Mai Ke Kai Surf House

Location: Calle Corona, Tamarindo, cr

Star Rating: 9 Stars

Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation

About this Property

Policies

Check-in: N/A - Anytime

Check-out: N/A

Amenities & Facilities

• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Terrace
• BBQ facilities
• Tour desk
• Currency exchange
• Non-smoking throughout
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Board games/puzzles
• Shuttle service (additional charge)
• Concierge service
• Allergy-free room
• Shared kitchen
• Adult only
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Guest rooms disinfected between stays
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Cashless payment available
• First aid kit available
• Sanitized tableware & silverware
• Key access
• Food delivered to guest room
• CCTV outside property
• Access to health care professionals
• 24-hour security
• Television in common areas
• Free wired internet
• Scuba diving on site
• Snorkeling on site
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
• Airport transportation - drop-off (surcharge)
• Beach yoga on site
• Internet access
• Japanese garden
• Fishing nearby
• Bicycle-friendly property
• Beach toys
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle
• Accessible train station shuttle
• No accessible train station shuttle

Rooms Available

• Single Bed In 4-Bed Dormitory Room

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Toilet
  • Toilet paper

• Bed In 4-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Toilet
  • Toilet paper

• Bunk Bed In Mixed Dormitory Room

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Kitchenette
  • Refrigerator
  • Seating Area
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Kitchen
  • Hardwood or parquet floors
  • Dining area
  • Electric kettle
  • Oven
  • Stovetop
  • Coffee machine
  • Terrace
  • Linen
  • Dining table
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Outdoor dining area
  • Drying rack for clothing
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Socket near the bed
  • Lockers
  • Key access
  • Reading light
  • Single-room air conditioning for guest accommodation
  • Hand sanitiser

Guest Reviews

• Ainhoa (10/5): - Los voluntarios y el ambiente Demasiado calor
• Danny (8/5): -
• Santos (5/5): - Para hospedagem simples,ok. Para surf não recomendo.
• benedetta (8/5): - Cheerful atmosphere thanks to the friendly staff, the owner and the cat. Location is also great, very quiet but only 2 minutes from everything. Nice place!
• Isaías (2/5): No recomendable - La ubicación No había seguridad y a la noche entró una persona psiquiátrica
• Pessoa (9/5): - Amabilidad, comodidad y limpieza Yo demandé mucho tiempo para comprender sobre el funcionamiento del desayuno
• Barbara gisela (10/5): - Todo muy bien, super amables los chicos de recepción. Y mati, el dueño, un genio, no conseguía shutlle para ir a la fortuna y lo me resolvió Recomendables!
• Jennifer (9/5): - Helpful and friendly staff, comfy space to relax, very clean, scooter rental in house
• Freddy (10/5): -
• Juan Cruz (10/5): -
• Dale (10/5): -
• Paul Sebastian (10/5): - El lugar esta muy lindo, personal amable, las instalaciones están limpias. Lindas instalaciones, se mantiene la limpieza del lugar. Recomiendo el lugar, ademas de un rico desayuno por la mañana.
• Paniagua Montoya (10/5): -
• Beatriz (10/5): -
• Flo (6/5): Way too warm - The location is good, the staff are friendly, the space is big and overall has a good vibe about it, and they keep your luggage. It's really hot inside the dorms and the hostel in general; even at nighttime - the Aircon is controlled by the staff and they only switch it on from 8:30pm until 8am which means it's way too hot to hang out there until that time which is a shame and inconvenient when you just want somewhere comfortable to chill. I get they want to save energy and money but to me it makes no sense as it's the least warm part of the day to turn the Aircon on. In general the bathrooms are not very clean, and there were clumps of hair on the floor in the dorms.
• Oleg (8/5): -
• Matthias (9/5): -
• Nick (9/5): -
• Louise (4/5): Teleurstellend - Rustige locatie dichtbij het strand Hygiëne was ondermaats. De badkamers en keuken zijn vuil, stinken en worden onvoldoende gepoetst. Toiletten verstopt door toiletpapier. Ontbijt voldeed echt niet aan de verwachtingen, 1 kleine pancake en koffie kan geen ontbijt genoemd worden. We hebben veel ervaring met hostels over wereld,maar deze ervaring viel heel erg tegen.
• Madinina Loïc (10/5): - El personal es excepcionalmente amable y acogedor, te sientes muy bien recibido, como si estuvieras en un piso compartido. Las instalaciones son muy bonitas y está muy bien situado. El mejor albergue en el que ha estado en mi visita a Costa Rica.
• Andrés (10/5): -
• Manuel (10/5): -
• Susset (7/5): -
• Marcantonio (10/5): - La ubicación, el personal amable, el estilo de la casa, la cama y el aire acondicionado. Bueno, el ruido del aire me despertó.
• martine (9/5): - Hostel très bien tenu ,,propriétaire et personnel très reactifs et aidants. Ambiance agréable. Belle construction. Très proche des magasins et de la plage . J'y reviendrais avec plaisir. Merci "MAI KE KAI " 🌴 Rien !
• Roman (9/5): -
• Aengus (6/5): - Bathrooms need attention and repair Kitchen was all right. Someone needs to take the doors off the fridge and mount them on the other side so they open more intuitively into the kitchen
• MARCELO (8/5): - La ubicación Poco espacio para socializar
• Camila (5/5): -
• JoaLaJoie (8/5): Hot shower! Nice ambiance. - Fajny salon, taras, hamaki, kuchnia jest, mozna cos przyrzadzic, ciepla woda w prysznicu (!!!!!), goraca! Wolontariusze mili. Woda pitna w kranie, ale maja zamontowany filtr.... Lampka indywidualna. Lozko skrzypi i ciezko wejsc, ale wygodny materac. Czysto. Trochę trzeba isc, ciemna uliczka, daleko od plazy. Uwaga na przelicznik colones/usd, jak chcecie placic w walucie lokalnej (zdecydowanie zawyzony....). Jedna lazienka z ubikacja na parterze, jedna na pietrze w duzym dormitory. Nasza byla zapchana i nie splukiwala, a akurat sie zatrulam.... bylo mi bardzo nieprzyjemnie. Naprawili na 2 dzien. Na patrzerze dormitory tuz obok kuchni i wszystko slychac. Recznik dodatkowo platny.
• TravellingOtter (7/5): -
• Jonnhy (10/5): - Definitiv eine ruhige und angenehme Unterkunft mit tollem Personal und einem köstlichen Frühstück. Ich verbringe Zeit mit netten Menschen und gehe jeden Morgen surfen. Wunderschöne Tage mit den Freiwilligen, die dafür sorgen, dass man sich wie zu Hause fühlt ✊🏾 Paula, Popi, Rocio, Cami und Agustin! Vielen Dank.. Un lugar tranquilo y agradable para alojarse, con un personal estupendo y un desayuno delicioso. Pasar tiempo con gente amable y Surfear todas las mañanas fué muy cool , sin duda volveré a hospedarme nuevamente 🤗 ¡Días maravillosos con los voluntarios que te hacen sentir como en casa! ✊🏾 ¡Paula, Popi, Rocío, Cami y Agustín! ¡Muchas gracias!
• Echeverria (7/5): -
• Marcelo Victor (9/5): Es ahora mi casa en tamarind! - La casita es muy acogedora, con espacios donde hacer ejercicios o apenas quedarse relajando. El equipo es demasiado atenciosa y todos muy buena onda!
• Noah (10/5): - Relativeky close to the beach, chill place with many places to hangout outside. Nice kitchen and breakfast (not that much though)
• František (10/5): -
• piscis creativa (10/5): -
• Daniel (10/5): - great atmosphere and delicious breakfast
• Chiara (9/5): Molto carini - Posizione e staff e colazione Nulla
• Guest (10/5): -
• Lauraly (3/5): Punaise de lit - Les gens étaient sympathiques. & Le logement était bien situé. Les salles de bain étaient sales. De plus, nous avons trouvé des punaises de lit sur un matelas.
• Yuliya (9/5): Superb -
• Yuliya (9/5): Superb -
• Shaked (9/5): Superb - The breakfast is amazing
• Aniek (10/5): Such a great hostel! - We stayed in a 4-bed dorm and it had everything we needed. The atmosphere was relaxed, the staff were super friendly and always around if you had questions. What really made our experience unforgettable was our surf instructor Matias — we’ve never had a teacher with so much passion and such a clear, positive way of explaining things. Highly recommend! Nothing!
• Alexandra (9/5): Superb - There were a lot of places to sit and relax as well as quick walking to the beach
• Anna (9/5): Superb - Feels like staying in home, nice & clean facilities and really good location (calm and safe area)
• James (10/5): Exceptional -
• Vitor (10/5): Perfect Days in Tamarindo - Wonderful Hostel! It really made us feel like home. All the staff is so friendly that you feel living in a big family home. The rooms are confortable and easy to sleep with AC. The kitchen is always lively and we loved to cook there. The hostel is so close to the beach, like 5min walk, and also close to market, the bus stop and restaurants while been in a quiet area to relax. There is surf lessons offered and Mati is an amazing teacher, so knowledgeable about the sea and how to teach the proper position on the board. Really recomended! We stayed for 12 data hoping it could be more.
• Jorge (10/5): The place to be in Tamarindo! - Mai Ke Kai is a great place to stay in Tamarindo! I enjoyed my time there so much that I extended my stay from 4 to 10 days! I would highlight the good vibes there, thanks to the owners, Tuti and Mati, the manager and the volunteers. Do not forget to ask them to teach you how to play Dutch Blizz, but be ready to lose badly 😂 Moreover, if you are into surfing, this is the place to be. The owners and many guests will show you the surfing culture and Mati is a great teacher.
• Sharlene (10/5): happy vibes and great place to stay! - The place is amazing, great location close to the beach and close to the center. If you surf, you can easily walk from the hostel to the breaks and if you bring your own board you can stall it safely. Very nice and good vibes in the hostel, you get to meet a lot of really cool people from all over the world and the beds are comfy. If you work remote, the place has great wifi connection and is chill enough to work relaxed. I would definitely recommend staying here, especially for the amazing owners and staff, one big family!
• Carla (10/5): Super welcoming and homey stay!! - This place truly feels like home! The vibe is super relaxed, and because it’s smaller, you get the chance to connect with all the guests coming and going. The location couldn’t be better—just a quick 5-minute walk to the beach! The manager and staff are incredibly friendly, always keeping the space clean and cozy while being ready to help with any questions. If you’re looking for a welcoming and laid-back stay, Mai Ke Kai is the perfect spot. Don’t miss out! 🌸
• Paula (10/5): Stay here!!!!! - I had an amazing stay at this hostel! ☺️☺️ Everything was super clean and comfortable. The kitchen was fully equipped with everything I needed to cook, the air conditioning worked perfectly, and there was always hot water in the showers. But what really made the difference was the staff and the manager 🫶— incredibly friendly, helpful, and always ready to go the extra mile. I felt right at home and would definitely stay here again!
• Laura (9/5): The place is very friendly thanks to the staff and the atmosphere of this hostel. I highly recommend -
• Yann (8/5): Very good -
• Jenny (9/5): Pretty good hostel overall. - A beautiful house with great outdoor sitting area. Big dorm room on second floor with 10 beds and a bathroom and small dorms on the first floor. Bed is comfortable. Kitchen is nice and has everything you need for cooking. Sometimes could be pretty busy when several people cooking at the same time. Good social vibe. Met people and went out together. Location is pretty good. Just a couple of minutes walk to the center and 10 minutes to the beach. There are restaurants, grocery stores, banks, pretty much everything nearby. Owner was helpful to arrange airport pickup. Surfing lesson is good. Better quality than a lot of others out there. Matias is giving you a lot of knowledge about surfing instead of just showing you the body position and go. It’s for someone who really wants to learn surfing and continue, not just to stand up on the board and take pictures. The bathroom could use some hangers for clothes and towel. I don’t like to put my stuff on the toilet. It would be nice to have curtains around the bunks for some privacy coz the room is pretty big and has 10 beds.
• Jeremias (10/5): Exceptional -
• Jeremias (10/5): Exceptional -
• Jeremias (10/5): Exceptional -
• Sandy (10/5): Exceptional - Nice peaceful location, just far enough from the noisier part of town, but close enough to walk to the action (and the beach). The staff were lovely, very welcoming and efficient. There are a few nice common areas to relax as well as a kitchen area. The dorm is quite spacious, room to manoeuvre with luggage and good spacing between bunks. Very clean everywhere, comfortable bed with a good pillow! I will very likely stay here again🙂
• Guilherme (6/5): The Staff is awesome. Tizi, Nati and Paula were very friendly and helpful. The beds are good and the overall experience -
• Anoushka (6/5): Pleasant -
• Lovisa (5/5): Passable -
• Jano (10/5): 💙💙💙💙 - Most Beautiful and welcoming staff everrrr
• Sand (9/5): Superb -
• Sophie (3/5): i would go other places - it was quiet & in a good area there were bugs over the wall in the kitchen. they try to avoid getting taxed by making you pay cash but still add the ‘tax’ on anyway, and the tax is way more expensive than anywhere else. the german receptionist is rude & not helpful, and didn’t make the stay there comfortable.
• Lucia (10/5): A wonderful stay - I had a wonderful stay at Mai ke kai. The location was perfect, close to the beach, and the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. The room was cozy, clean, and well-equipped with everything I needed for a comfortable stay. I especially loved the people there. I highly recommend this place and would definitely stay again!
• Andreas (6/5): Pleasant - Location and ambiance. Someone slept in my bed the 2nd night. Fortunately there was a bed available in the dorm. Not cool.
• Nicola (7/5): Good -
• Josip (10/5): Exceptional - It was a really chill place. All the staff were really nice and helpful. Price/value is really good. One more bathroom would be good, but probably not feasible to build an additional one somehow.
• Janet (8/5): Coastal vacation - Friendliness of staff, nice small outdoor area. Could utilise a lot more of the empty space. Need more than 2 bathroom/ toilets for 20 beds
• Anderson (8/5): MKKS - Great zone Not too much of a customer's obsession
• Bavo (10/5): Wonderful Stay - Everything!! Loved the staff so much. So kind and very helpful. I ended up staying here in total 2 weeks. The hostel is so warm and welcoming, I met so many kind individuals. Also a super chill atmosphere. The kitchen is perfect as well lots of space for everyone. everything was perfect
• Pavone (10/5): My friend and I had the best weekend at Mai Ke Kai, the atmosphere at the hostel is superb and we loved Matias’ surf les - We loved the family and communal atmosphere. The managers are extreme friendly as well as the volunteers. The surf lessons are great value for money and exceptional quality. Nothing.
• Daniel (9/5): Superb -
• Olivia (10/5): Exceptional - Amazing vibe!! We were supposed to only stay for 3 nights but ended up staying 6. Big kitchen to make food, chill areas, and nice rooms with comfy beds. The shower wasn’t working downstairs but they got it fixed after a few days. Besides that no complaints!!
• Max (2/5): Stench of Fecal Matter Made Uninhabitable, Trouble with Refund - Seemed to be a friendly environment - people we met were relatively nice. The place was downright condemnable by most country’s standards - there was a strong stench of fecal matter as soon as we paid (note we paid immediately upon arrival in cash and didn’t have an opportunity to observe the extent of the damage ourselves). We were told we’d have a bathroom dedicated to our floor but it was out of service due to heavy rains (this was not disclosed prior to our arrival) and the one “operational” bathroom on the top floor served the entire hostel and looked as though it had not been cleaned in months. There was definitely raw sewage somewhere on the premises but the stench was so foul we left immediately and got a more suitable hotel down the road. Upon attempting to obtain a refund for all subsequent nights per the hostel’s stated 24-hour cancellation policy, we were told the policy applied to the entirety of our stay and we were thus ineligible for any refund beyond our $10 deposit. Our protests to this injustice were met with combativeness from Maria (front desk person) but we had a vacation to enjoy and were not about to fight over $60 per person so we dropped it. Maria did eventually partially relent and offered us $22.50 per person refund but at that point I was committed to leaving a scathing review to spare others a similar fate. Only giving this 2/10 instead of 1/10 because of the location and the fact that Maria did eventually somewhat give into our justified demands. We suspect the ratings are either being artificially boosted or reflect a bygone era where this establishment respected basic sanitation requirements and human decency. P.S. we ran into some residents out on the town later who said this was the “worst hostel” in which they’d ever resided.
• Elyssa (10/5): Great place, would definitely stay again - Really nice hostel. Great vibe and atmosphere. The place is cleaned well everyday. The kitchen was always clean. Great for what you pay. Great location. Laundry service available. They include a towel as well. Comfortable to sleep as there is aircon of a night. Very strict lights off at 10:30. No light is allowed to be left on, even in the common areas. So it was difficult if I wanted to stay up past 10:30pm.
• Feline (10/5): Exceptional - great atmosphere, really familiar! just the rooms could be a bit more cozy…
• Jan (10/5): Exceptional - Very nice personal, everything super clean. Matia give surf lesson, super polite, professional and patience. Worth to try!
• Trevor (10/5): Exceptional -
• Rodríguez (10/5): Exceptional - Location instalaciónes Not complains
• Randy (10/5): Wonderful - The owners are great hosts. Fantastic location. Nothing
• Prasiddha (9/5): Superb -
• Jael (8/5): Excellent Hostel - Everything was fine, the staff was so gentle. The hostel has everything that you need in the kitchen, and it is clean. I was traveling alone and I felt save. I talked to Marie that I was going to leave early at 3 am, and I told her to please not close the outside door, when I left it was closed. In the end it wasn't that much of a problem because there was a guest awake and she lent me the keys, however I think that when there are guests who leave at dawn they should have a key at the entrance or some system so that one can leave without problem.
• Qian (10/5): Exceptional - The staff was friendly and helped me with lots of information. The room is big and even has AC, not many people which is very quiet. The kitchen is good too.
• Molly (6/5): Pleasant - Super convenient location and friendly staff! Nice and quiet if you are not looking for a party hostel. Bathroom and kitchen were not clean to a high enough standard.
• Jonathan (10/5): Exceptional - The hosts were really nice, it was clean and the surfing lesson was really worth it!
• Caribou (9/5): Superb -
• Lovisa (7/5): Good -
• Melanie (6/5): Pleasant - wifi was good, they provided a towel, it was cheap compared to other hostels in Tamarindo A/c was only available at night, the room was in the attic and it was really hot, there was only one bathroom available, on the last day I checked out and handed in my key but left my luggage there as I would only depart later.. the owner told me the door will be open but when I returned later it was closed and I had to wait until another guest came and opened the door for me
• Loïs (10/5): Perfect on lot of points - Everything was great. Matías was a super host. All the facilities, the easy access to the beach and the city center , the facilities at the surf shop… We shared a 10 beds dorm but it doesn’t feel like there were 10 beds, since the room is huge. Everything was clean, there is even A/C during the night. We felt secure and clean. And the cat Alfred was sooo cute ! We also took a surf lesson with Matías, was really helpful and good. Thanks for all of that !
• Katherine (10/5): A very welcoming and chill environment with clean and comfortable beds - The house was very nice and clean. Maria and Mateos were super kind and welcoming throughout my whole stay. I ended up doing a surf lesson with them and it was absolutely amazing. I would definitely recommend staying a few a nights!
• Dray (8/5): Very good -
• Abbie (9/5): Superb -
• Yeltsin (10/5): Good place in town - Good location, kitchen and the dorm room was good Maybe they Simply pay more attention to cleanliness and service to guests, they should have better treatment or hire someone for reception would be the most appropriate
• Tom (8/5): Very good - Maria was awesome.
• Nick (10/5): Exceptional -
• Brooklynne (9/5): Superb -
• Holly (10/5): Exceptional - Great hostel, felt like home and everyone was so lovely. Location was perfect and the beds were unbelievably comfortable! Would definitely come back

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