Arenal Backpackers Resort

You MUST Stay here! Our room was super clean with a private bathroom and hot water! Resort vibes with multiple swimming pools. Super clean and cozy! The staff was beyond amazing and extremely helpful! We love this place and two nights just wasn’t enough… We will definitely return here for the awesome experience! I wish I could give them 10 stars… They are so deserving of it! Beautiful destination that I’m glad we found!

The “quiet hours” started at 10 pm but there was a huge bar that had loud music until 4 am next to it. We had to leave 1 day before since we could not sleep, yet we did not get a refund. They offer tours that are more expensive than outside the hostel. There is a 10$ fee for parking. The drinks there were way more expensive than the drinks outside the hostel and you’re not allow to bring your own drinks. They refused to turn on the jacuzzi until more people went in despite it being “open”. One of us fell and they did not have a first aid kit to clean the wound. The rooms (in the tents) do not look like the pictures.

I’ve stayed in a few hostels & this one is great! As apart of a G adventures group we got to stay in the new wing..great rooms and great showers with lockers (you’ll need a padlock)…nice pool..a few rules they go through when you arrive (it’s a long list!!) ..but great location & overall a great stay ⭐️

we ended up leaving early from la fortuna after only one night because we had such a bad experience. they advertise quiet hour beginning at 10pm, but they don’t tell you that nearby bars don’t shut down until 4am!!!! so we spent the whole day afterwards exhausted and looking for other accommodations. they also refused to refund us for the one night saying they did uphold their own quiet hour rule. the tent we stayed in was bigger than we expected, although it had a musty smell and mold on the fabric.

First Solo trip and first hostel stay. I stayed in one of the pods (private), everything was great other than the very little room for storage. As far as the facilities everything was well kept and the bartenders were amazing. We were surprised to find that they opened a new rooftop bar which was fantastic for my last night. Would recommend.

I stayed three nights in a zylinder and was counting down the days to leave. I’d never stay here again. The layout is impractical with zero space beside the bed, no shelves or hooks, and only room to store things under the bed. The door uses a key lock, which is inconvenient. The bathrooms felt dirty. The toilets, showers, and sinks are all in separate stalls, and some showers only have one hook and no shelf. When I went to shower there was a swarm of ants on the floor, and when I dropped my soap it came up covered in dirt. It didn’t feel clean at all. The zylinder AC works, but it blows directly on your head at night which is uncomfortable. There’s only one small common area by the pool and hot tub. The hot tub is big, but the pool chairs need an upgrade. Laundry is $15 and takes four hours. Staff were mostly unfriendly except for Carlos and Ashley. Guests during my stay were also very cliquey. The one positive is the location — it’s right on the main street and a short walk to restaurants and shops. Overall, the cleanliness, setup, and atmosphere made this one of my least enjoyable stays.

The rooms were nice. Pretty empty of people though. The jacuzzi was nice considering it was raining the whole time we stayed in La fortuna. My biggest complaint is that I forgot my toiletry bag in the bathroom and I went to go get it the next day after I had checked out (cause I knew I left it) and the lady was not very willing to look for it, and she wouldn’t let me look myself. She eventually ended up going to grab it but things were missing from it (I assume I left some items right beside my bag). I just thought it was strange that she knew I had stayed there a day ago but then wouldn’t let me go grab my own stuff. I think the staff could be a little more understanding and if she didn’t trust me then we could’ve gone back to the room together.

We stayed in the cylinder rooms which were very cool and quiet. However, it was hard to gauge the temperature as there is AC but the cold air is blowing straight on you. The bedsheets had a few stains on them and felt old. Very nice for privacy but very little space inside. All common areas were great, water always stayed hot in the showers. Beautiful pool and jacuzzi.