Hostel Of Santurce

The owner seemed nice, and I liked being close to things, but the setup wasn't right for me. There were only three bathrooms for what looked like at least 30 people, based on the room sizes. One was out of order, another opened right onto the main hangout area, and the last was wet or clogged. The bedroom smelled like a bathroom, too, and there was no hot water. The walls were thin and didn't reach the ceiling, so noise carried constantly. I could hear people in the next room farting. There was no second exit from the bedroom, which doesn't seem to meet fire code. The layout also made it feel like people were waiting right outside your door, the bathroom, or the front entrance. Maybe an older guy traveling alone would have a better time here.

Awful place. The location, staff, and whole setup felt really sketchy. Don't stay here.

Check-in was easy, and the rooms were clean. Nice place.

Getting there was a mess. My Uber driver circled the block about five times because the address was hard to find and the place doesn't show up on Google Maps. To get inside, they asked me to text a photo of my ID. I was standing in the road with my bag while people who looked high milled around and stared at me, and I felt like a sitting duck. The area felt extremely sketchy to me, even after traveling around Puerto Rico for days. There were lots of unwell and homeless people hanging around, and walking to a coffee shop as a tourist made me feel very conspicuous. The hostel is also right by the highway. Inside, it was dark and had few guests. I arrived at 1:30, and the staff member was kind, but lying on the couch as if they hadn't gotten ready for the day. I'd booked ahead expecting something nice, so arriving was a real letdown. It gave me a bad first impression of a city and island that were otherwise stunning. I travel solo a lot, and this was country number 15 for me, but I still wouldn't recommend it to women traveling alone. Be safe. Try the Concture hostel in Condado Beach instead, it felt safe, walkable, clean, and bright.