In order to check into our hostel you need a valid Passport and we also require a credit card for security purposes. If you do not have your passport with you, a copy of it will do.
Pura Vida MINI Hostel in Tamarindo, Costa Rica is centrally located. It’s only 200 meters from the beach, which is around a 15 seconds walk, and it is 300 meters from the nearest supermarket which is around 30 seconds walk. It is the same distance to other shops, bars and restaurants. We are close enough for you to be in the center within minutes, and yet still away from the dust and noise of Tamarindo.
Like most of the hostels in Costa Rica, we do not offer breakfast. However, we do have free authentic Costa Rican coffee served daily from 7AM to 9AM. We also have an amazing, clean, and fully equipped kitchen with 3 large fridges and 2 stoves where you can prepare not only your breakfast, but all delicious meals. We have a blender to prepare your smoothies, toaster oven, and hot water kettle for your hot tea.
As can be said for any town known for tourism, visitors are at times targeted for the things that they bring with them. We feel that Tamarindo is fairly safe, however, be aware of your surroundings when you are out and having fun with your friends. In particular, the beach, day or night, can be a place where belongings get taken with some frequency, so we would advise you to not have too much money, credit cards, fancy phones or cameras with you if possible. There is little to no violent crime here, more cases of petty theft than anything, but at our hostel in particular we pride ourselves on providing a safe and secure environment for our guests..
Our hostel is very safe. In some of our private rooms, we offer safes. In all of our dorm rooms, we have lockers to store your personal items. We do have a locked gate after 11PM. And we monitor our security via top of the line security cameras system. Though as in any place do not leave your personal stuff lying around without supervision.
We do not have a curfew and each guest has a key to the gate and is free to come and go as they choose, however we do implement an 11:00 PM quiet time at Pura Vida Mini Hostel. Our goal with this is to try and provide a balance within the hostel between those that want to socialize more and those that need to get some rest or get up early for surf or shuttles. At this time in the evening we encourage our guests who want a more festive atmosphere to go enjoy and explore what Tamarindo has to offer. If guests choose to stay at the hostel after this time, a reasonable noise level is strictly enforced.
Our kitchen is open from 7 AM to 10.30 PM. As we near closing time we remind our guests to retrieve any items they might want for the rest of the evening before we lock it up. We do have raccoons and they love to come and rob the fridges hence the main reason we close the kitchen. If you have special circumstance, and need the kitchen open early morning hours, please talk to the reception staff and they will be more than happy to accommodate your request.
Our reception desk is open 7.00 AM until 23.00 PM, should you be arriving outside of these hours please notify us via email or phone and we will try to make special arrangements for your check in, check out, or other requests you may have. Outside of the reception hours, should you need emergency help, please call the police or medical emergency services.
There are no illegal substances allowed in the hostel. In order to respect your fellow travelers, and to comply with the law, should you have a need feel free to go out and have fun.
Bedding is included in the price of your room for both private and dormitory accommodations. Towels for the rooms are provided ONLY for the private rooms. Towels for the dorms are provided for a $1 charge per night. Beach towels are provided under same conditions upon request.
Please talk to the receptionist! They are eager to help and assist in any situation. We are just a hostel but our reception staff goes above and beyond your expectations. They are very discreet and professional and they will do their best to assist you in any way possible. If for some reason your need is beyond their immediate power to help, they will make every effort to point you in the direction of those that can.
Our check in time is at 14.00 PM however if the room is ready we will be more than happy to put you into your room as early as possible without extra charge. Our check out time is at 10AM and is strictly enforced due to arriving reservations. If you need extra time to check out it can be arranged for a late checkout fee of $10 and at which time you will be able to check out at 12.00PM instead. However, it must be approved by the reception staff in advance, due to arriving reservations. If you need a place to store your bags you can store them in the kitchen area until 14.00 PM for free. After 14.00 PM you will be charged a $10 facility charge.
All of our rooms are mixed rooms. We try our best to place the ladies together and the gentleman in the another room. However many times this may not be possible, hence for this reason we have all of our rooms as MIXED rooms.
In our entire hoste,l we have only shared bathroom facilities. However we clean the bathrooms every day and in the evening time as well. The cleanliness of our hostel is very important to us therefore we try our best to keep the whole hostel clean for you at all times.
We mainly accept cash payments. However, to make direct reservations, we accept PayPal deposit as well (there is a PayPal fee). On rare occasions, we take credit cards, however there is a credit card fee, as we get charged by the credit card company. We strongly suggest you pay via cash in order to avoid any fees.
We highly recommend that you to pay in $USD as the exchange rate fluctuates frequently and often you will be losing some money on changes from colones to dollars. Therefore we encourage you to pay in American Dollars.
Our cancellation policy is defined as a FULL 72 hours in advance for no cancellation fee and is strictly enforced. In terms of the packages is a FULL 14 days. In case there is a NO SHOW we do charge 100% of the payment for the reserved dates.
You are in Costa Rica, and this is a nature lover’s paradise. So YES, you will be surrounded by and living in close proximity to the best nature has to offer. In our hostel you can meet an array of amazing wildlife for example raccoons, skunks, iguanas, monkeys, hawks, birds, ants, lizards, geckos, ant eaters…however do not get too close to them, do NOT feed them, and especially do NOT leave your food laying around or take food into your rooms. The raccoons are SUPER fast and they are fearless. You will see some ants around the hostel too, as we have a HUGE ant colony under the 600 year old Guanacaste tree. We are nature lovers as well hence we DO NOT use any chemicals to kill them. Simply ignore them and understand that they are part of nature and they were here first. Respect, protect and enjoy.
Yes we offer recycling facilities in our hostel (not many hotels, hostels, restaurants or bars do) as we care to protect our environment. We have plastic, glass and can recycling bins placed through the hostel as well as bin for organic compost material located in the kitchen. We encourage you to use all of these resources so we can together protect our Earth for you and future generations to come.
Yes, in most cases we can accommodate groups up to 60 people and we do create special pricing. As we know most of the tour providers personally we can even arrange special group prices directly with a tour providers for your tours, or even meals. However we encourage you to book well in advance and reach out to us directly at hosteltamarindo@gmail.com
There are no age restrictions however please note that this is a hostel not a hotel. Though our clientele in most cases are very respectful, they also enjoy the nightlife, games and activities, therefore, a hostel may not be the ideal choice for a family with very young children or clients that prefer a quiet or romantic environment. In this case we would recommend a bed and breakfast or hotel.
Yes, Wi-Fi is readily available throughout the entire property. Please note that we are still in Costa Rica and though we have 2 separate routers and our bandwidth is 9MPS per each, in high season when Tamarindo is highly populated it is possible for our internet provider to become overwhelmed. We ask for your patience and understanding on these very rare occasions. Costa Rica as a whole has ONLY 3 internet providers and we are using what we consider to be the best and most reliable option at this time.
We have 2 separate areas to park on premise and are the ONLY hostel in Tamarindo that offers the luxury of private parking INSIDE on the actual hostel grounds. Please note, however, that the parking is FIRST COME and FIRST SERVE! If the inside parking is full we do have street side parking just outside of the property. We feel that this is also an excellent and very safe option, however as a common sense practice we do not recommend leaving any visible items of value in your cars.
Tamarindo is located in the province of Guanacaste which is the driest part of Costa Rica and in recent years has been experiencing a major drought especially during our High/Dry Season. Due to these circumstances, when Tamarindo is full of tourists and there are no rains, you may notice extreme water shortages throughout the town. In order to avoid this situation in our hostel we have 2 separate holding tanks for water that hold over 7.500 liters of water, which we have found is a more than sufficient amount for the comfort of our guests. Because of the lack of a fresh incoming water source, we do not necessarily recommend drinking the water in Tamarindo as it has to be trucked in by trucks carrying water from unknown sources and heavily treated. We leave this choice up to our guests.
This is not an amenity that we provide, therefore please bring your own adaptors. On occasion we may have some that others have left behind, though this is not guaranteed, or you can buy them in the local store.
Due to extreme drought in Tamarindo, currently we are not able to offer this service on premise, as we need to assure that we have enough water for our guests and our hostel laundry. We do, however, have several laundry service companies in Tamarindo that we are happy to recommend.
Even though Costa Rica seems super safe, you are STILL in a developing country! For your safety and for the safety of your fellow travelers we do NOT allow any outside guests that are NOT checked in (with their passport) with us to stay, visit, play games or socialize in the hostel. .
There are tons of providers in and around Tamarindo. Some are very professional and reputable while others are looking for quick cash and may give you a mediocre experience. For this reason, we always say “if it’s cheap it’s too good to be true” OR “you get what you pay for”. We do not recommend you purchase any surf lessons from anyone that is not a certified instructor or associated with a reputable surf shop. The same applies for purchasing cheap tours. If the tour is cheaper than any other tour provider most likely is someone looking for quick cash. For a reputable surf shop recommendation or booking your tour or surf lesson talk to the knowledgeable reception staff.
Most of our private room prices are listed “per room” in direct correlation with how many guests you have in your party. In a dorm room you pay per person per night. If you have any doubts on the prices please reach out to our reception staff.
After enjoying your travels in Nicaragua, you will immensely enjoy Costa Rica as well BUT do not expect Costa Rican prices to be the same or similar as in Nicaragua. Costa Rica is the “little Switzerland” of Central America – therefore our prices are much higher, so once you cross the border update your brain and wallet to Costa Rican prices.
Make them well in advance, Tamarindo gets crazy and super busy over the Holidays. It’s a great fun but the entire Tamarindo sells out. So be sure to book early for early booking specials or you may not have a bed. Also our prices rise for this Holiday. If you do decide to book with us, once you arrive in the hostel please do not complain about the price, as you had the option not to book. There will be no refunds and no discounts given for this period.