So it was my first time in Costa Rica. My first time traveling alone. I was excited to come here because of all the reviews about this hostel. What I was looking for: safe place where I could meet people, participate in a lot of great activities, and enjoy the beach. Coral Reef Surf Hostel was the perfect fit.
I stayed in a private room because I wasn’t sure I was prepared to dorm with a lot of strangers. My first night I curled up with a journal on one of the hammocks. Within 20 minutes, someone came up to me, invited me to join her group while they played a drinking game (fair warning: this is a very social place. That’s the atmosphere). I made friends with people everyday at the hostel since then.
WiFi is free, which is good. I had some trouble connecting at the beginning, but in the end it was fine. The closer you are to the common area, the easier it is to connect.
Nora at the front desk has such a sweet and helpful personality. Everyday I would ask her where the popular place to go was, or if there was a popular activity people in the hostel were doing that day. And each activity was more fun than the next! Sunday’s Beach/Pool Bar Crawl was so cool. The Catamaran sunset cruise was beautiful and dreamy. The activities cost extra, but they are 110% worth it.
I met friends at a different hostel who were jealous that I knew all “cool” things happening that day. I told them it wasn’t me, it was the hostel! They kept asking me what my hostel said was the “thing to do” that day/night. Coral Reef was in the know.
The location is great, too. Just a minute’s walk from the beach. And there’s an ATM across the street (BAC San Jose) that’s partnered with Bank of America. If you have BOA, you don’t have to pay a BOA foreign transaction fee if you use them.
Aside from that, my room was clean (it had 3 bunkbeds even though I was by myself. More space to sprawl out). A/C was super strong and I kept it on high all day to deter mosquitos. Because the hostel has a very indoor/outdoor vibe, you will probably see a bug or two. That’s how Costa Rica is though. I would also say the bathrooms and kitchen could be cleaner.
Checkout is 11 AM. On my last day, my bus came to pick me up at 6 PM. The staff let me hang out at the hostel while I waited. I took a surf lesson my last day, and needed somewhere to put my stuff. They let me keep my luggage in a locker, which was a big relief for me!
Overall, I had a really positive experience. Being my first time alone, it meant a lot that the owner Jeff looked out for me. When one of my tours was running late, he gave them a call to double check if everything was okay. That’s the kind of hospitality you get at Coral Reef. Cason was also really nice. I’ve already recommended the place to my friends and family.
(To learn more about my traveling, check out my blog at raquelmelody.com)
