Casa Zen

There was a lot of room to spread out, with plenty of hammocks, and my bed was very comfortable. My room had a locker, though the female dorm didn’t get much light and the bed arrangement felt a bit odd. The yoga deck is beautiful, and the teachers are good. I teach yoga too, so I appreciated that. There are several bathrooms and showers, so I never had to wait. Breakfast was tasty, with fresh fruit and toast. The beach, a supermarket, and good places to eat are all about a minute away. The hostel has a nice layout and atmosphere, and the staff apart from one person were kind and cheerful. The man at the front desk was very rude and grumpy with me throughout my stay. I’ve since heard he’s been let go, so hopefully that won’t be a problem now.

I stayed five nights. The yoga classes, hammocks, murals, and rancho were the parts I liked. The rooms were okay, nothing special but functional. The place has potential, but management needs to address a lot. The website describes a sparkling clean professional community kitchen, surfboard rentals, friendly staff, and clean-looking facilities. Casa Zen didn’t match that picture. The biggest disappointment was that they no longer rent surfboards, so I had to walk at least half a kilometer to find a rental. I’d chosen this hostel partly to avoid carrying a board a kilometer to surf. The shared kitchen was also a mess: it’s run down and poorly organized, there’s no usual personal shelf and box system for food, the main fridge is broken and sitting on a pallet, and trash is often left on the floor. Staff rarely put away clean dishes. The knives are dull and the pans are badly worn. There’s no coffee maker in the kitchen, and nothing nearby opens before 7 AM. The hostel kitchen doesn’t open until 8, so there was no way to get coffee if I woke earlier. I also didn’t feel the place was secure. Unlike most nearby hostels, it has no gated entrance, so anyone can walk in at any time, and there are no cameras. Clothes were stolen from the line on two separate occasions. When I told staff, they seemed not to care, as if theft happened so often they’d given up. The reception staff were generally unfriendly and frustrated whenever I asked a question or tried to arrange something, even though I’d paid for a package with surf lessons and yoga. The receptionist from New York said she was hungover when I checked in, gave me a halfhearted tour, and seemed bothered by my questions. It’s noisy here, too. The hostel is beside a main road with motorcycles and ATVs speeding past day and night, plus a large construction site. Traffic and construction often interrupted my yoga classes, so it didn’t feel peaceful or very “zen.” There’s a full laundry room, but guests can’t use it and the hostel doesn’t wash guest clothes. The nearest laundromat is a kilometer away. There was no hot water in the shared rooms, no gas for cooking, no soap in the dispenser, no pool, and no lock for the shared room. The owner said there was 24-hour security, but that was completely false, he was the only one there. After three nights, I left feeling that the low rent didn’t come with much service. I wouldn’t rely on earlier reviews or ratings.

The breakfast was included in the $65 we paid for two nights: coffee, fresh fruit, toast, and a delicious jam that tasted like guava, though I’m not certain. The hostel itself is beautiful, with a great atmosphere and very friendly staff. There’s no air conditioning, but the ceiling fan and standing fan kept us cool enough at bedtime. Showers are cold, which felt welcome in the heat. Yoga classes run every day at 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM, though I don’t know the price. Reception closes around 9 PM, so you can’t check in after that. There’s someone looking after the place later who can let you into a room and ask you to check in the next morning. He only needed to see my passport.

We had a great stay. The staff were super nice and helpful, and there was a friendly community feel. It’s also a calm hostel that got quiet at night. We stayed in the full upstairs room with a private bathroom and kitchen, and were able to park our car on the property for free. There’s a grocery store across the street, Green World grocery store a short walk away, and cafes and restaurants right nearby, so you can stay in the immediate area if you like. It’s a good budget choice if you want to relax, do yoga, and be close to the beach. The yoga classes were convenient, though I’d suggest bringing your own mat if you can. The available ones are okay but clearly well used. It worked well for us, but might not suit a romantic getaway.