USA Hostels San Diego

Poor
The desk clerk was a jerk! Their policy that you must have a passport or out-of-state driver's license doesn't help if you're a resident of California and traveling. I had flown down from San Francisco but was denied lodging. I know from reading some of the other comments here that this policy is selectively enforced. This doesn't speak to well about the staffing. Also I learned they had some guys from Chile living there as their residence. That seemed a bit shady and not what hostels are meant for.

Great for Partying
I had an awesome time at this hostel. It was my first stop in California and it was a great place to start the tour. The staff was very laid back but at the same time very hard working. The bathroom were surprisingly clean and the staff seemed to always be working on cleaning something, with the exception of the party room, which had some disgusting carpet (some of which I probably contributed to, spilling drinks late at night). I had a chance to meet a lot of great people here and partied every night with the cheap drinks they offered. Admittedly, I didn't see much of the night life in San Diego, but thats ok, I had plenty of fun at the hostel. The location is great for being downtown, close to tons of shops, and good restaurants (go to Pokez, best food for the price). Beaches are rather far, but buses are easy to catch. Take advantage of their included zoo ticket deal, it was worth it! Free pancakes were great too. I loved the staff and loved the atmosphere. No AC sucked, but I'm from Texas so the "heat" in San Diego was a breeze. To really get the best from this place, make sure you stay up late and hang out in the party room, it was great experience. Good job USA hostels!

I stayed here (hostel in Gaslamp Quarter at corner of Fifth) in February '07 and January '06. conditions had deteriorated in that year. I hate to have to say this but this year I got bug bites in a room on the second floor. the manager offered me a free night's accommodation when he saw the evidence of the bites but I decided to go on to LA. only the third time I have experienced (bed?) bugs in a hostel. I perhaps won't go back although I really enjoy San Diego. I'm being generous with three stars.

The location is great but this place has no a/c and is quite dirty. the kitchen is tiny and everything is always left dirty in the sink. the staff don't seem to want to do anything to change that. The bathrooms are horrible -- just like locker room showers and public toilets. We would probably stay here again as its quite cheap and a great location in the gaslamp area.

Good hostel right in the centre of the Gaslamp District so it's close to everything. My only complaint with this hostel was the lack of air conditioning (or decent fans). I stayed here in July 2006 and our dorm had a ceiling fan but the window barely opened. With four people sleeping in a dorm with no breeze and barely any ventilation the heat at night was unbearable. Lounge with a projector screen and a selection of DVDs and a decent-sized kitchen, although there is a washing up problem and your food is likely to get nicked, but that can happen anywhere. Free pancakes in the mornings though!

Of all the hostels I visited during my three-month trip of the U.S.A. this was one of my favorites. Very friendly staff, nice clean rooms and bathrooms, and a spacious kitchen. I had some fantastic nights with other travelers watching movies, having a few drinks, and heading out to the Gas Lamp. Highly recommended! I would, however, recommend having some ear plugs as it can get a little noisy outside but they're handy anyway to block out other guests snoring!

This is the worst hostel I have ever stayed in. We waited for forty-five minutes to check in. The kitchen is so hot you can't cook in it. The bathrooms are dirty and smelly. What's the point of having separate sex dorms, but shared sex bathrooms? Our room was too small and very hot. The fan creaked like hell it was so old. The beds were falling apart. When we asked to move rooms bwecause of the heat, we were told no because all the rooms were hot. So do something about it and get some air con! We went to bed around half one, and there were still people being very loud in the halls outside the rooms, despite the fact that there is a sign saying that you are not to hang out in the halls past eleven. The party room was the dirtiest I've ever seen, and very smokey. All my clothes stank. The other TV room was just far too hot to sit in. Awful place that needs shutting down. I stayed in better places in Kenya.

Nothing to complain about here. Good rooms, good free pancakes, good bathrooms, friendly staff, good tv room. Was a pity they closed the kitchen/tv room around midnight though. Good location as well. And good price if I remember rightly.

I've stayed at this hostel 3 times over 4 years. I love it. Problems first: 1. No AC, but if there's a good desert draft it feels devine. If no draft, you are uncomfy. Of the 12 nights I've stayed over the years I had a comfort problem on about 3 of them. 2. Very very noisy outside, but personally is no problem for me 3. Pay-for-internet is steep. The place is relatively clean. I've been there enough times to look it over. Don't bring your own sheets, they are very particular about cleaning their own sheets for fear of bedbugs. Of all the american hostels I've visited I enjoy this one the most. Staff has usually been very nice to me. Some of the desk tellers were rude but most were sweet. Very good location, right in the middle of the gaslamp qtr. It's close to everything cool. Americans need out-of-state ID. Americans do not need a passport, just a non-California driver's license or plane ticket stating a relatively distant point of origin. I've gotten in this way 3 times already, most recently in 2005. Bathrooms have recently been expanded. No longer 4 washrooms for everyone, they're now multiple showers/sinks. There was always something available even in the busy season. The showers have an odd smell but at least I could get one whenever I wanted. Just use your common sense, this is a hostel so of course bring your sandals. They were still building one of the washrooms when I got there but the remaining 3 washrooms had 3 showers/pots & 6 sinks each. They were all brand new. Breakfast is all you can eat. It's just waffles and pancakes with fruit spread and syrup, but it's enough. They've just redone their eating area so now there's a loft for more room and it's cleaner. They are 3 blocks from a 24 hour grocery store so it's just as simple to get supplies and cook them yourself if you want more. One year they had a booking issue with me. I was stuck into a girls' room by accident. No problem for me, of course. I was a lucky man that night. It was by far the most fun hostel night I ever had. They mentioned the mistake was made by some manager so I don't know how organized that makes them seem. But anyway I recommend them despite such potential problems.

Sheets were dirty. Great location, but very noisy. The hostel, and especially the kitchen, has got a big insect problem, so that you cannot enjoy your morning breakfast or drink your free tea or coffee. So I totally don't recommend this hostel! It was the worst hostel experience that I have had.

This place is my very worst experience!! It's by far the worst place. I came there with two buddies to get a room for three. It was obvious (October 2003) that the girl at the phone already did not like us, we disgusting Europeans. We asked a room for three and got a dump closet for half a person. We were treated like boot camp candidates and worst of all I was waiting for a very, very important message — our trip depended on it. They did not bother to leave us the message. It is dirty and expensive. If you ever go to San Diego, get a cheap hotel, it costs as much. I work in a hostel and travel every week. This is the number 1 on my sh*t list.

Nice friendly atmosphere. It has clean dorms and bathrooms with a very nice kitchen. Bad points: lack of bathrooms and no air-conditioning. But it's well worth a stay if in you're in San Diego. It's located just around the corner from the Greyhound bus station.

Yet another stupid US hostel that requires a US citizen to have a passport. RIDICULOUS!

Good location and nice place. It's a bit clique-y, though and San Diego wasn't the nicest place I've been to. A piece of advice: go to Ensenada in Mexico instead, 3 hours south.

This hostel is simply wonderful. It's clean, colorful, has plenty of people from all around the world and it's in the middle of San Diego's nightlife area. If you are planning to stay in San Diego, choose USA Hostel, you won't regret it!!!