Hostel Las Mariposas

I ended up staying four weeks at Marisposa Hostel and can totally recommend it. The vibe is perfect for a real travelers hostel, balancing a calm, relaxed feel with lots of social activities. I met so many nice people. Roman and Julia were perfect managers, well done guys. Watch out for Hatman 😛

The location is the one good thing, really close to the beach and shops. But this was the worst place we stayed in Costa Rica, and the private room wasn’t worth the money. The mattress was terrible and the room dirty. There were hairs in the sink and shower, cobwebs everywhere, broken filthy curtains, and it hadn’t been cleaned under the bed or around the light switches. Only two plugs in the room worked, and the bathroom door wouldn’t close. Staff didn’t check on us during our three nights, despite the place being tiny. A strange way to run a business. Also, it’s beside a very loud bar that stays open until 2am, so keep that in mind.

The location is perfect, only 100 meters from a beautiful beach, and I ended up adding an extra night because it was so comfortable. The staff were wonderful, especially Joshua. He made sure guests were comfortable, helped everyone feel at home, and invited us to watch the sunset at the beach so nobody felt left out. He really cares about people and treats guests like good friends, not just as part of his job. He also has lots of tips and advice for traveling around the area. I really enjoyed my stay at Hostel Las Mariposas and would definitely come back.

The spot and surroundings are cute, but I wouldn’t recommend this hostel. I booked a private room with a private bathroom, then found there was no A/C. The double bed was propped up on bricks, and the mattress was so bad I could feel the springs and wooden base. The fan only worked in one of the room’s four plugs. The bathroom was dirty and crusty, and the toilet directly faced the door, leaving no room to close it while using it. All the rooms seemed similar, so moving wouldn’t have helped. The pictures don’t reflect the hostel’s service or quality. I asked the owner to refund at least one of my two nights, but he refused and didn’t seem to care. He said that because I’d already checked in, I was outside the 48-hour window, and that was just how the system worked. There was no help at all. I left for another hostel straight away and lost my money.