Peperina Hostel is a disaster. The hostel's website is misleading in that the amenities and pictures look great, but in reality, nothing is up to par when you get there. A note to solo female travelers -- there are no dorms designated for females, and the general population of the hostel appeared to be rough, local men staying long term. That being said, in case you still need to book a bed in this hostel, here's what you need to know.
Location
Getting to the hostel is easy, which is its only plus. Walk out the main entrance of the bus station and go down the only obvious street (San Juan) for two blocks, turn left, and walk up the hill two blocks. The hostel is a white building on the left side of the street. The sign is very small, hung right next to the door, so look closely.
Reception
The reception area is back a long, dim hallway. The only apparent common area is also here, with a very small patio off to the side. Nothing suggests any real comfort, cleanliness, or security. Luggage "storage" consists of throwing your bag beside the desk. Rarely is anyone there and the front door, while technically locked, is easily opened by reaching through the iron bars. In short, don't leave anything valuable here. With no lockers in the rooms either, be prepared to carry a day pack with you everywhere so nothing gets stolen.
Kitchen
There is a kitchen but it's probably best not to use it -- it's very cluttered and dirty.
Rooms
Scary -- that's about all there is to say about the rooms. The promised "private beds" and lockers were apparently not available, even though we asked several staff several times why nothing that was listed on the website was actually in the room. The answer was never clear. The mattress is thin and the sheets stained. All rooms are co-ed and were mostly male-dominated at the time of this review.
Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are scary, but the bathrooms are shocking and enough to send you packing. On the first floor there are two alternatives. One is merely a closet with a broken toilet (lid off, no flush function -- use plunger) and a sink with a drain in the floor which apparently is suppose to be used for bathing. Alternatively, there are "private showers," as advertised on the hostel website. These showers are really just makeshift hoses strung up in a shed with nothing separating the three "stalls" except thin plastic sheets -- nothing private about them in the least. There also is no way of securing the main outside door, so anyone could walk in on you, man or woman. Not to mention the filth and the dark, dingy atmosphere. There is a picture to the right of this review, but it didn't turn out because it was so dark in there.
In short, these showers are not usable. The only other bathroom option -- the "best" -- is on the second floor. It's a full bathroom, as pictured on the right here, but it is filthy -- the tub/shower had soap scum and pubic hairs all over the place. The toilet is stained and used paper is scattered around.
Summary
There is one computer for internet use but one guy, who appeared to be a staff member, is always on it and always drunk. The general atmosphere of the hostel is intimidating. Cleaning and security seem to be low priorities at this place. Only stay here if you've exhausted all other possibilities.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
May 2007
Location/Contact
4.5 Average from 2 Ratings
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