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Reviews of Alajuela Backpackers Airport Hostel

2 out of 5
Alajuela Backpackers Airport Hostel
SJO Airport Ave, 4th street, Alajuela, Alajuela

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 35 out of 126 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 45 out of 126 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 28 out of 126 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 126 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 8 out of 126 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

7.6/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Alexandra

Traveled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ingrid

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Super super
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Soany

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excelente para una noche , cerca del aeropuerto.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Donna

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Easy check in. Helpful staff.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Izzy

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

6/10 Okay

Carolina

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jean

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jacklyn

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Noelani

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful, easy, simple
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.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gregory

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kerrilyn

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Eric

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Eric

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Ann-Rose

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mercedes

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Moses

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Love this place, glad it’s open again. The rooftop bar is super fun with some great local color.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

4/10 Poor

Michelle

Traveled with partner
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
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Samuel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Is a nice place to stay
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Mike on Jul 12, 2023
It was a pleasure to have you with us!

8/10 Good

Kallahan

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gioia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Mike on Jun 23, 2023
Hi GioiaIt was a pleasure to have you with us in Alajuela Backpackers!

10/10 Excellent

MacKenzie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
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.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023
Response from Mike on May 18, 2023
Hi MckenzieIt was a pleasure having you with us and to know you enjoyed your stay.Hope to have you back sometime soon!

4/10 Poor

maria, toronto

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close+to+the+airoport
Room%2C+sheets%2C+towels+and+bathroom+were+very+dirty.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Emily Brooks

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice for a night before a flight
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.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

8/10 Good

Dawn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Low cost alternative
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).
Stayed 8 nights in May 2017

6/10 Okay

vic, uk

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Very convenient for airport
Bar nicely situated with good city views. Free coffee nice. Very comfy beds.

8/10 Good

sherry, chicago

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
good for an overnight
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

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
New low standard of filth, poor service and value
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

10/10 Excellent

Michael, Long Beach, California

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Stay
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.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

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

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

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.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

8/10 Good

Nice hostel , Ontario, Canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice hostel, close to the airport and food
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 room. Girl not included

2/10 Terrible

m, california

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not a good hostel to stay
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.

10/10 Excellent

kath, nyc

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Staff!
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.

6/10 Okay

renata, south africa

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 .

8/10 Good

Amber, BC Canada

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

4/10 Poor

Kathy, prince albert

Disliked: Cleanliness
Close to old town
Good place but poop all over shower curtain and in need of a lightbulb

8/10 Good

Tara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Inexpensive hotel near the airport
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)

4/10 Poor

Leandro, San Diego, California

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It's was a pretty bad experience
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.

8/10 Good

Tara, Asheville, NC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hostel, kind staff, 5 mins to the airport
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!!

6/10 Okay

david, isle of man

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
the hotel is in a good location ,in the centre of
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

8/10 Good

Kristian, Wodonga

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Accurate review, pleasant surprise
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.

8/10 Good

Malcolm, Victoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close to the airport and clean
Good location close to the airport. The only downside is that there is no kitchen or fridges available to store and make food.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

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!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Noisey
The room was clean and the staff pleasant but there was a lot of street noise during the night.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort

8/10 Good

jose, San Diego

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
ok if you're a backpacker
I pay for air conditioning and didn't have airconditioning I guess it's okay for the price

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great
Located of walkibg distance of everything, very friendly staff, really cool bar