Casa Zen Guesthouse & Yoga Center

Some years have passed. I was horribly mistreated when I showed up for my reservation (by the night manager). I definitely complained to Hostelworld, the booking agency. One Hostile Hostel!!! 0 stars all around. Deserves to be out of business in my opinion. Hopefully management changed or ownership? Came from halfway around the world to be treated like dirt. So I’m writing this years later now I’ve heard a fellow traveler was probably treated worse than I was in Santa Theresa. Definitely a pattern.

The layout and atmosphere of the hostel is quite nice and spacious. Lots of hammocks and spaces to spread out. I had a locker in my room and the bed was very comfortable. The yoga deck is beautiful and the teachers are good (I am a yoga teacher as well). There are multiple bathrooms and showers so you never have to wait. The breakfast is yummy with a beautiful fruit spread and toast. 1 minute walk from the beach and a supermarket, and good places to eat nearby. · The man working at the front desk was incredibly rude and grumpy to me the entire time, but I have since heard he’s been let go so that shouldn’t be an issue. The rest of the staff was nothing but kind and smiling. There wasn’t very much light in my female dorm room, and the bed setup is a little weird.

I stayed at this hostel for 5 nights. The website claims to have a professional community kitchen that is "sparkling clean", on site surf board rentals, friendly staff, as well as having very clean pictures of the hostel overall. Unfortunately this is not a true representation of Casa Zen. Upon arrival, several things were immediately apparent. And as I stayed here, other grievances became apparent as well. They are as follows: 1. They no longer rent surf boards. You need to walk at least half a kilometer to find surf rental. This was a big reason I even came here because I didn't want to walk a kilometer with a board just to surf. So big disappointment there. 2. The kitchens are not well organized, they do not have the standard personal box-and-shelf organization that most hostels use. This made keeping my dry goods a little more frustrating. All hostels do this, it's just how it's done, so why Casa Zen doesn't I don't understand. 3. The community kitchen is very run down and disorganized. The main refrigerator is broken and sitting on a pallet. There is trash always on the ground. The cleaned dishes are rarely put away by staff. The knives are dull and the pans are beat to hell. 4. There is no coffee maker in the community kitchen, and nothing opens locally until 7 AM. The main hostel kitchen opens at 8 AM, so if you wake up before 7, you cannot access a cup of coffee at all. 5. The hostel is not secure or safe at all. Most hostels nearby have gated access - this one does not, anyone can walk up at any time. There are also no security cameras. This was an issue in particular because I had items of clothing stolen from the clothesline on 2 separate occasions. 6. The reception staff is genuinely unfriendly and unwelcoming. When I first checked in, the receptionist from New York was hungover. She even stated this to another employee. She gave a half-hearted tour of the place and seemed bothered any time I asked a question or wanted to schedule something, despite having paid for a package including a surf lesson and yoga classes. This was true of other staff as well, they are always frustrated when you ask ANYTHING of them. And when I discussed my stolen items with them, they were genuinely uncaring. As if it is so common here that they are resigned to it. 7. This hostel is NOISY. It is right next to a main road where motorcycles and ATVs fly by all day and night. They are also next to a large construction site. My yoga classes were frequently interrupted by loud vehicles and construction equipment. There is nothing peaceful and "zen" about this place. 8. The hostel has a full laundry room...that guests cannot use, nor do they offer laundry services for guest clothing. The nearest laundromat is 1KM away. The only things that I enjoyed about this place are the yoga classes themselves, the hammocks, and the general aesthetic with the murals and rancho. The rooms are fine, nothing special but they work. That's it. For that I give it 2/5 stars overall. This place has so much potential to be great but management desperately needs to improve upon the above items.