Ocean Beach International Hostel

I will definitely go back again. I just love the location.
I have stayed in this hostel in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007. I will definitely go back again due to its excellent location. two minutes walk to beach. three minutes walk to food market, four minutes walk to library to use free internet. fifteen minutes bus ride to down town San Diego. Every Wednesday, in front of hostel, Farmer's Market being set up. Twice a week free BBQ and beer if i remember correctly (i don't drink so didn't pay attention.) I love their fully equipped kitchen. Very safe location for international travelers. Locals are very friendly, even drunks/homeless along side the beach are friendly. I have been to hostels most major cities of Europe; Hollywood, California; and Quebec, Canada so if i compare this hostel to all the hostels i have stayed i could definitely give five star. Tell me a good hostel in Paris, Barcelona, Marseilles. You pay double price of what you pay for Ocean Beach International Hostel in Europe. In Paris kitchen means a microwave oven. In Hollywood they give you two slices of bread and a jam that everyone sharing. If the management increase their bed rates little then this hostel will definitely will be very clean and will have more customer friendly staff. Also, management should not allow local Americans entering premises whenever they do free BBQ. Hostel population suddenly doubling on those dates. Anyways, as i said location is great for me. i am looking forward going back again as soon as they stop charging fuel charge by end of June this year in Japan where i live.

Terrible
This hostel is terrible -- one of the worst I have stayed in. The rooms are extremely crowded, nothing is clean, and there are a ridiculous number of rules. I cut my stay short and headed home.

Nice, but too many rules
First the good things. the location is great, sure it's a thirty-minute bus ride away from downtown San Diego, but people staying here could've guessed downtown wouldn't be right next to the beach. Furthermore, the neighbourhood the hostel is located in has enough happening to keep one entertained for a while -- there's shops, bars, and the beach. Because I was traveling with friends I didnt hang out much with other people at the hostel but there seemed to be a friendly atmosphere and a good place for mingling with others. Furthermore the free breakfast is great! I've stayed at lots of motels in the U.S. where a free breakfast consists of a muffin and some coffee, so it was great to be somewhere where you could eat as many pancakes and scrambled eggs as you wanted, and that for only $17/night. However, why does this hostel have so many rules? Of course it's nice to be able to get some sleep at night and not be woken up by dozens of drunk, loud, rowdy backpackers who return at 2 a.m., but is it really necessary to run the place like it is a retirement home rather than a hostel? When me and a friend returned quietly around 1:30 a.m. on new year's eve, and wanted to eat our late-night meal in the hostel, we were told the kitchen was closed, we weren't allowed to be in the corridors after 11 p.m., nor were we allowed to eat it in our room or on the front porch and when we sat down on the sidewalk. the manager (or whoever it was working at the front desk) came running outside to tell us that we weren't allowed to sit on the sidewalk in front of the hostel either or otherwise "we could pack our bags and go somewhere else." Seriously, and that on a night like new year's eve when you'd think people would be slightly happier and more relaxed. Also, when me and my friends (five of us in total) asked to stay another night we all had to change rooms and my new bed looked like the sheets hadnt been cleaned, with stains all over them. Also, a thin sheet and one not-too-thick blanket is not really a lot in the middle of winter, especially when you're not allowed to use your own sleeping bag. If it wouldnt have been for this interaction with the staff at the hostel I would've thought it was a great place, now I still think it's a nice place but might consider going somewhere else next time.

Very bad
This hostel is very bad. The staff are not friendly at all, and they will throw you out of the hostel just for being yourself. A lot of homeless people stay at the hostel and nothing is safe. The bathrooms are always dirty. This is not a safe hostel, there are many hostels in San Diego much better than this one.

So much fun, i wanna go back!
i have just returned home to england after traveling the world for a year. my final destination was san diego ocean beach and i was recommended this hostel in particular, so i went. it was by far my favourite hostel i had stayed in. it was none stop fun from the moment i arrived to the time i had to leave! i stayed one week, joining in with the free bbqs, breakfasts, bar crawls, mexico trips, bon fires, and was very sad to leave. so sad that i returned a week later and stayed another ten days. Ocean Beach is a relaxed and happy place to stay. i wanna say a massive thank you to the staff who pretty much made it for me! that element in a hostel is important to someone traveling on their own, and i was never on my own! i have done nothing but dream about wanting to go back since i left. they are always happy and willing to help. make sure you all go and visit this crazy hostel and dance on the porch, join in with beer pong, or just laze on the beach watching the surf.

Location hot, staff not so much
the location is very good for surfing/beach attending. its very far from san diego downtown/city. but the atmosphere in ocean beach is very nice, laid back hence the hippie attitude. I must say that the entire staff was rather rude, refused to be helpful, and lacked in general of a nice welcoming spirit. except the old dude, he was cool. so be prepared, if you go, dont pay to much attention to the staff. therefore be independent and follow the rules, if you dont they are very strict -- not so fun! the people who chill there are in general very pleasant and mellow, as well as outgoing. so choose wisely, there are a lot of pros and cons.

Brilliant!
Stayed here for over three weeks this summer and loved every minute of it! The hostel is really clean, all the rooms and the kitchen are cleaned properly everyday. Each bed has a curtain around it so that you get a little privacy and can go to bed even when somebody else in the room wants to keep the light on. We had a bathroom in all the rooms that we stayed in but there are some rooms that don't have bathrooms which means you have to use the ones in the hallway but it's grand really because they are all kept really clean anyway. It is the best place for socialising ever as there is a patio out the back where everybody goes down for a drink and to play games! Everyone is really friendly and I met loads of great people, usually everyone then goes down to the beach at night to the bonfires which are so much fun! The hostel itself is right beside the beach (Not even a three minute walk) and although Ocean beach isn't the nicest of all the beaches in San Diego it is good because it is never as crowded as the other beaches and isn't packed with tourists the whole time. The area is lovely, everything is really laid back and chilled out. Oh yeah and there is a farmers market every Wednesday on the street right outside the hostel which is handy enough! Altogether had a really great time and can't wait to go back next year!

Nice hostel, near the beach
The Hostel is really just a view blocks from the beach away and the beach is nice. I had luck to stay in a (really small) room with our own bathroom, but if not you have to share with the rest of the hostel. The breakfast was not the best, even if it's free. You can go everywhere with the bus and they tell you how to go to the nice places. I didn't like the smell which was the whole time in the Hostel. And i found it hard to get to know people. But what was really nice was the free pickup from the airport!

Nice place in a great neighborhood. Ocean Beach is exactly what I thought a southern California beach city should be like. Lots of exploration to do by day and fun nightlife. The hostel has a pretty good groove, with a good sized breakfast (which I barely made in time), comfy TV room, and nice barbeque area out back. I had some trouble getting in since I am an American, but I brought foreign travelers and we were going to Mexico, so other yanks beware. Fun pad overall.

Stayed here for two nights in November 2006 with a couple of friends from Arizona. Rooms are all right, not terrible but not fantastic. There was a sink in room for teeth brushing. Bathroom situation needs to be improved. There are individual bathrooms with a sink, toilet, and shower all in one, a little rough around the edges. Problem is in there are only five of these to service whole hostel. In the morning you have to wait a while if just want to use the toilet. The guy preparing the free breakfast could be cleaner, found hair in eggs twice, but the pancakes were good. Kitchen was small but did not use it. Although one night a guy was carving up a whole turkey. No on-site free parking if you're driving. Free street parking with daytime limits, no overnight limits you may be a block or two away and must move by 9 or 10 a.m. Despite all this the price was right and close to the beach. I have stayed in far worse.

Location and price are right. Close to beach and some bars. BUT. Had room over kitchen (would not recommend #25!) and it was noisy til 3am, then at 7am when the guy comes in to make breakfast. West side of hostel backs to other building and noise from loud people walking on the streets will keep you up until 3am. Bring earplugs. Only had one roomate (in 6 bed room), but he brought in a 'friend' to sleep with him. I was there 2 nights and was ready to leave the hostel. Free breakfast is nice, but bland (eggs and oatmeal), pancakes were good (hey it is free!). Friendly staff, bathrooms were dirty (wear flipflops), but functional (no fans or room). IYH hostels are much better, should of stayed at Point Loma.

Great hostel. Mighty location and very clean.

I stayed in this hostel for six nights in August, and had a really great time there. Ocean Beach is a fun, laid back place and the hostel is only a five-minute walk to the beach! We were also lucky enough to have an en-suite in our room for no extra cost, which was handy! Staff were friendly and the overall atmosphere of the place was good, I would definitely stay here again!

This was a very nice bohemian hostels and a great city. Convienent airport pick-up, friendly staff, decent facilities, nice breakfast, close to the beach and a bus to downtown. There's always a party going on either at the hostel or at the beach (two minutes walk away). There are some regulars, in particular one older lady who was in my room -- I have no idea how she sleeps with so much crap on her bed, including rotting food! They clean the rooms daily but only if stuff is off the floor. The older lady stays there free of charge because she cleans the bathroom, but I nearly killed myself tripping over all of her stuff -- a fire hazzard. Check out Tijuana or Ensenada (nice Mexican day trips), Balboa park on Sunday has nice, free events/concerts, whale watching boat trips were absolutely the highlight of my trip. San Diego was one of my favorite cities in the U.S.A.

I stayed here at the beginning of October 2005. Great location, and cheap; use your VIP card for a discount. The rooms were grubby; you have to store your items under your bed in black trays, which are then put on top of the bottom bunk with other people's items left on the floor each day during cleaning. The bathrooms were the worst I've ever experienced in backpacking so be prepared. Other people's comments about the good atmosphere are true, they do make an effort but it seems to need some cleaning else you may catch something. Several rooms were closed due to bedbugs, and it did not appear that they were ever going to get them fumigated. The staff did wake us up on Sunday with champagne, and gave a free barbecue so they are really trying to make your stay fun. If it helps I would stay there again, I would just be more prepared. They also arranged for us to be collected from town, which always makes your travelling easier.