I was stayin at Maleku Hostel on October 2011. its a good way to end the amazing trip in Costa Rica. The best thing there is the helpful and kind staff. Pamela is a great host :)

This is small hostel. The 6 bed dorm room left me literally climbing over people and their gear each time I came or went. The bunks are pretty high and no ladders, so you better be nimble if you don't check in early enough to score a lower one.
The staff was helpful. The taxi from the airport was only $4, and the free ride back at 6am was good. It's only a couple minutes walk to la radial bus stop, and there were bus helpers there, which made our connection to monteverde easy.
There are two bathrooms for at least a dozen ppl, and one is at the kitchen and everyone sitting around can hear/smell what is goin on inside, which was less than awesome. I wouldn't say it was bad, since it is cheap.... Just too compact for my comfort level.

We stayed here for one night before flying back to the USA. It was a comfortable, clean room and the shower was fairly well kept. The area didn't feel particularly nice but the free shuttle to the airport is a great idea.

This was my first stay at a Hostel. For the cost, I don't think you could find anything better. What made me choose this Hostel was 1) the low cost, 2) proximity to the airport 3) free one way shuttle. I only needed a place to sleep for a few hours before my flights arriving and then leaving Costa Rica. I would not recommend staying here more than 1 or 2 days. The Hostel is small. I'm not sure what you would do to entertain yourself for a longer stay.

The sleeping quarters were adaquate and the linens were clean. The towels were very hard, but I think things get air dried in CR. Never saw any dryers. For health reasons I wore shower shoes. There are only 2 shared bathrooms.

Breakfast is bananas, coffee, tea, and cookies. There is a supermarket 1 block away. The airport has a nice selection of food too. A few restuarants within walking distance. I ate by myself at a place 3 blocks away, Hacienda Sierpe Bar and Grill. Decent food menu. Very cold beers and Karaoke on Sunday nights. No one really spoke English but I was able to watch an NFL play-off game (they switched one of the tvs to American football from a soccer game for me). Ask if Raphael is working. He speaks some English. Don't worry, Kentucky Fried Chicken is across the street.

Overall, I would stay at Maleku if I needed a short stay. This is not a "party hostel". Also, I paid between $4 and $7 USD for an orange cab from the airport. The $7 cab was taken at 10pm while the cheaper cab was 2pm.