Fortuna Pink Hostel — Hotel in La Fortuna

Nestled among greenery and wildlife, overflowing with kindness, Pink Hostel was an experience of pure gratitude.

if you want an air conditioned resort, spa treatments, or other amenities you usually find in America this place isn't for you

if you want a true authentic pura vida Costa Rican experience full of love, connection, and gratitude, there is NO better option than Pink Hostel. This option is especially fantastic for women traveling.

Why Pink Hostel is amazing:

Gerald, the owner of the hostel, is what really makes this experience fantastic. It was clear to us that is was very important to him that we had a great time. He had the cheapest sloth tour in town and even told us if we don't see at least 3 sloths, it's money back guaranteed. He knew all the best peaceful and secluded spots in the area for seeing them and made sure we both got a turn to see them with his binoculars (no matter how incompetent we were at using them). He personalizes the tour to your liking depending on what you most wanted to see. You may be tempted to go to the sloth "sanctuary" where you can see them a foot away, but it was so much more rewarding to see them in their chosen natural habitat. We even saw babies 🥹

We were nervous traveling alone as young women, but within 10 minutes in the Hostel we felt completely safe. Gerald has a wife and two beautiful daughters who live just a few hundred meters from the hostel and they make you feel like a part of the family. If there was ever an emergency, Gerald is who I would want to be staying with.

He drove us anywhere and everywhere we wanted to go for less than any uber or taxi. We didn't have plans one afternoon so he suggested he drop us off at the swimming hole, pick us up, take us to the free hot springs (the same hot spring that you have to pay for at the resorts) and then come get us in time for dinner. We were just going to take a walk but this was so much better. He thought of all the things we would've forgotten like umbrellas and dry bags. He even snuck us a cookie into the dry bags in case we were hungry. I left this place happier than I came.

What to know:

-The owner's english is VERY good

-This is technically a hostel, but feels a bit more like a guest house. I think 2-3 rooms.

-The shower connected to the bedroom only had cold water, but the other shower has hot water and a better shower head.

-Gerald has great tours/experiences but certainly doesn't make you feel bad if you've booked other ones, and is happy to recommend some.

-It's a 20 min walk from the La Fortuna center.

-There's dozens of soda shops around. Soda does not mean coca cola, it means small business. We regret not eating at these sooner bc they had the best food.

More upscale options:

Gerald manages multiple properties and he showed us the most beautiful airbnb in villa bogota a few minutes away. It had the most beautiful hot tub i've ever seen and some of the sloth seeing spots were just outside this place. If I were coming with my parents this is where I...

Fortuna Pink Hostel is one of, if not the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in - it has everything you could possibly need during your stay for incredible value for money. The rooms are clean and spacious, containing beds that feel like your sleeping on a cloud! Gerald is the most fantastic host - I don’t have enough words to express how kind, welcoming and genuine this man is. Throughout the whole duration of our stay - Gerald was consistently pottering around the hostel cleaning and tidying, he’s always up for a chat or to ask about recommendations or request assistance etc. We had a couple of issues during our stay (entirely unrelated to the hostel) and Gerald went out of his way on multiple occasions to help and accommodate us. He is doing great work for himself and his lovely family. Please do yourself a favour and book a stay here, you will not regret it! You will feel right at home here, I...

We hesitated a bit before booking because we saw it was new in hostelworld: no regrets! After 8 months of traveling, it's been the best accomodations I've had so far! The room is very big, we got access to the kitchen (well equipped). Everything is perfectly cleaned and comfortable. Above everything, Gerald and his daughter are the friendliest people I have met! We shared dinner and breakfast. We really had a great time, having the impression of being part of a family! Do not hesitate for one second! We spoke Spanish but Gerald speaks also a bit of English! He's been really helpful with everything, even picking us up because we were stuck away from the city without any buses! He's also very helpful with his recommendations! If you want to live the Tico life in this guesthouse, you're at the...