Everyone has preferences of what kind of lodging they want or need when traveling – types of places they like to stay in, what amenities they require and location. After traveling for over 2 weeks, I realized that I love hostels and places with communal meals. I really enjoy meeting new people and hearing about their adventures, as well as learn from their experiences. It makes the travel experience so much richer for me.

My first experiences with hostels were in 1987 when I was backpacking throughout Europe. The hostels came in all shapes and sizes; some of the hostels we stayed in were converted castles and fortresses. It was unbelievable to stay in a castle for $10 per night, which also included breakfast. My simple goal was to find a clean, cheap place to stay and cook my own food (another way to keep things inexpensive). Hostels satisfied these goals plus the bonus of meeting fellow travelers. Sometimes we even hooked up and traveled together for a while.

I didn’t frequent hostels again until 2008, when we drove from New York to California. The hostels in the USA offered more amenities than the ones I visited in Europe. In Europe, most rooms were dorm style and only a few had doubles. In the USA, it was easy to find rooms to accommodate a family of three. Mathew loved the social aspect of the hostels. I remember arriving in Flagstaff, getting settled into our room and Mathew asking in earnest, “Can I go meet people now?!” He was only 4 ½ at the time.

In Costa Rica, we had difference experiences with the hostels. The first hostel was Pensión Santa Elena in Santa Elena, near Monteverde. It was a full service hostel. Not only did they have a kitchen for guests to use, they had a small restaurant (breakfast was included and other meals were reduced by 10%), and a full service concierge. The staff was incredibly helpful and booked great hikes with amazing guides and transportation for us. The room I booked was much more than we needed. It came with a full size bed, bunk beds, and a loft with a full size bed and a private bath. Mathew had three choices of beds; he chose the loft, of course. Next time when booking a room, I think it would be wise to request the smallest room that would accommodate 2 adults and a child with a private bath.

Pensión Santa Elena in downtown Santa Elena, in the middle of it all.

The view from our room

The next hostel we stayed in was referred to as a “boutique” hostel. Essence Arenal is located in El Castillo in Arenal Volcano National Park. The 100 acre property has lovely hiking trails and an organic farm to tour. There are wonderful views of Arenal, when the clouds do not cover it. Unlike most hostels, guests are not welcome to use the kitchen. Nevertheless, the food that was provided at a nominal fee far exceeded anything we would cook up. During dinner, Chef Marvin taught us how to prepare a part of the meal and then we all ate family style. The first night was Moroccan and the second night was Mexican. Dinner conversation was very lively as a man from Malaysia, working in Canada as a fracker, sat next to a wind energy worker from Austria. They ended up traveling the next day together. The hostel also provides a full concierge service, along with massages, yoga classes and wonderful outdoor area with Jacuzzi or place to simply sit by a fire and relax. The rooms were rather basic but provided us with more than we needed.

Bananas, a Scarlet Macaw enjoying breakfast

Rooms at Essence Arenal

View from the organic farm – that’s Lake Arenal and beyond that is Arenal and it’s still active.

Tranquil grounds to stroll around.

After leaving Arenal, we went to Cahuita on the southern Caribbean coast. Since we were staying six days, we decided to stay in a cabin I found on Airbnb. It was ideal for our time, but I did miss all the lively conversations we had at the hostels.