Juliette Hostel

There are some good things here: I met great people, it suited my needs and budget, and the hostel is Puerto Rican owned and run, according to workers. It's in the middle of a community rather than a tourist area, which I personally liked. The community gathers around the shops and restaurants and seems to respect the hostel's boundaries. It may be that they appreciate the foot traffic for the business, jobs, and liveliness it brings. It's centrally located between Old San Juan, Condado, Santurce, and Carolina. Old San Juan is a 15-minute walk, Escambron Beach is 10 minutes, and the popular local El hamburger is also 10 minutes away. Ladis restaurant is a five-minute walk, a nice spot for a drink or coffee and ocean views; I worked there for a couple of hours my first day and it felt like a great welcome. The bodega across the street is well stocked with tasty snacks and drinks. The bar across the street has well-priced drinks and bomba on Tuesdays. El Mex restaurant down the street becomes a club some nights; on Tuesdays they had a mini rave, and their micheladas are so good. There's a large, nice lounge and workspace down the street with free tea and coffee, water refill stations, and laundry for $2 to wash, $2 to dry, and $1 for a pod. A Lyft to my conference at the convention center was only five bucks. The hostel is fine, but that's about it. Don't expect luxury. I arrived with flexibility and patience and ended up pleasantly surprised, even though there's room to improve. I stayed in room 4 and didn't get bed bugs, only a couple of mosquito bites in the restroom. Staff told me room 4 had been closed for a month after a bed bug complaint, so I guess if there was an issue, it was dealt with. The bathrooms could be cleaned more often. The showers get a bit icky, and I think they're cleaned only once a day. Toilet paper wasn't always replenished and the bins weren't emptied as needed. The women cleaning do a good job, but the morning mess they have to face isn't fair to them or pleasant for us. The room felt much colder than the stated 75 degrees, closer to 68, especially after getting used to Puerto Rico's weather. I was by the AC, so some nights it was too cold to sleep well. To make the stay easier, I'd bring warm pajamas, a sweater, a throw blanket, shower flip-flops, a travel towel, and an extra toilet roll. A trip to Marshalls in Old San Juan can help if you forget these. The bodega or Marshalls has shampoo and soap. Bring a personal lock if you're worried about your things; they do provide a combination lock. Earplugs or an eye cover may be useful if you're sensitive to noise or light. I wish the hostel cleaned the bathrooms at least twice a day, kept the TP stocked and bins emptied, and set the temperature to 77-78 from 9 pm, then back to 75 at 9 am. Under-bed rolling boxes that fit luggage and can be locked would help, and bed curtains could wrap fully around to block morning sun for beds by a window. Still, I had a great experience and would come back. It wasn't perfect, but I paid less for a whole week here than one night at the Hilton in PR, which charges $500 a night.

They advertise this as a women's hostel, but that's the only good thing I found about it. The whole experience was horrific, and I wish I'd stayed elsewhere. The room doors slammed every time someone came or went, and all the rooms open onto one hallway, so I could barely sleep. There are no windows in the rooms, either, leaving nowhere to dry clothes, not even in your room. The lounge was just one small room with three chairs where mosquitoes would eat you alive. There was no communal kitchen, only two small fridges downstairs, a microwave, and a water machine. That isn't much of a hostel experience. At least three toilets were broken throughout the six days I was there. Then the power went out completely for almost 24 hours, leaving everyone without lights or AC. All the workers went home and left about a gallon of water for more than 30 girls. My closet's back panel was broken, which meant anyone could get to my things. I told the front desk and was brushed off. They said someone would come fix it, but nobody did. They make you wear a wristband you can't remove, which says a lot about how little they care about guests' comfort. The AC is turned way up at night, and I felt they were trying to push guests to rent a blanket. That felt desperate, calculated, and manipulative. I also found out this isn't owned by a Puerto Rican, but by a Jewish man. I believe he and his company, San Juan 901, are gradually gentrifying this area and other parts of San Juan, displacing local people who are facing high poverty rates. I asked for a refund on a form and never got one. You've been warned.

We chose this place for one night because it was cheaper than the hotels and close to the cruise port. The entrance was cool and felt secure, with a code to get through the gate. But the room was all cinderblock, there was no Wi-Fi even though we were told there would be, the TVs didn't work, and the water wasn't hot. Glad we only stayed the night. You check in at the front desk at the Julie, apparently, even if your reservation is for Romeo Gay hotel.

The staff were very nice, but the rest of the stay was disappointing. The room smelled awful and the walls and floor were dirty. We were also surprised to be charged extra for towels and blankets. It was extremely hot, and the air conditioning barely helped. We've stayed in several hostels, and bathrooms aren't always clean, probably because some guests don't respect them, but the lack of cleanliness and respect here really spoiled the experience.