Hostel Backpackers La Fortuna

Nice location. Super friendly and helpful staff. Our room was spacious and clean, with toilet and shower. Generally poor WiFi which didn't reach our room. Guest kitchen and pool table seemed to be old and not well kept. We generally had a good stay. Reason for low rating is that we booked our room less than a week in advance and they did not mention that they were in the middle of a months long construction project. It didn't bother us much since our stay was short, but they really should tell customers these things.

I have stayed at Backpackers all five times I have visited La Fortuna and have enjoyed my stay every time. The dorm rooms are clean and spacious (especially the mixed dorm with all beds on the floor) and the private rooms are a nice budget option for a couple. It is generally quiet at night other than the street noise and you can enjoy some delicious drinks at the bar for a good price. The staff have been very helpful in booking tours and offering advice and deals for the best hot springs in the area (highly recommend Baldi with a meal!). If you are driving, there is a private, secure parking lot, which unfortunately filled up the last time we went. The newer staff member from New York was not very accommodating when this happened and did not offer any advice on where to park out of the lot in order to keep the car safe, but other than this experience, I have had nothing but positive interactions with staff and an overall great stay here.

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!

Nice hostel with friendly staff. And we got a welcome cocktail! There are several bars and pools (even one bar-in-a-pool) and kitchens with basic tools. It's in the very center so shops and restaurants are close. The bad: our room (101) was in a far corner close to the street (noisy) and had no mirror in the bathroom nor ANY spot to hang clothes or towels to dry. That's very annoying when you went swimming or just... Any time. And the lights are those very cold white ones that I don't like (but that might be cultural)

Someone stole my passport and all my belongings on the bus ride out to la fortuna and this hostel went above and beyond to help me, giving me discount rate, drink tickets and were extremely kind and helpful. Facilities were great as well, big open dorm rooms and nice private rooms. For the price, it's your best bet in la fortuna. Other hostels were over crowded and I had a dorm room to myself!

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.

Cleanliness = 4/5 - Really nice and Clean environment. The shared bathroom/shower was cleaned everyday, but got a bit messy by the end of the night. Hospitality = 5/5 - Staff were friendly and very accommodating. Owner was very nice and easy going. He also gave us some great travel tips on what free things you could do. LOCATION = 5/5 - On the main strip, this company has 3 locations and you can visit all 3. The main one has a heated swimming pool with a swim up bar. You can also order food, which is reasonably priced. Parking is also available. Plenty of hammocks. The communal kitchen has all the pots and pans you need, it also has a blender, microwave and toaster. A/C is also available for free. A negative in the dorms is there is no door between the other dorm and washroom, so there is noise and light you cannot avoid. The warm water for the showers only works on sunny days, so you may have to take some cold showers on rainy days. Wifi =5/5 - Worked very well in the common areas such as the kitchen and the hammocks. Thank you come again? = YES come again Room with 4 bunks was $15 per person.

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 WIFI!!!! 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.