La Fortuna · Costa Rica
Arenal Backpackers Resort
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Worst reviews
We booked an outdoor tent at this property. However, the whole tent was covered in black mold and was full of heavy humid air. We complained to the management and asked them to move us to another accommodation, but they denied. Apart from that the vibe of the place is nice. But staying in a black mold covered room is super bad for your health
The hostel was not terrible but we did not feel like the staff was welcoming, they wanted to charge us more for activities that were cheaper outside of the hostel, the tents were next to a rooftop bar that was extremely loud. There is a deposit and a fee for parking. Drinks were ridiculously expensive.
It’s a nice property with good location but the staff were absolutely horrible. Not a single nice one. Felt so uncomfortable to be there. It’s almost as if they went out of their ways to be aholes. They advertised as a social hostel but there was no one there. So many rules that didn’t make sense. There were other hostels we visited to actually socialize that were just down the road - wasted our time here I would recommend those other ones.
Pretty disappointing experience. The resort itself isn’t bad, the pool is nice and the hot tub is great, but I stayed in one of the tents outside, and it’s just not worth it. The idea is cool, but the price is way too high for that kind of accommodation. You basically pay as much as for a private room, but it’s definitely not one. The worst part was the noise. There was some kind of club right next to my tent that stayed open late (on Saturday it went until 1 a.m.), making it impossible ...
terrible! does not seem safe. the portable bedrooms only lock on the outside, they put you far from the others. not a hostel! the reception is very rude and will take what they can. save yourself the stress and go with something else. very dismissive about any requests oe accommodations. do not book, especially the cylinder beds. feels like a shipping container and only locks from the outside. not good, i found a new hostel as soon as i got there and they took the money for my whole reservation
There was a construction the entire time we were there. There was noise from the construction all day so you can't hang out in the hostel if you have a downtime during the day. It would've been nice to know ahead of time. The staff is not really very helpful. They are very dismissive on request from guests. It was an okay stay, there are a lot better place to stay at in the area.
It was our first time in costa rica we came and didn’t find any help from the staff, they were so rude and they didnt allow us to check in early even though we could see a clean tent ready, which ruined our day and we only had 2 days in la fortuna as we didnt get any sleep and didnt have a place to change. They weren’t nice when asking them for a tour and were even rude when i politely asked for things. Also, in the tent things kept falling below the ground of the tent not to be found.
Das hat nichts mit einem Hostel zu tun: keine Küche, kein Toaster, kein Wasserkocher, unmotivierte Crew, verschimmelte und unfassbar kleine Fässer, keine Möglichkeit irgendwo etwas trocken aufzuhängen. die Stimmung ist nicht die, die man aus Backpacker Hostel kennt. Sehr schade für das Geld, wir sind einen Tag früher abgereist.
This has nothing to do with a hostel: no kitchen, no toaster, no kettle, unmotivated crew, foul and unimaginably small jars, no way to hang something dry anywhere. the atmosphere is not the one you know from Backpacker Hostel.
Manager is very mean and they don’t do any activities and was locked out of our room.
I was really underwhelmed and let down by this hostel. It did not look like it’s pictures (seems like they got rid of a lot of things and haven’t updated their listing), and the staff were incredibly rude and unfriendly. They call themselves a backpackers ‘resort’, but I’ve honestly had better experiences at most budget hostels I’ve stayed at in cheaper cities. The only plus of this hostel is that there was ac and hot water.
Recent reviews
one of the best hostels ive ever stayed in - the rooms were big and really clean, the staff was so nice and helpful, and the people i met were great. wish i had more time to stay.
Stayed in the tubes in the garden. They were cute and the ac was fantastic. The only thing that could improve the space is having collapsing hooks on the wall/ceiling. Also maybe some ventilation as it can get smelling musty in there, which makes sense with the humidity. Showers were good and warm. Taylor swift was on blast for hours though, that was awful hahhaah
A lot of groups stayed there but I still felt included as a solo traveler. No kitchen and no restaurant or breakfast to get some food. But there are lots of restaurant in the area. Good location also.
We booked an outdoor tent at this property. However, the whole tent was covered in black mold and was full of heavy humid air. We complained to the management and asked them to move us to another accommodation, but they denied. Apart from that the vibe of the place is nice. But staying in a black mold covered room is super bad for your health
Looks just like the pictures! Great location to the town you can walk into. Very helpful with planning activities and transportation. Plan to eat a Restaurante Fortuneño btw amazing food!
It was horrible, the cylinders are way too small and infeasible to live in and store anything
The pool, hot tub, and central location were great, and the bar had decent $3 Imperials. Showers were hit or miss with warm water, my tent had mosquitoes, and a nightclub across the street was loud at night. No kitchen, strict no outside drink rules, and no outside guests allowed ever. Lots of kids and families staying when I was there, not sure if that’s common but it felt more like a hotel than hostel. It wasn’t terrible, but knowing these things I probably would have stayed somewhere e...
It’s clean and very pretty. The location is nice if you want to stay downtown La Fortuna, but it’s near nothing. The shuttles are expensive if you want to get around. The is no common kitchen so you need to be prepared to spend money on restaurant. It’s more or a family hotel than a backpacker hostel so there is no social experience at all. The pool is nice. The staff was nice when we needed to book some tours or ask recommendations.
Great hostel in a very good location with really kind and helpful staff. We also enjoyed the nice pool area for relaxing. The room was a bit small for the price, and a tour recommended by the hostel wasn’t great. There’s no restaurant on-site, so breakfast isn’t included, but overall we had a very enjoyable stay. 🙂
top place to stay for solo travelers!
This is a nice hostel, beautiful pool area and bar. I’ve never seen so many rules in one hostel but the staff were friendly enough in my opinion
The hostel was not terrible but we did not feel like the staff was welcoming, they wanted to charge us more for activities that were cheaper outside of the hostel, the tents were next to a rooftop bar that was extremely loud. There is a deposit and a fee for parking. Drinks were ridiculously expensive.
C'est trop cher pour ce que cela a offrir. C'est un beau "resort", mais ce n'est pas un bon "Hostel". Pas de cuisine, le café à 5$US, pas possible de faire séchez ses trucs... en contrepartie, le jacuzzi est propre et le bar sert de bons drinks. Il faut donc faire le choix en fonction de ce que vous recherchez!
It's too expensive for what it has to offer. It's a nice "resort", but it's not a good "hostel". No kitchen, the cafe is $5 US, no way to make dry his tricks... in return, the jacuzzi is clean and the bar serves good drinks. so you have to make the choice according to what you're looking for!
It’s a nice property with good location but the staff were absolutely horrible. Not a single nice one. Felt so uncomfortable to be there. It’s almost as if they went out of their ways to be aholes. They advertised as a social hostel but there was no one there. So many rules that didn’t make sense. There were other hostels we visited to actually socialize that were just down the road - wasted our time here I would recommend those other ones.
A good hostel to relax at. Location is perfect. We booked a private (the barrels) which unfortunately has very little room (the only downfall we experienced). There is no kitchen but there is a fridge. You are allowed to bring some snacks which is good. This is however far from a social hostel.
Amazing hostel! Definitely a “backpackers vibe”, the hot tub was perfect for rainy days. We stayed in the pods which are definitely tight but great experience overall. I’d recommend they add shelves or hooks for more storage but regardless had an amazing stay.
The jacuzzi and the happy hour made the hostel really social, especially while it was raining. The pod rooms are not practical for two people and their belongings, especially when it was raining. Would not recommend booking them.
L’endroit était très propre et calme. Près de tout et avec des employés vraiment géniaux😎!
The place was very clean and quiet, close to everything and with really great employees!
cockroaches woke me up in the night eating my belongings. I had to move accomodation. Lovely staff but sadly awful time there, not for me.
Great place to stay, great vibes. Very friendly and helpful staff who speak pretty clear English and are easy to understand. Only downside is the parking situation. We parked in their lot for the paid price and the next morning nobody was in the security control box at the arm gate to let us out… Be careful if you need to leave early the next morning and you have a rental car. The hostel is not responsible for the arm gate nor responsible for making sure someone is there to open that one.