Karandi Hostel - Bird Watching — Hotel in Bahía Ballena

I had a very difficult time coming to the decision that I would give this hostel 3 stars. I was constantly wavering between giving it 1 star, or 5 stars, and I'll explain why below.

The hostel itself was wonderful. Smack dab in the middle of a beautiful, lush jungle garden, the staff and owners of this hostel have put in a LOT of work to beautify their surroundings. They have planted fruits trees and have cultivated an extremely green space for guests to enjoy. There are beautiful birds that land on the trees, butterflies and in the morning, there is a pure dew on each and every leaf. Outside in the garden there are hammocks for the guests to enjoy during the day, and you may pick the herbs that they have planted to use for your own cooking, as there is a communal kitchen, fridge, stove and pots/pans/utensils for guest use. Location is AMAZING, as it's only a 10 min walk to the National Park beach.

The rooms were clean, as were the linens provided: bed sheet, pillow and flat sheet to sleep with. There is a ceiling fan to keep the rooms cool, although the temperature was well above 26 C during the night, the fan didn't do much. No personal fans, no air conditioning. The walls are paper thin--but fortunately they do have a 'quiet time' at 10pm. It doesn't necessarily mean that most guests will adhere, but I found that the hostel became quiet after 10pm, and for that I was grateful. There is a communal block of toilets and showers. No hot water, which was fine for me, as I was so extremely hot day and night that a cold shower was a relief. I was there in January, and the daytime/night time temperatures ranged from 42 C down to 26 C. My room had two bunk beds and lockers and small dresser. You can either bring your own lock, or buy one from the front desk. We also had a sink to brush teeth or wash hands, as well as a balcony that overlooks the garden.

!!THE BAD STUFF!! And maybe it's my own fault for not screening hostels properly, but this was a 'family friendly' hostel. I am in my early 30's, and I understand the party lifestyle. I understand that when booking a hostel, there is always the chance that I will run into those individuals who are less respectful of one's personal space and choose to create noise into all hours of the day and night. But never in a million years would I have suspected that a family of 6 (3 adults, 3 children) would be the sole cause of my misery. They were a German family, and they stayed the entire duration that I stayed. The adults constantly hogged the kitchen--even as I waited patiently for a spot on the stove, they allowed their children to run all over the kitchen, and took up all of the space with their very lavish 'pancake making' supplies. This happened every morning/afternoon. The very loud, very disrespectful children would be up at the crack of dawn, running and screaming down the length of the hallway which connected each room, playing 'tag' or fighting with one another. The adults didn't seem to give a single rip. They weren't even in sight most of the time! I understand that this was their vacation, but for the love of God, please have respect for the OTHER guests staying at the hostel and allow your children to understand that this is not their personal apartment. Sometimes the children would be on the deck overlooking the garden, screaming at the top of their lungs. No parent would come. Luckily each evening, they would take their children to the beach and dinner, but mornings and afternoons were absolutely UNBEARABLE. And this is why I was considering offering 1-star to this hostel. For such a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere that Karandi hostel has offered to their guests, it was absolutely ruined for me by this German family and their obnoxious children.

Would I come back to Karandi hostel? I understand that not all families are as disrespectful as the family that I met, but my answer is no. I would not risk such an...

I loved this hostel. The manager/owner and Florencia were very helpful and friendly. They kindly rearranged dates of my stay for me and cancelled my last night when I had to go to San Jose a day earlier than planned. The location is excellent and a 10 minute walk to the beach or 45 minutes to the waterfall, The garden is beautiful and you can see a variety of birds and we even saw a crocodile. Others reported monkeys and iguanas. There is a kitchen to cook in and if not there is a hostel bar/restaurant next door selling reasonably priced meals and drinks, Staff are friendly and some work at both. They also show sport like the World Cup. There is a weights bench, some weights and a kettlebell in the garden for a mini workout. I hope to be back one day!

The main beach/marine park is 6 USD entry (you can pay on card) but go at 4pm if you don't want to pay and it is usually unmanned and free. Surf here is good and the water is warm and safe to swim in, The hostel posts low tide hours so you can see the famous whale's tail. Sadly I was not here for the actual whales (out of season end of Nov / start of Dec). The Uvita waterfall costs 1,500 colones entry and there is also a butterfly house included in the visit. There is also a small, nearby market selling fruit and veg, beer, bread, arts and crafts and hot sauces every Wednesday and Saturday, I recommend it. I also recommend the Whale Tale Brewery by the waterfall. The ATM / banks are a 15-20 minute walk away (by the bus station) so bring cash in advance if you can - the hostel and restaurant offer a 10% discount if you pay in cash. Also book buses in advance as they get sold out on the day as they often start/end in San Jose and the Panama border so get booked up there. At Uvita they stop for 30mins for a break usually so don't panic if your bus says 4pm but leaves at 4.30pm for example. Some suggestions / constructive criticism:

Check out is at 10am which is quite early - most hostels and hotels offer 11am or 12 noon these days, You can pay 2,000 colones for a 'late check-out' but this is to stay on the property, not in the room. Beds were a bit basic and did not have privacy curtains or shelves to put stuff on (if you were on a top bunk things fell down the side to the floor or bed below easily.) A couple of the other staff / volunteers were not as friendly or helpful (one lady seemed annoyed someone was at reception and had to come over from next door to help). The hostel can be quite noisy - there are the noises of animals which cannot be helped so you learn to get up with the sunrise when the birds start for example. However, you are told to be quiet after 10pm but a washing machine a few metres away in the staff quarters/laundry room was on at 11pm and again at 6am which kept a few of us awake. The rooms are in a large block right next to the kitchen so you can also hear people there too. It does state that cooking hours are from 6am however (and finish at 10 I think). This kitchen can also get overcrowded easily (not the hostel's fault - some people are inconsiderate) so time...

Pure bliss staying here!! The effort and love that the team pours into creating an experience for you is amazing. They have what feels like a mini jungle surrounding the property, it’s so well taken care of. When you open up your back door you can sit on your porch and relax and enjoy the surroundings. Trust me, you won’t want to leave!

The structure of the hostel as a whole is great. The showers are nice and private. The kitchen is always kept clean. Their hostel is CLEAN. The housekeeping team even gives you a new flat sheet every day! It is also completely handicap accessible if need be.

Location was awesome too! 10 minute walk to the beach. There’s a small mart 5 min down the road. It takes about 25 minutes to walk into the main part of town where there’s a grocery store and some souvenir shops. Uvita was a great experience overall. Karandi’s staff will also help you get to where you need to be.

Eduardo, Gabby, Victor, and Steven thank you so much for welcoming me with open arms. Miss you guys! See you when I make it back to...