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The area wasn’t super safe in all honesty, especially as a female I wouldn’t recommend to leave the hostel past dark. The hostel itself, very very basic, very dead, not a great place to meet people. The dining area was closed whenever you tried to go, the front desk when we went was not pleasant to interact with. Overall wouldn’t go back, the only pro is it’s by the airport and relatively cheap
Perfect place for one night stay. Was very basic facilities, private room was very big though so lots of space to organise. Couldn’t organise shuttle to La Fortuna through the hostel but they were good at getting taxi to airport when the free shuttle timing didn’t work out.
Alajuela Backpackers es un sitio cerca al aeropuerto, pero el sitio es muy basico, no tiene mucha luz, y no estaba muy limpio, es para pasar una noche maximo y continuar tu viaje.
Loved that it’s 24hr check in, I had transportation issues and didn’t even up getting to the hostel till 11pm and had to leave on the 4:10am shuttle for the airport so it was the most convenient stop to get a quick nap in, wash up and head out.
Great! 5 min taxi from the SJO airport. We arrived late at night bc our flight landed at 11pm, and we were greeted easily upon arrival. We even could stash our luggage for a few hours in a locked room after checkout.
Love this place, glad it’s open again. The rooftop bar is super fun with some great local color.
Moses
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
4/10 Poor
Michelle
Travelled with partner
15 Aug 2023
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Booked it for an airport stopover as it was close (6mins to airport) and the cheapest I could find - still 50$ a night though!! It was very noisy - paper thin walls letting in all the road noise but also the sound of people having sex next door. It felt seedy and dirty
It was simple and clean with a really nice community balcony facing a park. The bar/restaurant had limited food options but it good and affordable. Expedía falsely advertised breakfast availability, but there were bakeries really close so it wasn’t an issue.
MacKenzie
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023
Response from Mike on 18 May 2023
Hi MckenzieIt was a pleasure having you with us and to know you enjoyed your stay.Hope to have you back sometime soon!
Nice modern facilities, very well represented by descriptions and photos. Check in was efficient and rooms were clean and comfortable. Hot water was a nice bonus. Only thing that would have made it better would have been free toiletries.
Good options for low cost travelers. Possible to get your own room and bathroom for <$50 a night. They are moving the restaurant/bar to the first floor - the view from the 4th was amazing so make sure to check it out before they're done with renovations.
The shuttle service is not what most Americans will expect. It only runs at certain times, on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, you must sign up for it 12 - 24 hours in advance. A phone call before you fly is the best way to do this - email contact is iffy. Alternatively, there's a bus station right next to the hostel (Station Wagon buses, Orange/green buses) that will get you to and from the hotel in 10 minutes for about $1. The red TUASA buses are another alternative, but do not as closely travel to the hostel (~5 blocks away).
Dawn
Stayed 8 nights in May 2017
6/10 Okay
vic, uk
10 Mar 2017
Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Very convenient for airport
Bar nicely situated with good city views. Free coffee nice. Very comfy beds.
we have stayed here before- coming and going in our trip. It is clean and basic. Convenient to the airport. Good value for the money. nothing fancy. The rooftop bar has a wonderful view but service is very slow
Stayed Aug 2016. Avoid this Hostel at all cost. The management photos are of the previous hotel at this location and do not represent what you get. The facilities were filthy, uncleaned, and level 3 bio hazard. The staff didn't even try to provide service. Online reservations were not received or just not honored. Floors in rooms had dust bunnies of others filth and hadn't been swept in a very long time and hadn't been mopped in the last decade. The furniture had a layer of dust you could right your name in. AC was promised but upon arrival the remotes/controls were nonexistent and we were told all ACs are automatic, which was an utter lie, it never worked. No fans provided. Linens and sheets were obviously soiled, stained and never washed. Towels and soap were not provided even for "private, in suite rooms". To add to the pain no windows had screens, and the bus station next door creates super street noise. Told by staff to smoke in the park across the street, which is illegal and could result in a fine or uncomfortable interaction with the local police. The common areas were worse than the rooms with sticky uncleaned surfaces and trash literately swept into the corners. One of the worst values in Alajuela and a top contender for the worst hotel/hostel I've ever stayed at. The hostel sets a new standard for filth and poor service. It would probably be better to sleep on the street. Not even the architecturally interesting building, 4th floor bar and central location could bu
Just one night on my way out of town. But I will use this hostel again as it is convenient to the airport, located in a very safe neighborhood with convenient shopping and dining within walking distance.
Michael
6/10 Okay
Verified traveller
27 May 2016
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Great cheap place to stay without having to go full dorm style hostel of you don't want. Located close to buses. Be aware - shuttle service is limited and fills up regularly. Recommended for budget travelers who want a social environment
Verified traveller
6/10 Okay
Verified traveller
27 May 2016
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Good value but still a hostel
Good value for a room, close to the airport but the street is load and busy and the place is still a hostel at the end of the day. Friendly staff, just wish people weren't honking their horns so much at 2-4 am.
We stayed a night at the hostel, and we'll be having a second night there soon. Very clean, and friendly staff. Nothing too fancy but had fast free Internet and a 24 hour desk person. The only issue we had was the door was a bit finicky and our room didn't have toilet paper, certainly not deal beakers. Looking forward to staying again soon
The Bathroom was in a really bad condition. For the same price you can have a much better bed and room with breakfast included in a hotel a few blocks near the central park. The pictures in the web page did not show the real hotel conditions.
Very noisy hostel.
Never did something like this before and as a 58 yo single female traveler it worked for me. Slept with my money
under the pillow and that was secure, however one of the Germany backpacker talked on his cell phone till after 9 and I politely asked him to continue the call in the other room so we could sleep. He was nasty but moved, low and behold when I woke at 3:30 am the card to the room was missing from my hat. He stole it. So the front desk was lovely in putting me in another room, however I had to pay the $5. for the extra card.
The guys at the desk were great with directions and knowing about tours. The bistro on the top floor was great food wise and view of city phenomenal. Also, very close to the airport and many other sites in Costa Rica. It made for a very interesting excursion.
kath
6/10 Okay
renata, south africa
19 Apr 2015
Disliked: Cleanliness
Convenient hostel close to airport , shops , museu
Welcoming , accommodating staff .
Bathroom trash can could be bigger or emptied more often .
Pity people can't sit in the 4th restaurant area, even if not serving food , the only nice relaxing spot .
renata
8/10 Good
Amber, BC Canada
7 Mar 2015
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
there is no kitchen facilities to cook in
I met lots of friendly fellow backpackers and felt safe happy and welcome
Amber
4/10 Poor
Kathy, prince albert
24 Feb 2015
Disliked: Cleanliness
Close to old town
Good place but poop all over shower curtain and in need of a lightbulb
I was looking for an inexpensive hotel near the airport with a free shuttle, and that's exactly what this was. I stayed in a four-bed dorm room with bathroom, and it was exactly as described. The free airport shuttle worked.
Two minor points - 1) you can't use credit cards in the restaurant, and I was short on cash at the end of a trip. 2) Interbus doesn't go right to the hotel, so you'll have to take a cab from a nearby restaurant (~$6)
It's was a pretty bad experience I ever have had. I could not sleep at all. I got there at 1:00AM and I left at 5:00AM, there were 4 long hours. I won't be in that place ever. No more comments.
I really enjoyed my stay at this hostel. I was flying in and out of Alajuela. The hostel is a 5 min drive from the airport which was nice. Several days before my stay I emailed the hostel with my flight information and got an email confirmation stated that Mauricio would be there to pick me up. This alone is valuable offering! The hostel itself is basic but clean with hot water (which is not always the case in Costa Rica), free wifi, and a rooftop bar where you can watch planes fly into the city. Great drinks and decent food as well. Free coffee in the mornings and they also have a free shuttle that runs at specific times to and from the airport so that you can make your outbound flight. I enjoyed my stay so much that I also booked to stay where on my way back through. Very enjoyable stay and the staff is so kind. Will happily stay there again!!
hotel ok,but interior rooms are very noisy,with noise from the bar upstairs,we had mould on the ceiling of the bathroom,we stayed on three occasions,the third time we stayed we had a room on the outside wall,which was a lot lighter and quieter,we had room 33,rooms 35,36 are good,its looking a bit tired now,the beds are comfy
So pleasantly surprised by Alajuela Backpackers! I had seen the hostel on 2 different websites. Interestingly on a hotels website it looked really shabby but on a hostels site it looked really up market. When I got there I was super impressed with just how nice the reception, the lounge and the hallways were. I thought "let's wait to see how the dorm is though," but it was fine. It was clean with really comfy beds and not overly noisy. It also had an AC. The staff I dealt with were great; really helpful and friendly. It has a rooftop bar which is really cool. Even though San Jose is a pretty awful city, they have a view of the sunset which is nice. The menu is decent and reasonably priced but don't get the hamburger. It probably wasn't meat haha. The pizza is good and so is the casado. They have wifi throughout but I don't think it's strong in all the rooms. They also have a FREE shuttle from and to the airport which is great. I basically used this place to fly in, stay for 1 night and leave. I didn't want to be in San Jose, this place is a little away from it, and actually okay as a neighbourhood. It's not as dense, yuck or busy as San Jose. There is a smoothie and juice bar over the road which does amazing things for really cheap. I'd stay here again if I was passing through San Jose.
Good location close to the airport. The only downside is that there is no kitchen or fridges available to store and make food.
Malcolm
8/10 Good
Verified traveller
29 Dec 2014
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
This hostel is nothing fancy but a great place to spend a night or two, especially if coming from/going to the airport. Rooftop restaurant is excellent!
Verified traveller
6/10 Okay
Verified traveller
15 Nov 2014
Liked: Cleanliness
Noisey
The room was clean and the staff pleasant but there was a lot of street noise during the night.