Online booking is not offered for this Hostel. Contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed below).
Please see Puerto Viejo de Talamanca for other available Puerto Viejo de Talamanca hostels and accommodations.
Please see Puerto Viejo de Talamanca for other available Puerto Viejo de Talamanca hostels and accommodations.
The Hostelz.com Review
Despite sounding like it was named after a seventies hospital radio DJ, even the most cynical traveler can’t fail to be impressed by the visual effect of Rocking J’s. It is a huge expanse of hostel, which leads right on the beach and is completely decorated in mosaic tiles and the occasional fantastically painted mural. Very skillfully done it is too, and more entertaining to look around than many galleries. Guests can add to either of these as they wish. If they put as much effort into other areas of the hostel as they did into decorating it, this could be one of the best hostels in the country.
The Location
The location does unfortunately let Rocking J’s down -- it is a reasonable walk from town and any amenities or nightlife. Puerto Viejo is not the safest town, but walking into town in a big group at night should be ok; doing so alone is never recommended, however. Rocking J’s does make up for this by paying for your initial taxi to the hostel from town -– as long as you stay there -– and has a restaurant and bar on the grounds that serve very good food at an average price. It is right on a beach, although it is by no means the best beach in the area. The advantage of its position away from the town is that there is a lot of space at Rocking J’s, which means plenty of chill-out room in the form of gardens, lawns, and covered seating areas.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There is plenty of choice for accommodation at Rocking J’s, although it is by no means the cheapest or most pristine accommodation in Puerto Viejo. You have the choice of bringing your own hammocks or tents, renting them at the hostel (although with so many hammocks so close together this may not be for the claustrophobic or privacy-loving traveler), or staying in one of the private or dorm rooms –- the ultimate option being the impressive "J’s Palace."
Every bed, tent, or hammock has a locker, although there are no much-needed mosquito nets over the hammocks. You will need to pay for each night before check-out time or you will be charged a fee and an extra padlock will be put on your locker until you do, even if you are staying. All tents and beds come with pillows, mattresses, and sheets; bedrooms come with fans as well and are lockable. The toilets are fine, apart from often being blocked. The showers are much better -- refreshingly cool and with shelf space to place your possessions.
Common Spaces
There is plenty of common space at Rocking J’s. There is a well equipped kitchen or a decent restaurant if you don’t want to cook for yourself (try the chocolate brownie sundae). The ladies who run this restaurant during the day are lovely, but there are several complaints about the men who work here and behind the bar repeatedly saying inappropriate things to some of the female guests and just generally being a bit "creepy." Similarly, the ladies behind the reception and tours desk seem to be slightly rude and miserable.
There is a television, but it wasn’t working at the time of review. The hostel does have free Wi-Fi but no computers of its own, which is unusual for a Central American hostel and inconvenient for a hostel so far away from everything. There are plenty of large, long tables for eating and socialising, the surfaces of which are laminated over IDs, foreign bank notes, photos, jewelry, and other memorabilia, which makes sitting down (and balancing a glass) more interesting. There is also a book exchange and plenty of communal hammocks to chill out in.
Summary
If you can manage to say the name without cringing, Rocking J’s has the potential to be such a great hostel. It looks fantastic and certainly has character without the feeling that e-coli is just one meal away, which you get with many quirky, guest-decorated hostels. If only the staff put in the same effort with customer service, and guests were trusted to pay rather than fined if they sleep in. Providing computers would also be beneficial to those guests traveling without laptops who instead have to travel to the expensive internet cafes in town.
The Location
The location does unfortunately let Rocking J’s down -- it is a reasonable walk from town and any amenities or nightlife. Puerto Viejo is not the safest town, but walking into town in a big group at night should be ok; doing so alone is never recommended, however. Rocking J’s does make up for this by paying for your initial taxi to the hostel from town -– as long as you stay there -– and has a restaurant and bar on the grounds that serve very good food at an average price. It is right on a beach, although it is by no means the best beach in the area. The advantage of its position away from the town is that there is a lot of space at Rocking J’s, which means plenty of chill-out room in the form of gardens, lawns, and covered seating areas.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There is plenty of choice for accommodation at Rocking J’s, although it is by no means the cheapest or most pristine accommodation in Puerto Viejo. You have the choice of bringing your own hammocks or tents, renting them at the hostel (although with so many hammocks so close together this may not be for the claustrophobic or privacy-loving traveler), or staying in one of the private or dorm rooms –- the ultimate option being the impressive "J’s Palace."
Every bed, tent, or hammock has a locker, although there are no much-needed mosquito nets over the hammocks. You will need to pay for each night before check-out time or you will be charged a fee and an extra padlock will be put on your locker until you do, even if you are staying. All tents and beds come with pillows, mattresses, and sheets; bedrooms come with fans as well and are lockable. The toilets are fine, apart from often being blocked. The showers are much better -- refreshingly cool and with shelf space to place your possessions.
Common Spaces
There is plenty of common space at Rocking J’s. There is a well equipped kitchen or a decent restaurant if you don’t want to cook for yourself (try the chocolate brownie sundae). The ladies who run this restaurant during the day are lovely, but there are several complaints about the men who work here and behind the bar repeatedly saying inappropriate things to some of the female guests and just generally being a bit "creepy." Similarly, the ladies behind the reception and tours desk seem to be slightly rude and miserable.
There is a television, but it wasn’t working at the time of review. The hostel does have free Wi-Fi but no computers of its own, which is unusual for a Central American hostel and inconvenient for a hostel so far away from everything. There are plenty of large, long tables for eating and socialising, the surfaces of which are laminated over IDs, foreign bank notes, photos, jewelry, and other memorabilia, which makes sitting down (and balancing a glass) more interesting. There is also a book exchange and plenty of communal hammocks to chill out in.
Summary
If you can manage to say the name without cringing, Rocking J’s has the potential to be such a great hostel. It looks fantastic and certainly has character without the feeling that e-coli is just one meal away, which you get with many quirky, guest-decorated hostels. If only the staff put in the same effort with customer service, and guests were trusted to pay rather than fined if they sleep in. Providing computers would also be beneficial to those guests traveling without laptops who instead have to travel to the expensive internet cafes in town.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2011
Their Description
Rocking J's Details
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(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Location/Contact| Address | 800 Meters South Of Bus Station, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón Province, Costa Rica |
| Location | |
| Website | rockingjs.com |
| Telephone | 506-2750-0657 |
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Not so Great Stayed here for 4 nights in August 2011. Slept in the hammock hotel the first night but mine was right in the middle of the entry way with lots of people constantly walking by. Changed to a tent for the rest of my stay which was a slight improvement. I do not consider myself to be conservative but this is the only place I found a few of the other travelers to be very rude and unfriendly. Of course that is not by fault of Rocking J's, but in general that staff was also unhelpful and not very friendly. The exception being Jimmy at the bar who was a pleasure and J's brother E also seemed like a good guy. The food at E's Restaurant was pretty good too although I thought it was over priced. Didn't really care for the beach here -- it's mostly tidal pools that are somewhat interesting to look at but not so great for swimming unless you enjoy just sitting still in small two-foot deep puddles of water. Walk to town was a bit far (almost a mile each way) and I didn't have any luck getting art supplies or borrowing a guitar from the reception desk as advertised. They also didn't seem to have any place to keep food (cold) or a kitchen like most hostels. Bathrooms were pretty dirty and too often occupied. You might like this place if you really want to party but I wish I would have stayed somewhere else. Overall, I can't really recommend Rocking J's. — Kirk , USA (2011-09-16) Awful! Maybe this place used to be awesome or something, but it totally sucks! The staff is unfriendly (to put it nicely) and extremely unhelpful. The toilets were clogged every single day and were allowed to overflow onto the floors. The place was a disgusting mess, and the beach it's on isn't worth it. There are much nicer places to stay that are cheaper and on nicer beaches too -- which we found out too late since we'd read a guidebook and decided to book our entire stay here. I can't warn you away from this place enough -- don't go unless you like walking in other peoples' feces and enjoy being completely ignored by staff when you're trying to check in or out or ask for help. — Meg , US (2009-10-12) One of the best hostels in Central America! It's right between two beaches and always full of wicked people willing to burn one down. — Anonymous (2005-05-20) Best place in Puerto Viejo. Wish I could have stay longer but had only a week. I meet people from all over the world there. Going to stay there again when in Costa Rica — Joe (2005-03-30) This is a very nice hostel, with great surroundings. They're expanding (at least that's what I think the bulldozers were doing at 7 in the morning), which is my only complaint (though the owner did pass out earplugs). Once they've finished, it should be an even better hostel. — Anonymous (2005-03-23) This is the best place in Puerto Viejo. I went for a week and ended up staying for two weeks. The owner JJ and the staff were the nicest people I have met at a hostel. The layout of Rocking J's is the best in Costa Rica. The next time I am in Costa Rica I will stay there again. — Joe (2005-03-22) Go! And you will never regret it in your life!!! — Anonymous (2004-11-19) I had the the greatest time ever here. It was so chill, I have dreams every night about coming back. See you in March! — Dennis (2004-09-21) I passed by for two days, but left two weeks later!!! Hippy friendly place, not for the uptight or conservative traveler! — Simon the swiss cook (2004-04-09) The set-up here is the best I have seen in Costa Rica. JJ (the owner) helped me out with day trips and other things I needed. It is located right on the beach and is within walking distance of the center of town. The next time I'm in Puerto Viejo I will stay here again. — Anonymous (2004-04-04) I miss this place so much. I would go there anytime. Wish I was there now. J is awesome and so is everyone that you meet there. — Kimberly (2004-03-22) JUST GO, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT ONE SECOND! It's the most chilled friendly awesome hostel in Costa Rica, we were there for a whole month!! JJ (the owner) is always willing to help you out and show you the most beautiful secluded areas of Puerto Viejo. Go and have fun. — Anonymous (2003-11-11) I stayed there three nights in late August and early September. It was relaxing and a great location, but a bit like my college days though. — Anonymous (2003-09-02) This place is great, the environment is very relaxed and I recommend it for those who like to share with other cultures. Just check it out! — Anonymous (2003-07-24) The set up was awesome, but the owner would rather watch Harry Potter than take our reservation. We stood in front of him like ten minutes before being attended to. Like I said, the set up is awesome but also be willing to wake up to the smell of Mari... — Anonymous (2003-07-04)