Pura Vida Mini Hostel Santa Teresa — Hotel in Cóbano

Hello travelers,

TLDR: disappointed, not worth the price, low quality, greedy and inhospitable owner.

I was greatly disappointed with this hostel. While the receptionist and workers were quite friendly, the owner left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. He was inhospitable, and the saddest thing to us was that it seemed that he put his profits first, above his guests needs.

I came here very excited, but I met an underwhelming and extremely tiny four person room. And, for what it’s worth, I have lived in hostels for numerous years now, so I don’t mind dirty, or anything like that. But this place, for what you paid, was just not a great deal. The room was tiny, not the most clean, and uncomfortable.

Worst of all, it was inaccurate to the website listing. It was for certain misleading. The receptionist was very kind and he tried to be considerate and take care of us, but the owner seemed to leave out lots of information and was very focused on how much money he could make. He seemed not to care whatsoever about us as customers. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

We were so upset with everything that we all decided to move hostels to escape from Pura Vida Mini. I love supporting small businesses and I appreciate the employees for their understanding, but I can not in good faith support or stand behind this hostel and I would not recommend this place to anyone.

I believe that our other hostel (I won’t name drop because I don’t want to advertise for other places) is much better and that there are many options that are more suited for travelers that care about how they are treated. If you are looking to book here, I would strongly advise that you look elsewhere or consider another place.

Hope you all have a great day. Unfortunately this sour interaction has left me a bit unhappy...

I’ve stayed at the hostel for almost a month, and it was absolutely fantastic! The rooms are clean, cozy, and well-maintained – I highly recommend booking one with AC and a private bathroom for maximum comfort.

The shared area is a real highlight, with a well-equipped kitchen that makes cooking easy, a pool to cool off in, hammocks to relax in, and a serene atmosphere surrounded by lush greenery. It’s just a short walk (a few minutes) to the beach, making it a perfect location for surfers or anyone looking to enjoy the ocean.

The staff and the owner were incredibly friendly and welcoming, always available to help or share local tips. The Wi-Fi was quite good, but if you’re working remotely, having mobile data as a backup is a good idea.

Overall, I loved my time at Pura Vida Mini Hotel and would absolutely stay here again. Highly...

Absolutely do not recommend. We booked a private room for 5 of us but a few hours after reception closed our doorknob completely broke and we had to sleep with the door slightly ajar and unlocked all night, otherwise we would be locked inside. The WiFi didn’t reach our room either, so the one instance we were locked in, we couldn’t reach anybody. It was dirty and the couch had disgusting stains, and I was more of a shack than a room. We asked for a discount since we literally had a door we could not close and felt unsafe, but the manager was completely rude and wouldn’t budge at all. Unreal. Im an avid traveler and don’t usually write negative reviews, but I can’t recommend this hostel to anybody. Across the street is another hostel which is much cheaper with breakfast included, and better vibes- we moved...