Mango Mansion — Hotel in San Juan

Update - December 2024: This was my third stay here in 2024 and it’s still a great place to stay. The people who work here are amazing and they make it worth the trip. The location is so nice and close to many things to do. I stayed in the same 4 bedroom this trip as my last trip. It has its own shower, which was very clean. Thanks so much for everything!

Previous review: The staff were super friendly, good atmosphere/vibe in the hostel, definitely a social hostel but not a 24/7 party hostel, overall, just very chill with the option to party/be social. I will check here first for availability on my future trips to PR.

The people that work/volunteer here were just amazing. When I arrived, Luke walked me through everything and was very thorough. In addition, he politely answered all of my questions and never made me feel foolish or less intelligent for not knowing. Throughout my stay, Luke would exhibit this same behavior with others and is just a high-quality person that you want to know. In addition, when I was checking in Virginia checked in a person just arriving shortly after me. She too was very thorough and polite. I found her to be cut from the same cloth as Luke, just an overall amazing human being. I enjoyed their conversation and company during my stay. However, they were busy ensuring that everything went smoothly for everyone, so it wasn’t like I was able to socialize with them all the time. They are not only polite and personable, but they are also very professional. Ale, was super cool as well. He had a lot of the social activities and trips organized. He did a great job with those, and everyone always came back happy. I did not talk with him as much, but I always enjoyed my conversations with him. The others were great as well, but unfortunately, I am not 100% on who was a volunteer and who was a guest. It is because it is a hostel, not a hotel, so guests do cleaning and other things to make sure everyone’s’ stay is better. They truly have a great group of people working there, which truly makes/breaks your stay (made mine and so many others wonderful).

The hostel is in the perfect location. A 10-minute walk to the Condado beach, only a few blocks away from La Placita, and an 8-minute walk from SuperMax (a nice size grocery store). Part of their ability to have the hostel there is that they and their visitors are respectful to the neighbors. As a result, quiet hours are in effect from 11pm-8am. I think this was a good policy and they send out gentle reminders to make sure that everyone complies. This was not a problem during my stay, because people were usually going out between 10 and 11pm and just went to bed when we returned from the nightlife.

The beds have outlets to charge your devices. The beds were very comfortable and seemed very sturdy. I’m a little over 6’ 2” and more than 200 pounds, so it was also nice to be on the bottom bunk. My fear is that I will fall off in my sleep, so my preference is always to be close to the ground. However, the beds looked sturdy enough to hold someone my size in the top bunk. There are no curtains on the bunk beds for privacy, but I felt like everyone was very respectful of each other’s personal space. However, this is always more dependent on the guests than the hostel, but I felt like the fellow guests were really good people as well.

The kitchen is clean and fully equipped (with a filter to refill your water bottles), bathrooms were spotless as well, dorms with AC. One of the bathrooms with the shower could use more hooks, in my opinion, but it didn’t stop me from taking a shower. Another nice thing about this hostel is the warm water. Sometimes you must wait a 1 or 2 minutes, but the water does get very hot. Traveling to some places in Central and South America, I found that they don’t have hot water (which is foolish for me to mention, but I do love a hot shower). So, no problems at this lovely...

The staff were super friendly, good atmosphere/vibe in the hostel, definitely a social hostel but not a 24/7 party hostel, overall, just very chill with the option to party/be social.||||The people that work/volunteer here were just amazing. When I arrived, Luke walked me through everything and was very thorough. In addition, he politely answered all of my questions and never made me feel foolish or less intelligent for not knowing. Throughout my stay, Luke would exhibit this same behavior with others and is just a high-quality person that you want to know. In addition, when I was checking in Virginia checked in a person just arriving shortly after me. She too was very thorough and polite. I found her to be cut from the same cloth as Luke, just an overall amazing human being. I enjoyed their conversation and company during my stay. However, they were busy ensuring that everything went smoothly for everyone, so it wasn’t like I was able to socialize with them all the time. They are not only polite and personable, but they are also very professional. Ale, was super cool as well. He had a lot of the social activities and trips organized. He did a great job with those, and everyone always came back happy. I did not talk with him as much, but I always enjoyed my conversations with him. The others were great as well, but unfortunately, I am not 100% on who was a volunteer and who was a guest. It is because it is a hostel, not a hotel, so guests do cleaning and other things to make sure everyone’s’ stay is better. They truly have a great group of people working there, which truly makes/breaks your stay (made mine and so many others wonderful).||||The hostel is in the perfect location. A 10-minute walk to the Condado beach, only a few blocks away from La Placita, and an 8-minute walk from SuperMax (a nice size grocery store). Part of their ability to have the hostel there is that they and their visitors are respectful to the neighbors. As a result, quiet hours are in effect from 11pm-8am. I think this was a good policy and they send out gentle reminders to make sure that everyone complies. This was not a problem during my stay, because people were usually going out between 10 and 11pm and just went to bed when we returned from the nightlife.||||The beds have outlets to charge your devices. The beds were very comfortable and seemed very sturdy. I’m a little over 6’ 2” and more than 200 pounds, so it was also nice to be on the bottom bunk. My fear is that I will fall off in my sleep, so my preference is always to be close to the ground. However, the beds looked sturdy enough to hold someone my size in the top bunk. There are no curtains on the bunk beds for privacy, but I felt like everyone was very respectful of each other’s personal space. However, this is always more dependent on the guests than the hostel, but I felt like the fellow guests were really good people as well.||||The kitchen is clean and fully equipped (with a filter to refill your water bottles), bathrooms were spotless as well, dorms with AC. One of the bathrooms with the shower could use more hooks, in my opinion, but it didn’t stop me from taking a shower. Another nice thing about this hostel is the warm water. Sometimes you must wait a 1 or 2 minutes, but the water does get very hot. Traveling to some places in Central and South America, I found that they don’t have hot water (which is foolish for me to mention, but I do love a hot shower). So, no problems at this lovely...

This is a tough review to write. While I enjoyed my time at MM, it was mainly due to the great people I met. Other than that, sadly, it is a not a great place to stay.

It is overpriced compared to most other hostels (not in SJPR). $50-$70/night for a 12, 6, or 4 person share? No private rooms, no women only rooms, no bathrooms in many rooms, come on! I would have thought that for a 4 person room I'd at least have a toilet or sink in the room. My room that was in the "garden" that didn't include anything beyond a bed and a cubby with a closet that was converted into a mediocre shower. For the bathroom, you have to walk outside and through the building to get a toilet, if one is even available (only 4 shared toilets in the hostel). Had to do this two days/nights in the rain, not fun.

Besides that, the hot water and water pressure were always inconsistent so good luck getting in a decent shower. There was not even a place to hang a towel, come on! There were such simple things missing or inconsistent with simple things like a bathroom or bedroom setup.

As for the beds, they were fine. Basic metal bunk beds, no privacy curtains, but you get a shelf, mini light, and a wall outlet for yourself. Good luck in a busy room because the noise is crazy: people hooking up, barking dogs early in the morning, highway traffic that is steps from the hostel, gunshots, La Placita a few mins walk away, and if none of that bothers you, it is just loud from the people, which you can hear through the paper thin walls.

While it was nice to hang or drink with people there, there was lots of smoking all over which I wasn't a fan of. Rooms weren't really "cleaned" besides you changing your own sheets. I don't think they even wash the blankets after each guest as it's the only thing you leave in your room.

Staff was super friendly at least! They were almost all in their early 20s, very nice and helpful. But from the owner/upper management, it doesn't seem like there are standards for anyone to follow: My room was never swept or mopped. The kitchen was a mess especially since the fridge is never cleaned out and stank. One big counter in the kitchen is their "check-in" area which makes no sense. Dog poo all over the grass that then dries in the heat and stinks. Not sure what their shift consists of beyond check-ins, laundry, and changing sheets, or refilling toilet paper.

I like that there was a WhatsApp group to connect with others, but I felt disappointed that the hostel only posted once or twice in my 4 days there, mainly to say where there was a party that night. Didn't really have any organized outings or experiences besides one night of karaoke. I lucked out with some amazing people I met, but also it fell short with people having friends on the property all day, one guy drunk and on drugs and not being kicked out, and a general feeling of fun but with no actions to execute on fun.

For this being the fun/social/party hostel, it was fine, but for the price paid and the poor facilities, I wouldn't go back. If you are limited on hostel options in SJ, you better be truly the best if you are charging so...