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National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio: Traveler Reviews

Next Door to Manuel Antonio National Park | 300 Mts del Restaurante Marlen hacia el Parque Nacional de Manuel Antonio, Manuel Antonio National Park 11111, Costa Rica
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National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio
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50 reviews from our community

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Traveler rating
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Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
4 hotel reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“Bedbugs... All you need to know.”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed January 2, 2013 via mobile

Being from NYC, the first thing I always do when I get to a hotel is check for bedbugs. I got my flashlight out, and they were in every bed of our room in the hostel. When we told the person at the front desk, he gave us our money back, as there was no way we were going to stay there. He did, however, seem to know full well of the big problem. Which just means that this hostel knows about the problem, but chooses not to do anything about it. Otherwise, location is next to the national park. But again, beware, it's hidden up a bumpy dirt road and not easy to find. Definitely will not be coming here again.

  • Stayed December 2012
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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See 3 more reviews by Ctapper for Manuel Antonio National Park
Ask Ctapper about National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
San Jose, Costa Rica
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“It't Terrible”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed December 29, 2012

I stayed here with to of my friends in a dorm for a night just becuase we alredy payed for it. Well the dorm was dirty, dark, and smelled like smoke. I'll try to explaint who are the dorms, porbably it was a place where they have chikens before, so they just divided it into dorms with a terrible ventilation and lighting. They also offfer locker, but you must buy the lock. The mattres are tho worse just imagine you can feel the wood under it.

Then the in the kitchen area, the stove didn't work, actually set on fire when a woman was trying to cook.

The night that we stayed were a lot of locals staying there too, and they showed no respect for anyone they were making noise until 2:00 a.m. and then start again at 6:00 a.m.

I have travel like a backpaker around the world and definitely this is one of the worse places to stay. There other better and cheaper place on the are

  • Stayed December 2012, traveled with friends
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Ask arskasv about National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Diego E, Manager at National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio, responded to this review
January 11, 2013
Dear Arskasv:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this forum! We feel bad that you didn´t have a great time with us...
In our defense, I have to say that our electrical stove is working pretty well as always. What happened is that some guest left the stove on for a long time so it started to burn the burner. that´s already fixed.
We have a guard that is ensuring safety and tranquility at our hostel, so if people is doing noise very late they will be stopped immediately by our guard.
It is forums like Tripadvisor that assist us to improve our overall service to our valued guests!
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Greensboro, NC
Top Contributor
59 reviews 59 reviews
29 hotel reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
“Disappointing hostel with the worst mattresses I've seen in 3 years or backpacking”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed December 3, 2012 via mobile

National Park Backpackers has a nice location, right next to the entrance of the park (though the trade off is that you're further from The beach and supermarket and "town"), but unfortunately that's where the compliments end. The real deal breaker was the mattresses, which are by far the worst I have encountered in 3 years of backpacking in some of the cheapest hostels. I didn't believe the reviews myself, I assumed people were being picky because I personally don't mind foam mattresses. Wow. I think someone has had to TRY to make these mattresses so bad. You could feel evey uneven an gapping board below you, it was miserable. The horrible pillows are easy to deal with but I woke up with such a sore back from the mattresses it made hiking in the national park miserable. And I don't have back problems! It was literally that the mattresses are SO bad. Your sleep will be distrupted further by the fact that you can hear your neighbors Ever whisper, Every word of their conversation like you were there. I guess the walls between the privates are paper thin, i was shocked how well i could hear people a few Doors down. The dorm walls dont even reach the ceiling so theyre just as Bad or worse. The common area is a nice place to meet people but unfortunately not well maintained. There were dirty dishes sitting in the sink for at least 2 days (I checked out after 1 but came back to get my food out of the kitchen). The nightly movie screenings are a good idea but poorly run. For $30 for a private there are much, much better deals to be had. Skip this one, your back and goodnights sleep will thank you.

  • Stayed December 2012
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Michelle S about National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Diego E, Manager at National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio, responded to this review
December 5, 2012
The management and staff here at NPBP are extremely sorry that this guest was not happy with her stay at our Hostel. However, for the sake of TripAdvisor readers, we feel compelled to reply.
If this particular guest had simply told us about her situation during her stay we would have done everything possible to ensure her stay to be more pleasant…
Allow me to please address each of the points by the guest’s complaints:

Our location: Michelle pointed out very well our great location near the National Park, but I would like also to clarify that we actually are in a walkable distance to the supermarket and beach (about 250mts away only). And I guess most of tourists would rather to be closer to the National Park and its beaches than the town.

Mattresses: We actually have doubled up some of our mattresses and already are going to buy 21 new mattresses so this problem will be hopefully solved very soon. We indeed are very sorry that you had not told us about this, so we could move you to other room with better conditions.

Our walls: Michelle I see that even you just booked one night in a private room, you had the time to look at our dorms… Being the manager for about 8 months ago, I had not heard this before, but I definitely going to check this with our maintenance department and look for a solution.

Our common area and nightly movie: Thank you very much for pointing out that our common area is really nice and the nightly movie is a great idea. Our housekeeping ladies always clean this area all mornings and before they leave at 3pm again, we have signs were clearly says that every guest has to wash their dishes (as every hostel) but a few of them don´t do it, anyway we´ll be taking more care about this from now on.

We take all reviews here on Tripadvisor seriously and strive every day to consider the content each review and make any necessary changes.
For those of you considering a visit to our Hostel, if there is a way we can make your stay better, we kindly ask that you inform us while you are in the Hostel, as we are more than happy to accommodate you in any way that we can!
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Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
3 hotel reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
“An oasis a few yards from the most beautiful national park in Costa Rica.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 20, 2012

Our stay here was relaxing & fun. The hostel is great. Nice rooms & beautiful clean pool right outside the door. Food is yummy & reasonably priced. The National Park is only a few yards away & was stunning with loads of animals & butterflies, with beautiful beaches. Every night they play a movie outside in a giant screen. The staff were great & so friendly. I can highly recommend this hostel as a must when visiting Costa Rica!! Would love to go back!!! :-)

  • Stayed November 2012
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Ask Lottipop about National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Diego E, Gerente at National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio, responded to this review
November 25, 2012
Hello Lottipop!
What a brilliant review you have written... We all the staff at NPBP are very happy that you had enjoyed in the most beatiful National Park in Costa Rica which is just 100mts away from us.
A great thanks for recommending our hostel to everybody and we would love also to see you again someday!!!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Quebec City, Canada
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
10 hotel reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Nice simple hostel!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 27, 2012

This is a nice, simple hostel! We stayed in a private room, which was basic (an ok bed, and a little storage space) but clean. The site though is really nice: a pool, a kitchen if you want to cook your own food, and movies at night outside! Would be nice to have a better wifi and more fridges, but it wasn't a problem at all! It is also right next door from the national park and there are many restaurants for all price range in Manuel Antonio, walking distance from the hostel.

  • Stayed July 2012, traveled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Ask megou_quebec about National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Diego E, Manager at National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio, responded to this review
November 7, 2012
Thanks to our recent friend from Quebec for such a nice review on this forum.
We are actually improving our wifi connection and our fridge although it´s really big we are considering to put more when we have more people staying.
Welcome back anytime to paradise where our staff will be happy to host you!!!
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Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
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Additional Information about National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio

Also Known As:
National Park Backpackers Manuel Antonio Costa Rica/Manuel Antonio National Park
Address: Next Door to Manuel Antonio National Park | 300 Mts del Restaurante Marlen hacia el Parque Nacional de Manuel Antonio, Manuel Antonio National Park 11111, Costa Rica
Region: Costa Rica > Province of Puntarenas > Manuel Antonio National Park
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge Beach Free High-Speed Internet Free Parking Kitchenette Restaurant Swimming Pool Wheelchair access
Hotel Style:
Ranked #6 of 15 B&Bs / Inns in Manuel Antonio National Park
Price Range: $
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
National Park Backpackers is conveniently located within steps from the entrance of Manuel Antonio National Park and only a short walk to Playa Espadilla (the main beach). We have an outdoor swimming pool and several common areas which provide a great place to relax and have fun with fellow guests from all over the world. We offer both private rooms and dorms with hot showers and a fully-equipped guest kitchen. Manuel Antonio is a mecca for the adventure seeker whether it is sportfishing, ziplining, whitewater rafting, sea kayaking, horseback riding, ATV tours… our friendly staff can arrange it all. It is also a haven for nature enthusiasts with all the flora and fauna and wildlife in the park.On-site we have our restaurant, the “Funky Monkey”, which serves both local and international flavors from 6am to 10pm daily… including beer, for a great price. Also, we have a nightly poolside movie feature (and yes, we will take requests on what to show). We are the only hostel in the area with our amenities AND a great location. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or if there are any special arrangements you should need. We are here for you and to ensure your time spent in Manuel Antonio is the best it can possibly be. Other amenities:• WiFi • Swimming pool• No curfew• Lockers• Nighttime security guard• Free parking• Tour information• Snacks and beverages for sale• Fully-equipped kitchen area• For hire laundry service• Pura vida!!! ... more   less 
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