Bekuo is located in Los Yoses, a high end suburb that sits just east of the edge of San Jose, in between San Jose and San Pedro. It's location is quite possibly the best in the city for nightlife, services, and transportation. When you walk in the front entry way, the first thing most people notice is their homemade reception desk or their hand crafted chandelier that hangs above it, made entirely from wine bottles that the guests have drank. And that's just the beginning.
In the private rooms at Hostel Bekuo you'll find real mattresses, not the 2 inch pad common in a lot of the city's rooms. Bamboo curtain rods, clean bathrooms, and even their own branded soap are some of the other things you may notice. Most guests seem to feel quite at home at Bekuo, as it's not too small and it's not too big (just 48 beds). The staff is friendly and pretty laid back.
One of the best parts about Bekuo is the kitchen. Now a days there are a lot of hostels in San Jose that don't have a commuinity kitchen, or what they do have is hardly conducive to cooking. In the Bekuo kitchen you'll find all the normal ammeneties like a microwave and toaster, gas stove and refrigerator, but then there are the luxury items that make it easier to wake up in the morning. They have real gourmet coffee from Kapiwo (non of that Britt or Rey garbage) they have a blender for smoothies, and they even have a couple of rice makers. On Wedensdays the kitchen is converted into a sushi bar, where the staff churns out sushi for the guests for $5 all you can eat, and it's certainly worth it.
Hostel Bekuo is currently one of only two hostels in San Jose listed as a Top Five Author Pick in the 2007 Lonely Planet. They are also the highest rated hostel on hostelworld.com, hostels.com and tripadvisor.com.
Featured Hostel
Hostel Bekuo San Jose, Costa Rica is quite possibly the most concentrated and competetive market for hostels in Costa Rica. So when a new hostel opens in San Jose or San Pedro, prospects of success can be slim. Hostel Bekuo worked around the competition in San Jose, Los Yoses and San Pedro, by following an idea of what a hostel should be, not what all the other hostels already are. With a huge house, a spectacular garden, spacious common rooms and an enormous kitchen, the owners had to match their level of service to the home.
What is Hosteling?
The concept of hostelling has been around for a long time, but the actual movement started in 1907, when a German school teacher named Richard Schirrmann cleared out some classrooms and laid down some straw mats so that young people of all countries could be provided with suitable meeting places where they could get to know each other!
It used to be that youth hostels had only dormitory-style arrangements reserved for youth and a chore was assigned to offset the low cost of the bed. Well, there have been a few changes since then, although you may still find dorms and some rural hostels that require you to carry out a small chore such as making your own bed or bringing the dirty linen to reception. But hostels are no longer only for the young, and most places have private rooms available. However you will still most likely have to share a bath.
Staying in a hostel in Costa Rica is a fantastic way to meet other travellers who can offer you great advice on things to see and interesting places to go which you may not hear of in books or travel guides. Hostels also tend to have more of a social scene, you will find that even some organize parties, BBQ's, meetings or have a bar within their premises where people can chat and get to know the fellow guests.
If you are travelling alone then staying in a hostel is a great way to meet long term travel buddies, people looking to do a fun day trip or visit a particular museum together. These, usually, short meetings can make a great impact on your cultural awareness and sometimes be the starting point of a life long friendship.