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Hostel Pangea

San José (Barrio Amon), San José Province, Costa Rica

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Address
Avenida 11 and Calle 3 bis, San José (Barrio Amon)
Price
Location/Contact
Details
Their Description

Features

  • Kitchen
  • Lockers
  • 24 Hour Free Hot Showers
  • Pool Table
  • Washing Machine (laundry)
  • Lounge / Common space
  • Travel information provided
  • Bar
  • Food/Restaurant
  • Gameroom
  • Clothes Dryer
  • TV
  • Phones (public or in room)
  • BBQ
  • Swimming Pool
  • Currency Exchange
  • Nightclub
 
The Hostelz.com Review
The Hostel Pangea is quite a well-known hostel in San Jose and is popular amongst travelers.

The Location

Pangea is located a taxi ride away from the San Jose bus stations but within walking distance of ten minutes of the city centre´s main attractions and shopping areas. The hostel is run as more of a commercial business than many Central American hostels. The hostel employs a security guard and every guest is given a wristband to ensure that there are no unwanted intruders in the hostel. Staff advise travelers to take a taxi if traveling around the city late at night. The hostel is located about five minutes away by taxi from the bar and nightclub area.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The dorm rooms are small but not too crowded and the hostel provides security lockers -- but you must provide your own lock. Rooms are also equipped with fans. The bunk beds are comfortable and clean linen is provided. There is a refundable key deposit.

The bathrooms are also kept clean, however there is no hot water. There is an adequate number of spacious bathrooms in the hostel. There are no hooks or shelves for clothes though.

There is a twenty-four-hour reception and helpful multi-lingual staff. Facilities provided at the hostel include bar/restaurant, swimming pool, laundry service, free internet, and a ten-minute free phone call to Europe, North America, or Canada. There is also a pool table and common area for guests and a TV room. Checkout is at 11 a.m. and departing guests are allowed to use the hostel´s facilities for the rest of the day if they pay a small fee.

Common Spaces

The hostel bar gives backpackers an opportunity to meet other travelers. Similarly the pool area is another area to do this.

Summary

Overall this is a good hostel, with good location, good facilities, and a proper hostel atmosphere.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review


Your Comments
This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites, we don't censor out the negative comments.
We do not validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Courtney, US
May 2008
Rude Employees and scamming "exchange rate"
The hotel has an exchange rate for colones much higher than the rest of the city, though they claim its like that everywhere in San Jose. It's not. We checked. So basically they screw every person who comes through the door who pays with colones out of a few dollars. Then, when they give you your key deposit back, they screw you again because of the "exchange rate." It's only a small amount of money out of your pocket, but its quite a bit of money into their pockets. Basically, our room was $28 but after exchange, it really cost us around $32. The guy at reception was pretty rude to us, and a different guy at reception giving us our deposit back in the morning was even worse, throwing my boyfriends extra 60 colones at him across the desk that he would have lost through this elusive "exchange rate." We paid 1060 colones for key deposit, so we should receive 1060 back. It is a deposit, not a rental. Yeah, its 60 colones, but its principle. Guessing they have about fifty beds/rooms for rent. they're thus pocketing over $100 a day by screwing their guests out of small amounts of money. It's shady and unappreciated. I call BS on Hostel Pangea.
Comment by mary, USA
April 2008
I liked it alot!
There is high security there, you can't enter unless you have the wristband showing that you are staying there. Really decent rooms, beds, and bathrooms. Tons of computers for internet access. The pool was a little dirty while I was there. This place definitely accommodates to party people. There's a dance floor upstairs and huge signs with recipes for mixed drinks decorating the walls. The restaurant upstairs is really big and nice. The prices for food are not so bad. The TV room has a huge television. The painted murals at this place are amazing! There are also hourly shuttles to the airport here.
Comment by Chelsea and Raul
December 2006
Excellent hostel with super helpful staff and awesome murals everywhere! We stayed in the original Pangea because we are not really the party type and we appreciated the kitchen use more than we would have a pool (it's rainy season presently) The only thing about the older Pangea is that the rooms on the street side are way too loud so as long as you check your room first you'll have a great time. Check out the other Pangea's rooftop bar and grill for amazing food too!
Comment by Mike
July 2006
This hostel would be average except for the fact that it is split over two blocks, one has all the good facilities like swimming pool, bar and restaurant while the other is, well just plain crap. If you're staying in the crap block its also a bit daunting walking back through San Jose at night as its not the most pleasant of evening strolls. I wouldn't go nuts about this place but obviously some people have.
Comment by Tara
June 2006
Stayed here a few times while travelling in Costa Rica, it makes for a great hub to travel throughout the rest of the country. The staff is so helpful and friendly, the resturant had good food, airport shuttle. The location is walking distance to the bus stations and super close to central streets. Loved it!
Comment by Alezza Hass
April 2006
I recently traveled to Costa Rica and was able to stay in both of Hostel Pangea's buildings which both had very nice beds and friendly staff. I also found that each building provided a different and unique atmosphere. If I wanted to drink, listen to music, and dance, there was a building I could do that in. On the other hand, if I wanted to relax, there was also space at Hostel Pangea to do that. The bar and restauant were excellent! The hostel is extremely clean and I enjoyed my trip very much to Costa Rica because of Hostel Pangea.
Comment by Flora
January 2006
This hostel has more than 1 building, so make sure you choose the right one! I stayed here twice, the first time my group were stuck away in some back dorms, in a building which had no swimmingpool. We were charged the same price as the 2nd time we stayed here, which was in accommodation which was much better. I also recommend that you do NOT leave your luggage in the storage area. A lot of stuff was stolen from my group after we left some bags there while travelling away from San Jose, and when we were in the room looking for these belongings, we turned the place upside down without being questioned and could easily have stotlen stuff ourselves! You can get free storage which is safe in other budget accommodation in San Jose! The rooms however were clean, and the staff as helpful as they could be with their limited English.
[Editor's Note: There are two buildings about 200m apart. You are free to visit either one no matter which is the one you are sleeping in. Theft is a problem at this hostel, so use the lockers and don't trust the free storage.]
Comment by Jesse Santos
June 2005
Hey fellow travelers!! The minute you show up you will never want to go. The staff and the place are just unique. Check out their pool and bar, check out the loft, and definitely check it out. Pangea rocks!!
Comment by Allan Boteler
April 2005
It's hard to put into words the comfort and acceptance that you feel staying at Pangea. You can truly feel at ease there.
Comment by Anonymous
April 2005
By far Best Place in Town! This place sticks out in our minds as one of the best and cheapest places in the whole country. We loved it.
Comment by Colin
April 2005
Very good hostel, with nice people. It would not be the same experience if it weren't for the very nice staff who helped me a lot about where to go with San Jose's (limited) attractions. Highly recommended.
Comment by Colin
April 2005
Very laid-back hostel, great service. It was conducive to interaction between travelers. Barrio Amon is a very nice neighborhood (potentially the only one I really enjoyed while in San Jose). Enjoy the crazy painted walls, attentive service, and great clientele.
Comment by Olivia
February 2005
This hostel was the reason I stayed in San Jose about a week longer than I should have...highly recommended!
Comment by Christine
February 2005
The best hostel in the world when I needed it the most. Thanks to all of the staff!
Comment by Kempster
January 2005
Overall pretty good hostel. Except had to walk 2 blocks from check in to the building. Also, bathrooms had no trash cans, mirrors, or toilet paper- bring your own unless you want to wipe your arse with your hand. 24 hour bar? Don't believe it, I tried to go for a beer around 1 am and the place was closed. Oh, and they might stick you in a double bed with a stranger if they are full, no joke. Besides that, THIS PLACE ROCKS!
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