Casa Santurce in San Juan

My stay at Casa Santurce was super special. As a female solo traveler I honestly didn’t know what to expect. From the second I arrived there I was greeted by hostel worker Marley. She was really warm and sweet and gave me good recommendations for places to eat in the area. After exploring the roof I was able to meet Jarret, who is very sweet and made me feel safe. Throughout the week i got to meet all of the staff who took me in as if I was a long lost friend. If it weren’t for Xiomara I would’ve never made it to Piñones for the best beach day ever. Sunny the king of bar crawls allowed me to grace my way through Old San Juan and La Placita with confidence and Caulder provided great vibes and energy to every location. Ayre was another hostel worker I met who not only helped me get to know the hostel but also became my favorite tour guide and friend. All of this was held down by manager Jenna, who treats everyone like family. As a solo traveler I could’ve never anticipated being absolutely welcomed by the workers of Casa Santurce. I arrived alone and left with a handful of friends. Thank you all for making my first trip to PR, bien bien cabron!

Its a classic hostel experience, and a classic Puerto Rico experience.Look, if you want luxury just go a couple of blocks closer to the beach and spend your money at a resort. I love hostels so I came here. Of the staff Jarrett was the best, super friendly and helped us out the most. He even recommended us great food nearbyThe water pressure is a bit low, and the rooms are small but, again, what are you expecting? Granted, we were in a private room so I cant speak to the shared room experience but I couldnt complain much.Plus, theres great views from the roof and theres a neighborhood bar across the street where most of the residents go in the evenings. After a mishap with our locks the hostel even got us a free drink there. Id recommend this for people who arent fussy.

Amazing hostel, wonderful people, immaculate vibes to say the least. Grateful for Anton, Ayre, Sunny, Alex, Jarrett, and all the other volunteers who made sure I had an unforgettable stay!PS managers have great dogs!

¡es el mejor hostel en el mundo! jenna and sunny and alex and anton and arye and a’lyric and jarrett are the best staff ever. highly recommend casa santurce for your travels! these pictures are the view from the roof

This hostel is in a very good location, not the nicest part of town, but very safe and you can meet locals. Its within a 10-minute walk of a Walmart, a 20-minute to one beach, and about a 30-minute walk to another amazing beach. The hostel is 3 stories and has a kitchen equipped with some, although slightly old, very useful kitchenware. The rooftop is wonderful, as it has 2 hammocks and a beautiful view to chill. The rooms are okay, they have excellent AC but not enough outlets for the 6 people sharing the room to charge their devices. The staff is incredible though!! They welcome you and make you feel included from day one. The atmosphere is very chill, and as a solo traveler it feels great to be able to meet amazing people that make you feel safe.

DO NOT STAY THERE SAVE YOURSELFMy girlfriend and I came to Puerto Rico with a hunger for its culture, delicious food, beautiful beaches and hospitality. While we were able to find these things, this hostel was and is a disgrace to this beautiful island.We checked in (pretty standard experiencethen went to our room. We then saw a dead cockroach on the floor which for me is worrisome because I’m allergic. My girlfriend went to take a shower only to find the bathroom filled with cockroaches! The bathroom was also disgusting (obviously).We needed to leave because of this horrible mess, the front desk girl was kind and directed us to another hostel that was WAY cleaner and didn’t have any cockroaches LOL.I then got an email from who I assume the owner saying they will not be refunding us and that it’s Puerto Rico and cockroaches are normal 🤦🏻‍♀️. A disgrace to the island and also to hostels. I normally don’t write reviews but this time I had to DO NOT STAY THERE SAVE YOURSELF

Cockroaches in our room, not clean, no blankets provided, shower was a tiny trickle, bathroom door did not close, and the room to our door was very hard to lock. Would not stay again.

Nice hostel. It is a travel in time, real vibes of a hostel (very diverse people and not full kitchen equipmentThey need to buy a kettle for the kitchen, it was difficult to do my morning coffee. And the rooftop is closed after 10 pm, really bad 😞. I know that is for avoid parties. But that can be easy controlled with the many volunteers they had. In the day is too hot to be there. I hope some changes are done and I will come back :)

I travel and stay in hostels quite often. Normally I book only one night at first just to test the waters and I take it from there. I must say this hostel, like most hostels, is not the fanciest or perfect (specially in PRhowever the vibe and staff are amazing. Specially ANTON and AYRE. VERY nice guys! They definitely go above and beyond to make you welcome and comfortable. Great experience and I’d sure be back.

Go to another hostel. They will rip you off and the staff is unprofessional.

DO NOT STAY HERE. I would give negative stars if I could. The room I was assigned (one private bedwas infested with cockroaches. I immediately called hotels.com (who I booked throughand had to find emergency accommodations. Desk is unmanned for about 12 hours a day so no one was there to help us. I was not given a refund despite spending NO nights in the hostel. Pictures are attached of just a few of the roaches. There were some on the bed as well that scurried away. Absolutely disgusting and not worth any price. Hotels.com had a hard time reaching the staff of Casa Santurce, who I assume were strategically avoiding their calls and emails because they must do this a lot. I had booked a stay in late June 2022. Please, save your money and do not stay here. Besides the horrible room, location did not feel as safe as it was advertised. There seemed to be a bar/club/ restaurant right outside that was partying until 2 or 3 in the morning that would have made it hard to sleep should we have stayed there. Anyone running this establishment should be ashamed of themselves. Roaches are a health hazard, and you are putting people at risk and stealing their money.

Had the time of my life here at Casa Santurce. I felt like I meshed with everyone there (staff and guests alike). It was never a dull moment each night. There was always something going on. During the day, its easy to just walk to the beach and relax and theres a bunch of restaurants and other businesses around. Whenever I had down time, I would chat it up with everyone on the rooftop and the kitchen. Jacob was definitely the life of the party! He made everyone laugh. Mimi was so organized with rallying up everyone for the nights out. Sean did a great job and was very attentive to any needs I had in regards to the room. Overall great experience! Highly recommend!

Only booked this because it was last minute and because of the low price for a major holiday weekend. Otherwise, I would have booked a beachfront hotel like I usually do when visiting Puerto Rico.The location isnt bad. Its about a 15-minute walk from the beach and pretty close to lots of places to eat. There are motorized scooters within close proximity to get around. My problem is with the hostel itself. Its poorly designed and needs a serious update. Some of the staff live on site and most of them are friendly (with the exception of the older white guy who must always say something with regards to the hostels "rules" which they loosely follow to begin with). After 10 pm the rooftop is supposed to close until the next day because of a noise ordinance to be respectful of neighbors. The old white guy made sure to tell us at around 10:30 pm that the rooftop was closed whereas the other staff members didnt bother us because we were super quiet. However, the second floor/kitchen area was loud with music and college drinking games going on.We opted for a room with a double bed and private bathroom. The only good parts about the room were the comfy bed and hot shower. You can tell that they just threw this private room together. The toilet is placed in an awkward position so if youre taller than 55" good luck! The communal kitchen didnt have a microwave which was odd as most hostels Ive stayed in does. It has a small stove/heating counter but no microwave. Weird!Good luck with getting good sleep too! Between the noise from fellow hostelers/staff and the constant loud construction during the day by construction workers on top of nearby houses, you wont get any. It was a pure nuisance.Skip this hostel and stay elsewhere.

Very glad I settled on Casa Santurce as my downtown San Juan location. Walkable to Condado, Miramar, and a long walk / quick Uber to Old San Juan. Also had a private room for privacy and security. The owner also owns the adjacent bar which attracts guests, staff, as well as local regulars which makes for an easy ice breaker immediately. Was even able to pay for a beer with Venmo as I was out of cash. Casa Santurce was well prepared for the April 2022 island-wide power outage with generator(s). I left some personal effects there in my rush to the airport and Mimi was very helpful in getting it mailed back to me in the States and then I Venmod the cost+time and looks like the staff had a pizza party <3. Convenient, reasonably priced, and friendly people. Will definitely be back.

My favorite hostel ever. The staff were so friendly we even went out with them a couple times and became friends! The location is great, loved the kitchen, the room had AC, and the deck on the roof was so fun! The hostel activities like the Salsa class were great too. Would love to stay again in the future!

Terrible rooms ! Smelly, stinky.. Looked like no one has cleaned them in weeks... Bathroom even worse. AC units are extremely outdated and barely work. The room that I got had the AC unit leaking water, so they kept it off most of the time. The water leaked from AC dripped right by my bed. This is the worst ever hostel experience for me. Strongly recommend choosing something better.

Good location, nice rooftop view. Absolutely terrible rooms. Awful shower with zero water pressure. Non existent AC and no fans in the room. Looked like a tornado went thru the dorm room.

If youre looking for a private room this is not worth the money. Our toilet did not work, the water in the shower and sink shut off randomly, there was leaking water from the ceiling, the room was not well cleaned. Stay at your own risk.

AVOID AT ALL COSTSThis hostel has great potential: relatively inexpensive rooms/beds in an up-and-coming neighbourhood of San Juan.Sounds too good to be true? Unfortunately, it is.We reserved and paid for two nights in a private room. When we arrived, we were told that they had (accidentally?given our room to someone else. Result: at 6PM we have to find another room in San Juan and get a cab. Despite numerous requests by email and phone, the hostel failed to reimburse the cost.If you are ok with such a gamble (will I get my paid-for room, will I not?go ahead. Otherwise, I would highly recommend choosing another hostel/hotel. There are fortunately plenty of other options.

This is what I got for 68 bucks, price being high/low is a relative thing to an individual but wanted to share what you get when you check in.(It’s not a wonderful pic but wanted to share it as a proof of my stay)

No one was in the office to check us in, when though they verified that our arrival time would be fine. Apparently all the staff went out to party, leaving guests unable to get into their reserved and paid for rooms. Wouldnt recommend.

the place is very unclean, and extremely noisy well past 3am, we got a private room between my boyfriend and i for 5 nights we cancelled the ones we could and got a refund through hostelworld for the last 3 nights and left the first morning we woke up as it was honestly the worst hostel i have ever stayed in. barely slept at all and then woke up in the morning with bite marks on us. hostel refused to give us a refund for our second night and instead offered us to go on a tour but then they didn’t respond on time for us to actually go on one. 100% do not recommend if you care at all about cleanliness and sleeping at some point in a night

I was there in August of 2021 with my girlfriend and we had the most absolute fun everyone there was energetic and fun to be around i would love to shout out Cielo Gabby Pedro Hugo for being the absolute best of the best people and we would definitely come back in a heartbeat!

Beliveve everything that is negative about this hostel. Daughters had to leave this horrible, disgusting place. Dirty, roaches,smells and mold. Horrible and a1 star is being nice it should get a zero

You definitely get what you pay for. I was looking for an experience with the locals. Casa Santurce is located in the middle of a shanty town. The food around there was amazing. Hostel had a lot of friendly people from all over the world. It was small and the amenities were bare. Wifi didnt work. But all and all I had a good time.

Honestly horrible. Definitely do not recommend. There were bed bugs, mold on the walls and in the shower, and people smoking and playing loud music until 4 in the morning. The kitchen was routinely gross, with unwashed dishes and flies everywhere. At least the AC works...Things might be different during non-covid times, but the whole Santurce district is a ghost town, day and night. The only redeeming factor of this place is the awesome rooftop deck. Its got a great view of the area, the lagoon, and t the Condado district.

My hostel room was filled with American partiers in their twenties. Heard staff (volunteer stafftalking about how the rooftop turned into an uncontrollable party with people not staying in the hostel the night before and how there was too much cocaine everywhere. They closed the rooftop down just after 10pm the night I stayed thankfully. Rooftop does have a cool view of some of the city but their are only three chairs and two tables, one of which is completely broken. People were smoking weed up there all the time. I was booked for two nights but only stayed one mainly because the a/c in my room was horrible and couldn’t get the room below 80° (I carry a thermometer attached to my bag). I could not sleep especially when people kept leaving the bathroom door open that has an open window. The door to our room had broken springs so it wouldn’t close when someone walked out and left it open allowing all the heat to come back in. If you need something other than a bed then spend the extra $10 and hit one of the other hostels

Cheap, but the rooms are extremely hot. The staff are nice, but they lack information on things like good sights to visit, most likely due to a lack of resources provided to them. On 4/16 between the hours of 10/ 1130 pm, a guy who was staying in the same room as me was extremely drunk and walked out of the common bathroom naked, falling on the ground, fully exposing his genitals this same guy would always walk in on people in the bathroom even if they were using it. There are homeless people that come up to the hostel and harass guests, one even lit a small fire on the building across the street and took her clothes off and threw them in it while. I stayed from 4/12 to 4/21, 2021

For the price this place is good!y biggest and maybe only complaint is that there is no noice control as I have seen in many hostels I’ve been to in the same price range. There were people right outside our doors playing guitar, singing, and being pretty loud until almost 2 in the am. I’m all about having fun so if you don’t care about the noise then or trying to get some sleep then my rating is higher than a 3. As for my experience it’s a 3 since all I wanted was a goodnight rest which I didn’t get

Worst travel experience Ive ever had. There are old drug baggies everywhere. The staff and guests both are very disrespectful. I see a lot of people throw their trash directly on the ground in the court yard. I guess they stay on good terms with the neighborhood drug dealer. You can see him behind the place waiving his gun around. There are constantly former guests trespassing and sneaking in for a free nights stay. One time here I heard some guy threaten another with a machete. There are constantly accusations of the "forced use of a person." I saw two drug overdoses happen here in one weekend. Worst travel experience Ive ever had. Its like the place is run by selfish children

The cool zone is on the roof! Kitchen is outside. Its a fun spot. Close to the beach, Old San Juan is a quick drive. 10 minute walk to Walgreens for supplies. Hit ALL WAYS 99 next to Walgreens for great priced souvenirs. Its super basic with amenities. A good example of hostel life. I had a great time. Only in the room to sleep or shower. Staff were helpful. Tons to do all over San Juan, La Perla, La Placita...

My stay at Casa Santurce has been a blast! My friend told me good things from when he stayed with them last December. Julia along with their whole staff is the best!!! Casa Santurce and their sister hostel, H1 Miramar, makes you feel like you’re a local along with them. Would definitely recommend and will be back myself!

Staff was very friendly, however we ended up leaving after one of the two nights we booked. We already knew it was a hostel and that it wasnt going to be luxurious, which is perfectly fine. However, for a start, the parking space they mentioned in booking.com was actually over the sidewalk in a very narrow street. The bathroom was very small and the shower not very clean, and in the evening there was a loud party in the bar in front of it. We asked an Uber driver if the area was safe, and he said he would not walk around there at night. But what convinced us to leave is that we are almost sure we heard four gun shots at night (midnight, 1AM maybe). In the morning, we checked other reviews and another post also mentioned that. When we left, a group was smoking marijuana and having edibles despite the no drug rule in the hostel. A staff member also asked if we were registered there, which was very uncomfortable.Again, as a hostel, the structure was not the worse Ive seen, but gusts should be aware of what they are going to.

Its a charming place. I liked the "free family dinner" they have every night. It was also reasonably clean. Throughout, the staff were friendly and down-to-earth.There was smoking on the premises, despite the No Smoking signs. The employees themselves also smoked there.My bed was given to someone else on the second night, due to some mix-up in record keeping.I wasn t given a pillow on the first night. Used my luggage as a pillow.When it rained, there were two leaks dripping onto my bed from the ceiling. I got wet and had a hard time sleeping afterwards.

When leaving a review it is important to remember you separate fact and emotion. The staff was helpful and very friendly. I arrived very late and special accommodations were provided to me, for that I am very thankful.Upon arrival, I was informed that the water did not work properly and I was unable to take a shower nor utilize the facilities in my own room. This was not posted nor was I informed of this prior to my arrival. I did not have high expectations as it is a hostel and not the Ritz-Carlton. The evening I was lullaby to sleep with the sounds of automatic gunfire that went on for about 10 minutes just outside. The facility is open and just about anyone could walk onto the premises at any time.Cleanliness: the seem to be more of a concept rather than a practice. Dirty dishes were piled in sinks and large tubs filled with gray water.For some I am sure this is not an issue, based on the conversations I had this is very much so a destination for partiers as I was informed I "could get a girl for the night from anywhere I wanted". Not my cup of tea.If you are looking for extremely cheap and do not have a preference for anything other than a bed and a toilet this is the place for you. If you dont like waking up to gunfire and in the morning having small bite marks all over your body think twice about this location.

This was a bad stay for me. The bathroom water flow was too less and slow. In shower I only got drops of water. Sometimes even that stops. I called them but that dint help much. It was raining in the night and water was leaking through roof onto our bed. WiFi quality was terrible too. Slow and kept disconnecting.Stay is cheap though. But know the risks before booking.

I loved my stay at Casa Santurce! Cécile assisted my group with late check in and was very helpful. The hostel is a great home base for any adventures you may have in PR, and it makes meeting people very easy. Huge thank you to Alex and Trey for making our stay both comfortable and unforgettable!

Pretty good. Im in a single, and the room is very small, but the bed is comfortable and the AC works well. WiFi on the third floor is spotty. Water pressure is variable, so on my first two days I had to shower under a sad little drip from the showerhead, but you can make do just fine. Decent location, close to several restaurants, fast food places, and bus routes, and very Uber-friendly. If youre traveling on the cheap, you cant do much better.

I had a wonderful time staying at Casa Santurce! The room was clean and comfortable, and Lucas and Aaliyah were excellent, welcoming hosts. Located in an old school barrio of San Juan, theres plenty of opportunity to make friends with the local neighbors who live there, as well as your fellow hostel guests. Cant wait to come back!

You get what you pay for. Price and location are unbeatable. No hot shower, a lot of ants in the bed and a lot of roaches in the floor. I stayed here for four days but I have not seen they clean the room. They need to clean the room every day not just empty trashcan

This hostel is very cozy and welcoming. The ambience and decor were both endearing. Julia greeted me at the door and was knowledgeable about the area. The staff was friendly and Julia led an activity in old San Juan at night that ended up being the best night of the trip.

I was glad to get a comfortable bed in front of the AC. The attendants were very nice and helpful. Went with Angela for Taco Tuesdays. She was very kind and informative. I like the extra activities. On the other hand it was hard to get hot water ito shower. Also I don"t know if it"s typical of hostels in Puerto Rico but I think offering something for breakfast would make me more want to come back even if it"s a roll and coffee. All other hostels I"ve stayed at do that

Sydney, one of the workers is one of the nicest people I have ever met! Such a huge social life! They go out every night as a group so it’s perfect for solo travelers. It’s a $3.50 Uber to the beach or a 10 mins walk and $5 Uber for Old San Juan. Take the bus to go to the hostel. The bus is only 75 cents whereas a taxi is $20. We went to old San Juan bars, the beach, art walks and local bars. As a solo female traveler I would definitely recommend this hostel as u can go out and have a good time but stay safe while you do it. There are about 15 guest who go out each night and every one of them were extremely nice! Room is cleaned either every day or every other day which is great! Only downside is there are no lockers for your stuff and no blankets (just a fitted and regular sheet).

If you like the friendly interesting people you meet at hostels, you will love this place. It has an outdoor kitchen, common area with a view of the Lagune. The rooms are small and we couldnt figure out how to make the shower hot but I loved the atmosphere and the friendly people. June, a helper from Spain took us on an Art Walk in the neighborhood. So many colorful photos to take and a fun restaurant with all kinds of artwork inside and out.

Let me start off by saying this was my first hostel experience ever, and it was amazing. The staff was super friendly especially Annalia. She went above and beyond making sure we were accommodated with everything we needed. The hostel itself was great as well, very clean and well maintained. Great location, about a 10 minute walk to la placita, and a $5 Über ride to old San Juan and ocean park beach. I am definitely returning to this hostel again in the near future!

Our stay at Casa Santurce was nothing short of incredible! The hostel itself is in a great location, a few minutes to Old San Juan by bus, and a 10 minute walk to the beach. But the staff is what made it incredible! The owner, Pedro, went above and beyond to make sure we had a great time. And the volunteers were so friendly and fun to spend time with! Big thanks to Taylor, Angela, Jackson, Ivette, and James. It was also a great place to meet other travelers, we made friends that will last!! And make sure to give Arenita a belly rub for me! <3

Casa Santurce is a great hostel in an ideal location; central to everything in the East end of Puerto Rico (including the airport, San Juan and Old San Juan). Theres an over-all good vibe. The rooms are clean and practical, the kitchen is communal and provides necessary utensils so that you can save money and buy groceries for your stay. The staff are amazing - Nate and Asher are very helpful and offer the knowledge they have of the island (when askedso that you can optimize your stay. Would definitely come here again = )

Amazing place to stay. Recommend to anyone traveling to or through San Juan. I only stayed there for one night and I felt like it was such a community. Chris (ownerand Acacia & Teddy (staffwere incredibly friendly even taking me to a Bacardi Tour then chilling in the sun. The rooms are clean and the AC works perfect. Theres a little kitchen to cook and its really close to the beach, la placita, and old San Juan. Fantastic experience, you need to meet these people.

My first time ever to stay at a hostel and I was completely surprised. A newly remodeled building thats close to everything!!!!! Clean rooms with great air conditioning at a very reasonable price.Nightlife, stores and beaches are easily within walking distance. The owner Pedro and manager Chris were extremely helpful and very friendly. Highly recommend staying here!!!!!

Casa Santurce is amazing ! The staff is so warm and inviting, they made me feel like family right away. It has wonderful amenities, including an outdoor kitchen overlooking a beautiful lagoon. Wake up in Paradise every day ! The rooms are all air-conditioned, and everything inside them is brand new. This is, by far, the cleanest and nicest hostel Ive been to in Puerto Rico. The neighborhood is safe, convenient, and rich with local culture and Latin flavor. It is truly a home away from home.