Santurcia Hostel

Really, really, really need restructuration....

Liked: Horrible for renting. Looks like a prison
Disliked: I never stayed

I ended up going to...

Liked: The property did not look how it looked online. Do not stay here.!
Disliked: Is cleanliness was not up and also everything being shared was terrible.

Good place with bad management

Liked: The staff is super nice and helpful, especially Max, who was super attentive, always available to help, open to conversations and a kind person.
Disliked: There was many issues with the hostel in a general way. There was an issue with the water supply in all San Juan and the hostel was left without water from Sunday morning until Wednesday afternoon. During this time, there was no note from the owner on how they were trying to solve the issue, no compensation for the guests, no water provided from the hostel at all. We were left there without water to shower, wash the hands, brush the teeth, flush, wash the dishes and everything else. If you needed to do something, you would have to go to the supermarket and buy water bottles and try to help yourself with that. I understand that it wasn’t the owner’s fault that we didn’t have water, since it wasn’t a general issue, but I feel like there was a lack of initiative in trying to make the situation better. Also, this is apparently a common issue in Puerto Rico, so also seems to be a lack of preparation for this kind of situation. Besides that, the WiFi was not working for most people at the hostel, including for me most of the time of my stay (I was there for 1 week and only started working, but badly, on the last final days).Overall, I wouldn’t stay again at this hostel, but especially due to the water situation and how it was treated.

Lots of potential but the...

Liked: Nice location
Disliked: Max, a individual with large earrings and about 5’7” was very intrusive in private conversations he even said there was going to be “problems” if we continued having dialogue.It was a bit out of place for a live in hostel maid.Furthermore, the water was cut off and no initiative was taken to keep the hostel functioning, the toilets where completely full and they hostel maid didn’t even consider to bring a bucket of water and flush the toilet!

Terrible hospitality.

Liked: The people staying were great and friendly. The dining room and kitchen were always clean .
Disliked: The staff was rude. Nobody changed our trash for days. I guess the cleaning woman got annoyed with the people in the room so she stopped putting toilet paper in the bathroom of a 16 people room.

GORGEOUS hostel, some administrative mix-ups...

Liked: This is honestly one of the NICEST hostels I've ever been to in terms of cleanliness, design, comfort, and aesthetics. Seriously, this place went way beyond my expectations in this regard. It's also in a spot in Santurce that is far enough from the most touristy spots but still centrally located. If you want to experience San Juan for the city itself, this is a great spot.
Disliked: NO ONE answered the doorbell during regular check-in hours (and apparently SEVERAL other guests had the same issue). I had to contact Booking and wait outside forever before finally being able to get in. However, once I got in, everything was smooth for the rest of my weeklong stay...EXCEPT... for one tense moment when a staff member informed me (in the MIDDLE of my reservation) that the hostel would not be able to honor my entire reservation due to an alleged error with another group's reservation. And instead of taking responsibility for the error, the staff member tried to minimize the inconvenience and costs I'd incur in finding last minute reservations.Even if the reservation error was (allegedly) the other guests' fault (as the staff member explained it), I thought it was quite unfair to stick the consequences on me. I get that I was a solo traveller and the other group was a big group, but I had reserved MONTHS in advance precisely to avoid having to find last minute accommodations.THANKFULLY, someone higher up showed up and worked out a solution in literally like 30 seconds, lol. I had to sleep on a pull out couch my last night, but I didn't mind at all since I'm an easy sleeper and had to leave early for the airport anyway. Honestly, I also just appreciated someone providing actual solutions rather than useless platitudes.OH, also the WIFI didn't work during the whole trip, but it's hard to tell whether this was more of a hostel problem or a Puerto Rico problem.TO HOSTEL MANAGEMENT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS WONDERFUL FIX THE PROBLEM OF NO ONE OPENING THE DOOR TO GUESTS DURING YOUR ADVERTISED CHECK IN HOURS. IT SEEMS THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM FOR BASICALLY EVERYONE AND IT'S A TERRIBLE FEELING TO BE LEFT OUT IN THE STREETS. THIS IS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION AND IT'S A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION FOR BASICALLY EVERYONE.

Exceptional

Good stay

Liked: Good ample kitchen
Disliked: No desk staff was ever on duty it seemed? Just some cleaning staff. Got a lot of mosquito bites in common areas

Fine location but way too...

Liked: Close to restaurants. Walking distance of beaches
Disliked: No plugs by the bed, cold showers with bad water pressure, toilets barely worked, common room and terrace look better in pictures