Downtown Montezuma Hostel

I feel a bit bad posting this because the owner was welcoming and friendly, but I hope it’s useful to other travelers and the hostel. At check-in, the owner’s wife was on her phone, and I felt I was bothering her. She came across to me as someone in tourism mainly for the money, rather than the social side of welcoming travelers. She put a band around my wrist without explaining why. The room had lots of mosquitoes, and the fan was running, which made no sense to me either environmentally or as a way to cool the room. It was beside reception and the shared bathroom, with a tiny window and hardly any light. If you’re booking a private room for one and want peace and quiet, I wouldn’t recommend this hostel.

The dorms were hot and stuffy, and the en suite bathroom had no window. Everything smelled musty. Manager Pedro was surly and wouldn’t budge when I asked to cancel or trade my five dorm nights for three nights in a private room. The customer service felt awful, almost hostile. The location and hammocks are nice, but not enough to make it worth staying. There’s a cute, friendly hostel down the street for the same price: Pura Vida Hostel. Pura Vida!

The owners only recently bought the hostel, and they’re the friendliest people in the world. I left it a 10/10 on the Hostelworld app. My double room was spacious, with its own bathroom, and the staff cleaned it and replaced the linens every day. I’ve never had that at a hostel. If you need anything, ask Pedro, the owner, and he’ll bend over backwards to help. Incredible value for the price.

Everything was very clean, including the kitchen, and breakfast was available in the morning. Our room had two twin beds, with the bathroom down the hall. It’s a bit rustic, but everything worked.