@grojas How is the response when you ping 127.0.0.1 ?
If it is faster, do check what's the order of the HOST resolution in nsswitch.conf file:
# grep -i hosts /etc/nsswitch.conf
#hosts: db files nisplus nis dns
hosts: files dns myhostname
Make sure you have files as the first entry. Also, add an entry in the /etc/hosts file as follows:
#cat /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 localhost