Nirimo Hostel and Studios

The community areas have a great feel, with plenty of indoor and outdoor space to relax or find something to do. There are several kinds of rooms, laundry facilities, and comfortable sheets, air conditioning, and privacy. Everything was clean and well cared for. The shipping container rooms are a surprise, and the place is affordable and comfortable. Nirimo Hotel and Studios makes a good base for exploring the Pacific coast and its beaches, or just relaxing and keeping to yourself. El Coco and the downtown beachfront are walkable, around 15-20 minutes, and there are shops and restaurants nearby. You can also take a cheap cab if you don’t have a car. More secluded beaches are a few minutes away by car and worth the drive. For a day trip, you’re close enough to Liberia and local sights such as the La Leona waterfall. Liberia international Airport is about 30-45 minutes away depending on traffic. The staff are friendly and make sure your stay goes well. It could host a whole family reunion, with enough shared space for a crowd.

We stayed four nights with my brother. We had a decent time and I’d still recommend the hostel for the value, but you should know what to expect. The games room was a highlight, with table tennis, table football, and a pool table in adequate shape. Rooms had what we needed, including AC, and there was lots of space, good common areas, and a kitchen. It’s next to Maxi Pali, the cheapest supermarket, and we could pay by card without transaction fees. It’s on the edge of town, though, with no clear sidewalk, so walking along the main road at night was necessary. It’s still not too far from the beach. The atmosphere felt a bit strange. We were with friends we already knew and had fun, but saw only one or two other guests, and communication with the owner felt off. The kitchen was a bit dirty for much of our stay, and there wasn’t an obvious place to keep groceries. The response to my review clarified there was a second kitchen, but nobody had indicated that to us. With so few people staying, the lack of cleanliness was disappointing. Good to know future guests can use both kitchens. We’d seen several Google reviews mentioning free laundry and expected it, as did our friend who told us about the hostel. It wasn’t listed when we booked, though, so that was an honest misunderstanding. We were offered laundry service for $20, which seemed expensive, so we hand-washed our clothes. But we were told we couldn’t hang them outside to dry, or hand-wash them at all. In my opinion, not being allowed to hand-wash isn’t acceptable for a hostel. We kept getting reminded of rules we’d never been given, with hosts saying the owner had seen us on camera and that something broke hostel rules. It felt like an unseen “boss” was watching us. This came up when we put things on the pool table and when a friend came over to play table tennis. They seemed upset that we had an outside friend over for a game and abruptly told us visitors cost extra. I’d never heard of that in a hostel. Eventually it seemed there were many unwritten rules. I understand having rules, but they need to be explained in advance. We weren’t the only guests breaking them: five of us played table tennis and got excited after 10pm. When the host told us, we complied. The hosts were fair and responsive, but being told “the boss said...” multiple times made things feel strange. I can see how that view might be unfair. On our last night, heavy rain came through a large leak above my top bunk and soaked the bed. Since it was the last night, I couldn’t ask to move rooms. It shouldn’t happen, especially such a large leak, though I understand buildings get wear and tear. Being in a shipping container style room may be part of the downside. The games room and other facilities were otherwise adequate, and we still had a good enough time. I’m sharing the details to set expectations.

The place is built from upcycled shipping containers, and they’ve made a remarkable hostel community out of them. Such a unique spot, with great hosts, and it exceeded my expectations. I loved everything: the unusual rooms, community kitchen, game room, and free laundry. Highly recommend!

The rec room was my favorite, with a comfortable atmosphere for getting to know other travelers. I felt at ease here, and the hosts were always around when I needed them. Coco beach is about a 20 minute walk, which was great when I wanted to walk off dinner 🤣