Hostel Backpackers La Fortuna

Hostel

We were with my husband at Arenal Hostel and the experience was very good.
The staff were very friendly and helpful! and very nice facilities! would come back without hesitation.

The photos didn't match the facilities. The space is more run down than seen in the pictures and the staff weren't very welcoming/friendly. Our room was relatively clean, with one exception — there were two COCKROACHES in our shower which scurried down the shower drain when we moved closer to them. The yard where the hammocks were was mostly loose gravel and some patchy grass. We gave it two stars because we compared it to the other places we stayed at in Costa Rica with a similar price point.

At arrival we were told we got a free upgrade to their “nicer” hostel, Arenal Hostel Resort which is a block from this place. We were lead to their reception for check-in only to be lead back to the original hostel with no upgrade. Why do this? A person in our party went to ask the employee who initially spoke of the upgrade and informed him that the room smelled like mold and the beds were uncomfortable. To this, he replied that she could sleep in his bed… We were sold a hot spring day pass at Baldy Resort which included a buffet dinner. When I asked the tour salesman if the buffet had vegan options, I was assured that it did. Salad is not an acceptable vegan option as a meal. I could have bought the pass without the meal if I had been informed properly. Rooms during rainy season tend to smell a bit moldy but this one was excessive. No hook in bathroom for towel. Actually no towels provided AT ALL! Not even a hand towl for our bathroom! Windows are zero soundproof. We were kept up late and then woken up super early because of other guests. You can hear conversations from outside as if they were taking place inside the room.

Very good deal for the price. Swimming pool is awesome ant they have a/c in the rooms. Kitchen quite good offers coffee for free.

Our room was unfortunately next to the garbage room but it was nice, with kitchen aber, tour offers and pool tables. We enjoyed our time a lot especially joking around with the employees. The city is amazing and right on the other side is a very trustworthy car rental if you want to explore some parts like rio Celeste by your own.

An unbeatable place. A nice staff and open to help. We pay $20 per double room with own bathroom and shower. I recommend the place if you are looking for a good value for money.

Not perfect but really liked it. Clean, fun and friendly.

We stayed at this hostel after we first booked an apartment a little bit outside of town which turned out to be a nighmare. The front desk lady was super sweet, helpful and madeus feel safe. We stayed in a double room, it had an AC and a private toilet. I really do not understand why this hostel doesn't have more stars. It is really good, standard of a normal apartment, right in the middle of the town and the staff is super helpful. Try it out, do not pay more in other apartments, if you can stay here for less!

This is the place to be at La Fortuna! Great pool with bar! Lots of hammocks! Close to everything, good price, air conditioning! Very clean and comfortable!

It was Clean, nice bar area and parking space, staff very friendly and flexible, welcome drink was provided, but showers were with cold water.

I stayed at the end of the trip of Amigas guided for the good comments of booking.
We arrived well early, we were catered in good way and offered to go on a tour; We were also not advised to wear a coat, even though the weather is quite unpredictable and it was a tour in which you were wet several times. We came back soaked with the idea of having the room ready, bathing and going out for something to eat.
When we got back to the hotel, they let us access the room, a friend came in to bathe and the water came out freezing, only cold water, when we went to reception they told us they sent the technician to go to pay for the room. We communicated that we would not pay until we repaired the issue of water, because having hot water is one of the services provided by the hostel.
They treated us as if we didn't we wanted to pay them, and as if it were a minor problem not having hot water. We were told that it was a subject that the tank was not big enough for the amount of people there was. We were given the possibility of bathing in another haitación, they give us the key and when we entered it was a room with shared bathroom (when we hired with private bathroom) and that also had no hot water.
The only thing that we were claiming at reception was that we did, because it seemed that we were stealing, we were promised that if we paid we were going to solve the problem and we go to eat (there was a group that had a similar problem).

Very good hostel, affordable. Two kitchens with good equipment. The welcome drink is quite appreciable. You have a free access to a swimming pool with a bar inside located to another hostel! They have a secured parking in front of the entrance.

To flee tiny room. Unsympathetic welcome.

Booked the wrong hotel. The names are very similar to other places near by. Be careful. This was not what I was expecting and a little disappointed in the cramped room.

Cheap Backpackerhostel without much comfort. Unfortunately, the dorm smells very much like chlorine. The outdoor complex is similar to the design of the whole city: Plastic Freizeizpark-style one has a private car park. Staff is nice. You can have breakfast next to for 7 dollars as Hostelgast.

I will start from the fact that I also work in the hotel industry myself. For the last 16 years during the summer I have to deal with guests from all over the world. So when it comes to hospitality I really know how to handle. That being said, I didn’t find this place very interesting. First of all it needs some renovation (pictures attached). The yard in front of the rooms is a parking lot. We even found a car parked right outside from our room one morning (picture attached). But most important of all is the service. You never say to a guest to keep the room key with him/her because you’re too busy at the reception and you can’t give or take a room key. Come on guys, it’s not rocket science! And last but not least, the Wi-Fi! I am not talking about the speed as I understand that in some places it’s a matter of infrastructure. I am talking about installing a damn router or extra transmitter so that the signal gets to all the rooms. That’s for your own good you know? People will advertise your place by posting pics and tagging your place so that other people will visit you in the future. Free advertisement guys, wake up! Anyway, I could train you on behavior and kindness to guests but sorry I have a world to travel around.

For the price it is excellent.
Negative points: no hot water, no fridge and a little noisy.
Positive points: well located, billiard table, TV, parking, swimming pool…
Worth it for the price.

Paso Hostel, not recommended for families with small children, the atmosphere is for young adventurers where you can make friends with ease and spend a good time in the bar with a beautiful Venezuelan who is very entertaining and super cool. The only uncomfortable thing is to stop depositing by the cloths and be pending when you retire from requesting reimbursement.

Expensive, the kitchen here doesn't have basic things, the things they have don't work, the room is very small for 3 people (doesn't look like in tge picture) and the Wi-Fi is very poor. Not the best value for your money … Its clean and in a good location.

Shower leaks onto floor. AC broke, got fixed. No towels or blankkrts.

A large Hotel Complex that makes on Backpackers. Staff is solala. Selling Tours is the Focus. Otherwise OK.

Location They give You a drink at the Hostel's bar. Swimming Pool of cold water and another of hot water, leisure area, laundry, shared kitchen and all well clean.

We have a problem with booking and they try to charge us little extra. The only problem was that the room wasn't ready at 16:00. It has a nice swimming pool in which you can have a beer or a cocktail. Lunch or dinner is pork bbq. Great place for party backpackers and party lovers.

The hostel is fine, the service and facilities aren't that great. However the place is super fun at night, you get to meet loads of people.

Nice rooms and good service.

Don't book here. First of all TERRIBLE customer service is an understatement. It's dirty, they are cheap (you have to put a deposit of $20 USD for towels! ), and the bar was disgusting. If I could put a negative star I would. Prompting this lousy review was the rotten interaction we had with the staff explained below. Around 1045 pm I went to get a new pillow for my husband because his smelled terribly of smoke. I returned to the room empty handed bc the rude security guard (the only one at the front at 1045 pm) just sat on his lazy butt giving me the excuse "no english" when it was clear what I was asking for as I physically brought the gross pillow with me and he refused to help. My husband then went to ask for a different pillow himself and suggested he get a new pillow from an empty room for the night until the staff came in the morning. The guard still refused to help — moreover he threatened to call the police if he didn't stop asking for help! Obviously they don't change the sheets here, it's dirty and there is NO ONE to help if you need something. To top it off they make you feel like you're inconveniencing them! Choose a different hostel with nicer people and cleaner rooms.

Very nice place, 100% recommended. ❤

Excellent care, and in the restaurant the food very rich…

Great atmosphere, rooms were clean but quite packed. We stayed in an 8 person dorm and it was a lot of people. The lobby had a nice atmosphere and food and drinks at the bar/restaurant was cheap.

Very economical, and if you're looking for something simple.

The staff was not accommodating at all. Check in is apparently af 2pm-we arrived at 3pm and our room was not ready. We asked for information on tours and were not given correct information. We paid over our budget ($45), not even told there was a cheaper price, thinking that we were going somewhere with a relaxing resort, natural hot springs, with drinks and dinner included. The only true part there was the dinner. Which was not terrible but definitely not $45 worth. Drinks were extremely overpriced, too high for us to afford even 1. Which again, was outside of our expectations based on what we were told by Hostel Backpackers' employees. We were thoroughly disappointed with the place overall, and when we called to speak with someone at the front desk, we were hung up on 3 different times. Never once were we able to speak with a manager, even though who we spoke with was communicating back and forth with the 'manager' from the other side of the phone. If we had known there was a cheaper price, we most definitely would have paid that instead of what we paid. If we had known the reality of this place, we would not have paid to come at all. Super upset with our experience. Do not recommend this place. Not at all what we had in mind.

WATCH OUT RESERVING WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD! To reserve a room upfront you need to give your credit card information. Although credit card info is only supposed to be needed to ensure reservation, they charge your credit card as well as make you pay cash upon arrival. I realized the booking on the credit card too late and does not get my double paid fee back anymore. Trying very hard in communicating, this hostel is not responsive anymore although realizing this mistake. They just keep the money. Very rude and no sens for customer relation at all in this respect. watch out reserving with your credit card!

Hotel rooms very simple, very nice decoration of the common areas, good amenities, has parking, hot water, breakfast, pool and hot water pool of cold water, has a bafsito cozy.

Nice and spacious room with individual bathroom. Breakfast is not included in the price.

Hostel clean but NO hot water! They said it's solar panel so if there's no sun out, you cant take a hot shower! We were very upset to find this out after a rainy hiking day.