Samesun Ocean Beach San Diego

Free breakfast and the patios were a nice bonus, and during my week there I never had to wait for a bathroom. There are private bathrooms as well as public ones separated by gender. I stayed in a mixed 8-bed room; each bunk had a curtain, light, and its own charging station. For a hostel, the service, price, bed, bathroom, and beach proximity are hard to beat. The main drawback was the room temperature: one day someone set the AC to 58 F, another day it was 80 F, with almost the same weather outside. Ventilation wasn't great either, so it could be challenging if you're sensitive to temperature or smells.

The room got hot, especially up on the top bunk, and I usually sleep at 67F, so it took some getting used to. With summer approaching, this may not suit you if you want air conditioning. Still, the bunk was comfortable and both the room and bathrooms were clean. I was traveling alone in May, and although it was my first hostel stay and I felt pretty wary, I felt safe and got what I paid for. The location was handy, with Target and restaurants nearby, and overnight street parking was available, which was great.

We loved staying here and will definitely come back. The private room was really comfortable, and since I'm sensitive to fragrances, I appreciated that they didn't use scented laundry soap. The staff were super nice and relaxed. Highly recommend!

Ocean Beach is right nearby, and the hostel sits on its main road, with lots of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops close by. The ocean is an easy walk too. We were three buddies visiting for three nights and had a room with three bunks to ourselves. It came with clean bedding and towels and a private sink. Shared spaces stayed neat, and the bathrooms and kitchens were clean whenever we used them. Other guests were friendly and interesting, with plenty of places to hang out. Staff were welcoming and kept quiet hours enforced. There's indoor parking for bikes and surfboards, and wetsuits can be rented. I'd never stayed in a US hostel before, and this exceeded what I expected. Definitely a hidden gem, whatever Google's 1-star suggestion says.