Pot at Tarifa was an excellent choice!

Having booked a trip last minute to Tarifa, the melting pot seemed like an ideal place to stay having seen the photos of the building and the location.

The booking process was quick and easy and the directions from the main bus station were plain and simple.

It is not a hotel it is a hostel so with this in mind the rooms were fine for a night or two. I was welcomed by the staff who took an interest in what I was up to. They helped with my onward plans and told me about places to eat in the town which would not be full of tourists.

The beds were comfortable and the rooms were in a good condition. It is quite a small 'cosy' hostel and as has been mentioned, there are limited shower facilities. I, however did not have to queue for the shower, I didnt have to share it and it produced hot running water, pretty much what a shower should do, I suggest.

It is not the cheapest of hostels but seemed to be friendly, clean and reliable and would happily use it again.

I stayed in the dorm room so can not comment on the private bedrooms but the fun of a hostel is the dorm I guess, I would use a hotel if I needed a private room.

We stayed at Melting Pot, Tarifa for 2 nights and it was great choice. The hostel is located near the town centre, 5 mins to the coast.
Comfortable and clean rooms, spacious living room and kitchen, breakfast, lockers, internet access - that's what you get for really reasonable price.

Spent 2 nights in this hostel whilst visiting Tarifa. I booked online with hostelworld, something I wouldn't normally do as I'm totally against the idea of paying to make a reservation. But as it's the only real hostel in town and it was the weekend I thought I'd better do so. Also I think 20 Euros is a lot for a dorm bed but I guess that's the result of the monopoly they have. Upon arrival I saw my name written on a board outside welcoming me which was a nice touch.

The girl on reception who greeted me was friendly and welcoming as were almost all the other staff I met. All apart from an older man who I assume was the owner.

The dorm on the ground floor was a little cramped with 6 beds but ok. There were individual lockers and an en suite bathroom. The rest of the hostel was agreeable with a nice lounge, kitchen (bread and spreads breakfast included in the price) and a small terrace upstairs with a partial view of Morocco across the water. Th wi fi connection was pretty good throughout. On a security note there was often nobody at the front desk and anyone could have walked in off the street. This combined with the fact that often people did not lock the dorm could be a concern.

The hostel location is good, just outside the old town, between it and the beach. There are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby.

One evening around 00.30 I wanted to sit quietly and read a book but found that the upstairs terrace was locked, I went to sit in the lounge only to be told by the owner that that was off limits too after midnight. So bear in mind that if you want to stay up late you have to go out. But I suppose this prevents the drunken party which has kept me awake late into the night in many other hostels.

Overall I would recommend this hostel. It was refeshingly laid back after the more commercial and regulated hostels further north.

A further word of warning: I did a day trip to Tangier organised though a local travel agency. Whilst I don't regret it as I got to see a glimpse of North Africa I was a bit disappointed. The tour is very much geared towards leading you around shops where you will be pressued to buy carpets, spices etc. I had read about a beautiful palace located within the Medina but we did not see it and our guide stated it wasn't worth seeing, I later google imaged it and would indeed have liked to have visited it rather than the shops I was taken to. We also did a camel 'ride' (in a small circle in a car park) and had lunch in a restaurant with live music, belly dancing and good food.

Just so you know what you can expect.