Hostel Casa Brenes

The open-air sitting areas on the second and third floors are nice, especially the mountain views from the third-floor terrace. The room itself, though, may not have much natural light: ours had no window, and they couldn't move us until the next day after I asked. Some rooms don't have windows, and despite the Booking.com description, none actually has a mountain view. I'd only stay again if I could book a room with a window. It's a decent budget option, a few blocks from the main square and its impressive church. There's not much else for tourists to do in town. From the bus station, a colectivo taxi ride is short and cheap. You have to ring the bell each time you enter, which gets a little inconvenient. Guests can use the communal kitchen, fridge, and dining room, but the kitchen needed a more thorough cleaning before I'd feel comfortable cooking there. The stairs to the upper floors are steep, and traffic noise carries in from outside.

The terrace view is beautiful at night. The staff were very nice, and the price felt fair, especially with a parking space included. Thank you!

Casa Brenes is conveniently placed within walking distance of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Our room was simple but pleasant, with a private bathroom, fan, and comfortable bed. The best feature for us was the shared open space on the second and third floors, with comfortable seating and great views.

The open-air common areas are huge and lovely, and the place is bright, airy, and exceptionally clean. Facilities are well maintained, the Wi-Fi is great, and guests can use the kitchen. David on staff was kind and polite, and manager Auxiliadora speaks great English and really tried to make us feel welcome. We had a couple of smaller hassles. Our second-floor room was warm and took a while to cool at night, even with the windows and doors open, though the ceiling fan made it comfortable enough. You also have to ring the bell every time you come in. They encouraged us to use the fridge after we asked, but then locked the kitchen around midnight without telling us. The main complaint was the price. We were told the cheapest room for two was $30, then on arrival they tried to present that as a perk because it had a private bathroom, even though we'd said we didn't need one and expected $25. They refunded the $5 difference for the second night, but not the first.