More of a hotel with dorm rooms. You have to walk through the restaurant to get to the bathroom. Right on a busy junction of Paseo Colon so it's really noisy. Electronic room keys stopped working after 1/2hr and the front door is kept locked - that's great for safety but when there's no one on the front desk (often) you can't get in. It's ok for a stop over as it has clean comfortable beds but avoid the rip off breakfast.

This was my first time at a hostel, so I didn't have anything to compare it to. I would definitely stay here again. The first night I stayed in a room with my son (14) in a six bed dorm, the second night we moved to another six bed dorm with an attached bathroom. The rooms were basic but very clean. There were three bunk-beds and a small nightstand in each room. No chairs or storage in the rooms. The showers were tremendous. Lots of hot water and plenty of pressure. Very refreshing.

Lots of space to spread out in the common areas. They were not full so I almost felt like I had the place to myself especially in the morning. Grab a couple of pastries at the bakery a block and a half toward town (east), then go to the kitchen area and grab a cup of complementary coffee and go up to the balcony to watch the world go by. The hostel sits on a major intersection of a central boulevard, so street noise is an issue, but nothing a set of ear plugs can't fix. The second story balcony at the front of the hostel is excellent for people watching.

There's a large central cafe area that serves bocas and drinks in the afternoon and evening. Off that area are a couple lounges, and lots of couches in the halls. Security is good (I felt safe) with discrete security cameras all over the place. As I mentioned before I had to change rooms during my stay, and the staff (maid?) moved my stuff for me while I was out on the town during the day.

Clean, safe and great price. Thanks.

This hostel is one of the best I have seen. It was so nice to pay a little extra and have a great double room, with a good breakfast, with a great bathroom, and a big screen tv. The beds were good quality, shower had hot water, and they provided great soaps and shampoo. The hostel was very clean and those noise level was low. I read a lot about street noise, but it didn't bother us with the doors and windows closed. The staff was really nice and helpful, they seemed to genuinely want to help the customers.
The location was also really good, right downtown, close to lots of restaurants and lots of taxis ready to take you anywhere.
My one complaint about the hostel is the front door. It is always locked, which is GREAT, but upon arrival, one has to ring a bell, and if no one is at reception, you have to wait or flag down a hostel guest to open the door. This in my mind defeats the purpose of having the door locked in the first place, as a guest is likely to open the door for anyone. They need key card access, like what they have for the rooms.
The other side of this hostel is the onsite restaurant. I would just avoid this place, it is expensive and the food isn't very good. I had vegetarian quesadillas, and they had a ton of broccoli and an unidentifiable vegetable. What? They were not good especially for almost $6. My husband had nachos and they were also made with fake cheese. You would be better off walking up the street and eating at one of the many restaurants on Paseo Colon.
Overall, this is a very charming hostel, in an amazing remodeled building, with good staff and great rooms, just avoid the restaurant.

The hostel and staff were awesome. Other guests were interesting. The information about the city and tours were very helpful since I had never been to Costa Rica.