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Reviews of Best Hostel San José

3.5 out of 5
Best Hostel San José
Avenida 9 - Calle central, San Jose

Reviews

6.6
Rating 10 - Excellent. 50 out of 427 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 143 out of 427 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 139 out of 427 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 66 out of 427 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 29 out of 427 reviews" "

7.0/10

Cleanliness

7.8/10

Staff & service

6.4/10

Amenities

6.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2020

6/10 Okay

Bree

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Not terrible not great
Good deal for price, we only needed a place to sleep and shower after 1am airport arrival. Late check in was easy. Bugs ran across floor. Beds were clean and soft. Bathroom has no toiletries or towels, and needs a deep clean. Word of advice do research before leaving airport our taxi driver ripped us off.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Jerry

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Peter

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice basic low cost hotel. Great people, great bar
It is a nice, basic, low cost hotel. If you are looking for 'stars' you won't find it here. But for the price it is great and I'll be back. The bartender is pleasant and makes great Fresco Naturals … (Think fruit smoothies) and he'll ask your preference for sweetness and make it to your preferences.
Level 1 (2nd floor for Americans and Canadians) area to relax, the hostel floor.
One of the places to relax
Looking at the stairs to the rooms
Nice decorations, the manager's personal mask collection
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020
Response from luis ramirez on 13 Mar 2020
Buenas noches, Muchas gracias por sus buenos comentarios en este foro, fue un pplacer atenderlos y nos alegra saber que disfruto su estancia con nosotros. Los Esperamos en su proxima visita Muchas gracias Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Parfaitement bien situé et très calme. Ambiance générale très sympa. Par contre, importe décoration nulle, mais peu importe, n'est ce pas.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from luis on 1 Mar 2020
Muchas gracias por su comentario y calificacion. Nos alegra saber que disfruto su estancia con nosotros. No entiendo a que se refiere en que no hay decoracion???? saludos cordiales luis ramirez

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, basic and cheap and very close to Caribe bus station
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from luis on 19 Feb 2020
Muchas gracias por su comentario y calificacion, estamos muy cerca de las diferentes estaciones de autobus

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from asistente gerencia on 25 Nov 2019
gracias por su calificacion

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
The service was wonderful. The room was nice. I will dedinitely stay again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Luis on 2 Oct 2019
Buenas tardes Muchas gracias por sus comentarios y nuestra mision es dar un servicio de calidad a nuestros clientes y que se sientan comodos y satisfechos Saludos y Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 10 nights in Jun 2019
Response from luis on 27 Jul 2019
gracias por su puntuacion

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 5 nights in May 2019
Response from siwar on 7 Jun 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Deception
Deffinetly not worth 45$. The Fotos od the hotel do not nearly reflect the reality. Hotel is old not taken care of. Rooms are like a dungeon with and ugly white bulb. The towels were dirty especially the foot towel. Bed was nice and clean but did not compensate for the rest. Are is very bad!
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from siwar on 11 May 2019
Dear guest, Greetings from best hostel san jose, we apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced.The comments made in regards to the room will be used as essential feedback to be able to improve our amenities and provide a better service for all our guests. Again, we appreciate your comments. Pura Vida

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Enjoyed my stay
Mattress was really hard. Room was clean and friendly service and staff.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019
Response from siwar on 24 Apr 2019
Dear David el, Thanks for your kind words, and the time you took to write about your experience in our hotel. it's great to hear that you enjoyed our service and we are sorry for the mattress if we knew about it we would change the room for you. We would be more than pleased to accommodate you again in our hotel! Pura Vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The only complain is that the hotel doesn't have a parking lot..
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Manager on 11 Apr 2019
Dear Guest Thank you for your kind review. It was a pleasure to be at your service and we are sorry for the parking .

4/10 Poor

Sheyla, PR

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Hotel muy poco cuidado. Servicio pesimo. Desayunos pesimos. No lo recomiendo
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2019
Response from siwar on 26 Mar 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel

2/10 Terrible

clare

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Avoid
We arrived at the hotel to be told no TVs worked and neither did the lift. No problem really. However, despite the room having a safe, no safe key was available as there wasnt one! The door could be opened very easily without a key. There was no hot water. The food in the hotel was expensive and you did not get much for your money. The location was okay for the bus station but that is about it. The streets surrounding the hotel smelled of urine and actually took your breath away.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from siwar on 23 Mar 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel.

4/10 Poor

Yamilet

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A bad experience too many broken stuff in the room
Stayed 13 nights in Mar 2019
Response from siwar on 22 Mar 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from siwar on 1 Apr 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It is a low priced hotel. the room was minimally clean..There was plenty of hot water, and that is about all I can say that is good. The rooms are ugly with little light. Some of the rooms have a weird, moldy smell (I had to ask for a different room). Neither the bed light or the TV worked. Contrary to the advertisement it does not have a restaurant.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Manager on 17 Mar 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel.we are still working on the tv issue,( it is a problem in av9 area ). but we do have a restaurant, we serve breakfast, and as you know it is inclded, and our restaurant is open every night from 6 to 9pm for dinner. we hope to see again. pura vida

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
First of all I can not describe how disappointed I was. 1. Unhygienic, dirty wall, floors, sheets was dusty , shower tile was moldy 2. The room smell like urine, bleach and wet mop together. 3.first day no hot water 4.you can hear all your neighbors and construction. Could not sleep 5. No elevator. Walk up steps with all my baggage. No one offered help. The only good think was it was located close to restaurant and shops
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019
Response from siwar on 11 Mar 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room lighting was dim and dingy. The room was simple and poorly decorated. There was no ac in the room just a ceiling fan. The beds were thin and springy and the pillows were lumpy. Stay away!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from siwar manager on 6 Mar 2019
Dear Guest, Sorry for the inconveniences you received during your stay out our hotel.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is close to pretty much everything, the staff was amazing, speaking different languages and super nice.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Siwar Elbenna on 14 Feb 2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for setting aside some of your valuable time to write a review and for rating us 5 out of 5 on this Expedia forum! Always appreciate your comments since it is our motivation to continue to offer our clients the quality and comfort they deserve. Thank you for highlighting the quality of our staff at Cocoon Hotel. Pura Vida

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Staff & service
Noise all night long, construction and wind blowing loose roof material
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Siwar Elbenna on 14 Feb 2019
Dear Guest, Thank you for providing feedback about your recent visit at Cocoon Hotel. Your feedback is very beneficial and will help us facilitate all necessary hotel improvements to ensure a positive guest experience. We would certainly be grateful for another opportunity to serve you. Pura Vida

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Front desk and cafeteria staff need to be trained properly on customer service management.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2018
Response from siwar manager on 5 Jan 2019
Dear Guest, thank you for your review, we appreciate your feedback and we will take it on consideration. Pura vida!

6/10 Okay

Gary, Ireland

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Location very central but the surrounding area is very dodgy, I felt uncomfortable after dark. Traffic noise is loud and near constant. The "hotel" is more of a hostel but viewed as such its not too bad.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2018
Response from Manager on 8 Nov 2018
Dear Gary el, Thank you for your stay and time to comment. We highly appreciate it. W we will take into consideration the points on your comment in order to improve and provide a rest space for all. Pura vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Manager on 12 Oct 2018
Muchas gracias por su calificación. Saludos cordiales!

8/10 Good

Denise

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Wonderful amazing staff
The neighborhood was not great but it was easy to get a taxi where we wanted to go. The hotel was old but the The staff was incredibly kind and friendly. The food was very good. They also arranged an airport pick up for me late at night. Again I really appreciated the friendliness and kindness of the hotel staff. Would stay there again on any trip to San Jose.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from Manager on 8 Oct 2018
Dear Denis el, Thank you for staying in our hotel and thank you again for your amazing review. we are so happy that you had great time with us. All the staff is glad with you review! it´s gonna be our pleasure to host you again! Muchas Gracias y pura vida !

2/10 Terrible

Kim, Fl.

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
as soon as we walked in the room we saw a roach, there was mold on the bathroom walls and the shower curtain, the ceiling fan was absolutely disgusting like it hasn’t been cleaned in years and there was no ac so we burned up in the room. It was roach infested, they didn’t have any rags and barely anyone to speak English. Nobody cleaned my room once the whole time we were there.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Manager on 15 Sept 2018
thanks a lot for your feedback Kim el, it seems that you didn't enjoyed your stay with us and we apologize for that. since last week we were working on hotel maintenance. You have to know that the humidity in san jose is high and it damage our rooms, at least once a month we pint all the rooms. that´s weired to hear that no one is speaking english because the two the receptionist speak english, as well the chef and me , only the our housekeepr doesn´t. We are sorry again for your bad experience with us but if you reported to the recepcion we would change the room for you oroffer you something to make you happy. muchas gracias y pura vida.

6/10 Okay

Ranjan

Liked: Staff & service
Good Hotel but room to improve
My stay was reasonably good for the price. They can improve this hotel a lot by reducing the out side noise from the street side. Also, there is constant noise from there water pump at they need to take steps to repair this. The staff is really nice, they relocated me to a less noisy area. I must say a word of thanks to the Chef Carlos. He speaks good English and very helpful in getting Bus routes and where to go etc.. He prepares wonderful meals just the way you wanted. I may go there again just because of him.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018
Response from Manager on 15 Sept 2018
Dear Ranjen el,Thank you for your stay and time to comment, We highly appreciate it. we are already fixing the water pump, we apologize for the noise. Our chef is so glad that you enjoyed his food, and he´s waiting for you to come back. Muchas gracias y pura vida

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hot water was not always consistent. Elevator was not functioning and I had to climb 36 stairs to the third floor room. Breakfast was the same thing, for five days in a row--did not vary.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Manager on 6 Sept 2018
Dear guest, Thank you for your stay and time to comment. We highly appreciate it. We apologize for elevator propblem. We are working to improve the service in our breakfast. We highly appreciate your feedback.

4/10 Poor

MarvinWilson, Washington DC

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I have stayed at this property many times before. The property is lacking attention. The have changed the breakfast from order off the line fresh to a buffet style which was horrible fresh fruit was a banana. My room didn't have toilet paper which I had to ask 2 times for as well as the remote which barely worked the TV. The lock on the door was very lose and I asked to have tighten and nobody ever did. One day the maid never cleaned my room. I will never stay at this property again under the current management.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Manager on 26 Aug 2018
Dear Marvin Wilson, Thank you for sharing your thoughts on expedia. we are very sorry that we could not reach your expectations. Your feedbacks are very important for us and all details you have written has been discussed with all emploees. We wish you all the best and we thank you one more time for your feedbacks. Muchas Gracias.

6/10 Okay

Lynn, Panama

Liked: Staff & service
No towels in our room, floors had soap residue on them, music from the bar under us started at 6 AM...yes in the morning. Not a happy camper, would not recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018
Response from Daniel - Manager on 9 Aug 2018
We are sorry to hear that this happened. It is weird that music was heard from 6am because it always does start at 7am. We will still check on this to see what is going on. Thanks for your comment.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 9 nights in Jul 2018
Response from Daniel - Manager on 11 Aug 2018
Gracias por su comentario. Trabajamos continuamente en mejorar.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018
Response from Daniel - Manager on 11 Aug 2018
Gracias por su comentario. Esperamos tenerle de vuelta pronto en Hotel Cocoon

2/10 Terrible

Devin

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Don’t stay here
The pictures of this hotel are deceiving. The hotel is in a bad neighborhood and the beds are not comfortable. Customer service is not good. The rooms are not even clean and the room looks like it hasn’t been updated. Avoid this hotel at all cost.
Stayed 6 nights in May 2018
Response from Daniel - Manager on 16 May 2018
Dear Devin, I am sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with us. It would have been amazing to hear this in the meanwhile you were staying on the hotel, sadly this was not the case. We encourage our guests to let us know if they have any comments while they are staying with us, since the manager is always on the hotel grounds.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
In need of a lot of repair
Stayed 3 nights in May 2018
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 9 May 2018
Thank you very much for your feedback, we will take into consideration your comment and work in the future for the renewal.

8/10 Good

nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel is well loc.ated for bus stations to Guanacaste and the Atlantic coast. Hotel is well priced amd service is excellent. Had an excellent dinner prepared for us by the hotel chef Carlos, and the hot breakfast was also very good
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 9 May 2018
Dear Nancy, Thank you very much for your feedback about Cocoon. We hope to see you back in Costa Rica soon.

2/10 Terrible

NAVEED, chicago il

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Verly old and dirty hotel.
There are too many bad bugs and rooms always smell some bug killing chemicals. Me and my wife could not sleep and my daughter started vomiting because of the smell. We booked the hotel for 6 night but checked out after one night. Only thing I liked was the old chef guy who was very nice. I would not recommend anyone staying there.
Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2018
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 9 May 2018
Thank you very much for your feedback, we will take into consideration the points on your comment in order to improve and provide a rest space for all.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Closest decent Hotel from Bus Caribeños
5mns walk from bus station, 5mns walk from downtown, perfect location walking around. Now rooms on the Avenue won't be peaceful. They were moth balls in te room and the smell wasn't great because of that ! Place is cheap, clean and practical, thats it.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2018
Response from Daniel - Manager on 1 May 2018
We appreciate that you stayed with us and will work on the issues mentioned. Thanks for your comment.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I hate it
I've never been in a dirtier hotel before. We had to change rooms twice. The first room had the sheets stained with blood, the second room didn't had a safe box though we required one, then the third room was the last one as we stayed 2 nights. In every room the towels and bed sheets were stained with something, the bathrooms had already used toilet paper; mirrors, shower curtain, shower, sink, floor, everything dirty. The best part is that at night you're visited by COCKROACHES! Wi-fi was ok in one room but in the other ones it wasn't really working. Breakfast was tasty, the only okay thing about this place. A part of the staff was nice, others were pretty ignorant and didn't really seem to know what they're doing. But I know for sure that I will never enter this place again.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2018
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 20 Apr 2018
Thanks for your review. We will take this issues very seriously and make our best so this does not happen anymore.

8/10 Good

Ariel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Recommend if your looking for good value
Great value but take ear plugs as the city noice is loud.
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 20 Apr 2018
We know that the city can be noisy sometimes, this is out of our control however we always try to give our best service. Thanks for your response. We will keep working to improve our services.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 20 Apr 2018
Thanks for your response. We will keep working to improve.

8/10 Good

Susan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018
Response from Daniel Lopez - Manager on 20 Apr 2018
Thanks for your response. We really appreciate your opinion. We will keep working to improve our services.

4/10 Poor

A Couple, Costa Rica

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
-A Hotel of last resort -keep looking
This is my first complaint on a hotel. The street noise was unbelievable. The hotel water pump seriously pounded through the night. ( Like staying in a boiler room) It has an elevator that has been out of service for a long long time. A 3 story walk up.There is no parking at this hotel. The bed linens were worn out. The bed spread had cigarette burns. No Hot Water! Ice cold shower! not even water glasses. We left the second day not staying for our paid stay. Understandably they have a no refund policy .
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Manager on 14 Feb 2018
Dear Guest: We will use your criticism to improve. Regards

2/10 Terrible

Jonathan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
VERY BAD EXPERIENCE WITH COCOON.
The hotel was padlocked last night when I tried to check in. I NEED TO CANCEL THIS RESERVATION. PLEASE CONTACT ME RIGHT AWAY.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2018
Response from Asistente Gerencia on 26 Jan 2018
Dear Guest: we close the main door at night for security reasons, we dont understand why you didnt wait for a moment until our security guy came to open the door. We want to call you to explain the situation and you didnt want. Please call us or give us your phone number. Regards

8/10 Good

Carol

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
Response from Manager on 4 Jan 2018
Muchas gracias!

4/10 Poor

M, Atenas

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Photos not accurate! Seedy area with no parking
Elevator out of service, ice machine broken. Night staff rude! Hotel needs a renovation. Two positives: great water pressure and hot water. Good breakfast and morning staff.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017
Response from Manager on 15 Dec 2017
Dear Guest: We are happy that you enjoyed our incluided breakfast, but we are sorry that you think that our staff is rude. We will consideer your criticism to improve

6/10 Okay

farron, nashville

Pre-Christmas visit.
Second time here. Checking was quick, which is appreciated after transit. Front desk gent with the long hair got me in my room ASAP. Nice chap. Room fell rather short of expectations with zero view whatsoever, main light did not work, and no towels. Towels were received quickly after calling in. Pretty quiet, which was nice. Second young fellow at the front desk doesn’t speak much, but is efficient and a solid fellow. The manager, can’t recall her name (starts with a V I think) is wonderful. Polite and friendly as she is beautiful. Security guy was mellow, but a quality individual. Will be back again. Bit the most comfortable beds and amenities, but a good value proposition and worth a stop if expectations are set at a minimum level.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
Response from Manager on 5 Dec 2017
Dear Guest: Thank you so much for your comment about our hotel. We are glad that you stay with us. We look forward to see you again :) Pura vida!!!

6/10 Okay

Kelsey

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cheap short stop stay - Breakfast= AMAZING
Short stop off before travelling on to another part of Costa Rica. Bed not too comfortable, room a little dirty but cheap. Breakfast was incredible!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017
Response from Gerencia on 23 Nov 2017
Dear Guest: We are glad to know that you enjoyed our breakfast, we will improve our cleanung. Best Regards!

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff was nice but the room was bad. the bathroom had mold. Broken towel rod and did not have face towels. Rooms are in need of a serious renovation. Especially the bathroom Also the location is not the best. There is no restaurant or bars around
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017
Response from Manager on 13 Nov 2017
Dear Guest: Thank you for sharing with comment with us. We will use your criticism to improve, but we want to tell you that we have our own bar and restaurant at the hotel. Regards!

10/10 Excellent

Traveling, Houston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Decent hotel for the price
Hotel is within walking distance to main attractions in downtown San Jose. I walked (during the day) to casinos and central avenue and always felt safe. Lots of bars and places to grab a bite close to the hotel, but nothing too fancy. I didn't like the fact that the room didn't have a window, also the bed was kinda hard, but it was good enough for me. Other than that, staff were more that friendly and always looked out to help me or answer any questions I had.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2017
Response from Manager on 30 Oct 2017
Dear Guest: thank you so much for your nice comment!!!! We are glad to know that you had a great stay!! We look forward to see you again.