All of the many wonderful people in the Garden House team. They really give the place a warm soul. On the facilities side: shower had good pressure (and temperature) in the 8 bed dormitory, bed was comfy, room was clean and there is even a free breakfast included. Incredible value for money. What makes this place stand out is the genuine warmth and care of the team. We are so happy to have spent our first three nights there and really hope to return!

Nothing. As with all hostels it is worth taking earplugs and an eye mask given varying levels of consideration by fellow travellers.

This hostel is very close to the SJO airport. I was able to take a shower and a nap for an incredibly afforable $20 dorm room and about $8 in cab fare RT to and fro SJO. It was worth it after taking the 10 hour shuttle from Bocas to SJO, still covered in sand fro Puerto Viejo...

The lower bunk is really low! The upper bunk is a weird height. I wish that they were both a little higher for these old knees. There was a (quiet and polite) dog at the property that I wasn't aware of. I don't really mind, since I was there for only 3 hours, but if I were allergic, I would have been upset at this surprise.

This place has been a god send. They truly understand the art of hospitality. I stayed here three times in between locations while in Costa Rica. It is close to the airport and they came and picked me up and dropped me off again every time. It is in a nice, gated neighborhood. A great breakfast is included. The family and staff are wonderful. They also have dinner available and they accommodated my special diet. Everything is always spotless. They clean everything right away. They are so nice and trustworthy that I kept a bag there with my vital papers in it for safe keeping for months while I ventured out in the country. There is a garden which is delightful. I have a bad habit of doing my university homework in my dorm bed because I am used to living places when I am working where the dorm bed is my only private space. This never bothers them if I spend all day in there studying. In fact, I like coming here in between destinations specifically to get caught up on my studies. For lunch I was allowed to use the kitchen to make meals. They keep chilled water for the guests. The little dog is adorable. The house is nice and the atmosphere is homey. I would recommend to any one to stay here when you are coming in and out of the San Jose airport.

Homely, nice plants in the courtyard, friendly family who run it and it has a hot shower! Also has a washing line and in a safe security gated community 10-15 min drive from SJO airport. I also went to The Gym a short uber ride away. Perfect if you are in the area for a flight out of SJO. Bunk bed was comfy with a light duvet and a towel was provided too. Curtains and plug point (but no light)

I personally found the water feature in the garden a bit too loud for sleeping and the dorm room Tamarindo would be very cramped if there were 4 beds occupied with 4 big backpacks and 4 hand luggage.

Very friendly staff. Very clean. Good breakfast. Located in a gated residential area close to the airport. Shuttle service was excellent. Bathroom was clean and they provided a towel.

The room was the size of a train sleeping cabin with 2 bunk beds and about 0.5M of space between the 2 bunk beds. No A/C. My bed was in close quarters to a man; it was my first experience in a mixed gender dorm room. The bed was comfortable enough but the room had no air circulation. We had to keep all the doors closed against mosquitoes. The room was suffocating and the man turned the fan off while I was sleeping to reduce the noise, and I woke up in a pool of sweat and could sleep no longer. There are no stores nearby except for auto parts.

I liked the place a lot, lots of greenery in the courtyard, spacious kitchen and room was cosy and clean provided with a towel, bathroom with warm water provided with shampoo and shower gel. The place has a great location, walking distance to the minimarket and a couple of restaurants, close to the airport. It's a residential area, very nice, quiet and clean. The owner offered me the ride to the airport in the early morning. The owner speaks good English and is very welcoming. Thank you 😊

Since the check in is until 00.00, if you have an early morning flight, you should take into account that the roommate might come for check in later at night.

Good location near to airport - perfect for one night stay before or after flights. Airport pick up/ drop off available and on time. Very friendly staff, lovely little dog and nice rear courtyard garden to chill. Breakfast is great and beds are comfy. Although no aircon, the fan is fine even in the hotter season.

Tamarindo dorm is a bit dark so bring a torch if you want to find your things! Bathroom outside the dorm was used by other dorms so there was a wait to use and toilet bin was overflowing. This wasn’t a problem on our first stay so possibly other residents just being thoughtless!

The staff is so helpful and nice! The hostel is in a gated community. The hostel is small and the exterior doesn't look like much, but inside the gardens are lovely! The portions for breakfast are small, but adequate, and quite tasty. I had the best gallo pinto for breakfast here that I've had in all of Costa Rica! Be aware that the rooms are very small. My family of 4 could not all stand in the room at the same time. However, it was perfect for us because it was cheap and close to the airport, and our flight got in at 3:30 am, so we needed someplace to crash for a couple of hours. We didn't use the hostel's transportation because we didn't know if our luggage would fit in a single sedan, but I wish I had. The taxis (and random transportation we used outside of the airport) did rip us off. They quoted 15 or 20--I though they were quoting US Dollars. But they were quoting 15,000 colones (which is $30 US). The hostel quoted transportation at less than $15. So if you fit, definitely use theirs! Also, they provide a driver for tours in the area. We did not use them because the volcano was clouded over. That tour would have been between $28 and $38 per person. Instead we took Ubers to Doka coffee tour. We were sure we could get an Uber to and from Doka (although we weren't sure the Uber car was actually going to be able to make it up the mountain!), whereas I wasn't sure I was able to get an Uber from the Volcano. If Poas is a must-do, do it first thing in the morning and the driver at the hostel is probably going to be the cheapest private driver you can find.

There is no A/C. And at 4:30 am in the morning we didn't stop to find the fan. If it hadn't been cloudy/rainy weather, we might have been very warm. In hot weather, the single standing fan might not be enough for the 2 bunk beds in the room. Our room was right next to the outdoor breakfast area, so we woke up once people started eating breakfast (7:00 am). We did not consider these things too troublesome, but your mileage may vary.

So comfortable and peaceful! You could feel the kindness and care they took in making everyone feel right at home. They have strong WiFi, a garden, curtains on the comfy beds, and a good Costa Rican breakfast. Truly, the best hostel I encountered in my Central America travels. The location is in a residential area so it’s not right in the middle of things, but there are buses to everywhere, including the San Jose international airport, within a 15 minute walk. In fact, everything you need is within 15 - 20 minutes of walking.

The staff were nice. The bed was comfortable. The shower downstairs was good. A decent breakfast was included. The garden was beautiful and zen. It was the kind of place where you can easily meet people. I loved the blackout curtains on the beds. The airport pickup and dropoff service was appreciated and the cost was reasonable. There was a cute dog.

The sheets had a strong detergent smell. The breakfast was microwaved before it was served. The shower upstairs was cold and I got little shocks every time I touched the knob. I was waiting a bit too long for the airport pickup, it would have been faster to take a taxi. I was asked to send them two texts upon landing and again after passing immigration, which I did, using airport WiFi, but then the details of the pickup were later sent bit by bit, and some crucial information was sent after I had already left the airport to meet them in the parking lot so I didn't receive it. I waited for quite some time while random people were coming up to me to "help" me which was kind of uncomfortable. But when I got picked up and dropped off, the staff were really kind and personable.