Hostel El Pretal
Location: 25mts Sur de la Estación de Bomberos de Liberia, Liberia, cr
Star Rating: 9.3 Stars
Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
About this Property
Charming Hostel in Liberia with Garden and Shared Lounge
Garden Oasis: Enjoy the tranquility of our garden, a perfect spot to unwind after a day of exploration.
Comfortable Accommodation: Relax in air-conditioned rooms with cozy balconies offering a view.
Convenient Location: Explore nearby attractions like Edgardo Baltodano Stadium and Marina Papagayo.
Ready to experience a relaxing stay at Hostel El Pretal? Book now and make unforgettable memories!
Important Information
Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
Guests under the age of 18 can only check in with a parent or official guardian.
Policies
Check-in: 02:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Non-smoking rooms
- Air conditioning
- Family rooms
- Luggage storage
- Tour desk
- Non-smoking throughout
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Board games/puzzles
- Shared kitchen
- Outdoor furniture
- Staff adhere to local safety protocols
- Guest rooms disinfected between stays
- Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
- Physical distancing rules followed
- Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
- Cashless payment available
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kit available
- Invoice provided
- Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
- Food delivered to guest room
- Television in common areas
- Free wired internet
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Internet access
- Housekeeping on request
- Japanese garden
- Covered parking
- Garage
Rooms Available
-
Standard Double Room
The double room offers air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Key access
-
Triple Room
The triple room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Lockers
- Key access
-
Economy Quadruple Room
The quadruple room features air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Key access
-
Twin Room
The twin room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Lockers
- Key access
-
Twin Room
The twin room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Key access
-
Standard Apartment
This air-conditioned apartment consists of 1 living room, 1 separate bedroom and 1 bathroom with a shower. The kitchen is equipped with a refrigerator, kitchenware and a microwave. Featuring a balcony, this apartment also provides a coffee machine, a dining area and a flat-screen TV with streaming services. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- TV
- Air conditioning
- Kitchenette
- Refrigerator
- Toilet
- Microwave
- Private bathroom
- Satellite channels
- Kitchen
- Dining area
- Wardrobe or closet
- Coffee machine
- Linen
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Lockers
- Key access
-
Standard Double Room
The double room features air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Key access
-
Economy Quadruple Room with Shared Bathroom
The quadruple room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Wardrobe or closet
- Linen
- Clothes rack
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Lockers
- Key access
- Earplugs
-
Economy Quadruple Room with Shared Bathroom
The quadruple room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Wardrobe or closet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
- Mobile hotspot device
- Lockers
- Key access
-
Standard Double Room with Shared Bathroom
The double room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
-
Standard Double Room with Shared Bathroom
The double room features air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
-
Economy Triple Room with Shared Bathroom
The triple room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
-
Economy Quadruple Room with Shared Bathroom
The quadruple room features air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
-
Standard Double Room with Shared Bathroom
The double room provides air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
-
Standard Double Room with Shared Bathroom
The double room features air conditioning, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Toilet
- Linen
- Toilet paper
- Trash cans
- Shampoo
- Body soap
- Socket near the bed
-
One-Bedroom Apartment
This apartment consists of 1 living room, 1 separate bedroom and 1 bathroom with a shower. The unit offers 2 beds.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Toilet paper
- Shampoo
- Body soap
Guest Reviews
- Keely (9/5): Clean, comfortable and quiet stay close to Liberia airport. - Great place for an overnight in Liberia ($20 taxi from airport). Rooms are private, clean and comfortable with great a/c. Beautiful and quiet open areas. Walking distance to restaurants and shops. Staff helped me get a taxi to take me to pick up my rental after check out which was very helpful! No concerns.
- Esteban (10/5): -
- Tonja (10/5): - - Lage (Busbahnhof zu Fuss zu erreichen) - Sauberkeit - Innenhof - Herzlichkeit & Hilfsbereitschaft der Besitzer
- Odin (10/5): - Very friendly and helpful staff. Good value, as it is pretty cheap. The size of our room was great for 2 with a decent size bag each and the wifi and tv worked great. The garage was very accessible and felt a lot safer than parking on the street. Liberia as a city was not that exciting in my mind. Would have stayed longer if the city was more interesting. A pretty cheap place to stay of you are exploring rincon de la vieja and surrounding area with a car, but I would probably try to stay closer to the action.
- Mary (10/5): Our time at El Pretal was excellent, and we would look forward to another visit. - We were pleasantly surprised to see that there was coffee, tea, sugar, spices, milk powder and oatmeal available for guests. Our main contact, Guillermo was very pleasant and helped us out. Other staff were friendly and accomodating. On our second visit we noticed that there was a laundry drying area with clotheslines and pegs for guests.
- Denys (10/5): - Все необходимое есть, даже больше. У нас был выезд в три часа ночи, хотя хостел работает с 7 утра - сотрудник специально приехал нас проводить. Было приятно находиться в этом месте. Обстановка внутри не как в хостеле, а как где-то на загородной вилле. Рекомендую.
- Mila (8/5): Très bien - L emplacement, la propreté et l extérieur Pas de wc dans la chambre
- Xiomara E (8/5): -
- Solène (10/5): - The property was really nice, the family that handles it is really welcoming and helpful. I recommend it
- Eve-Marie (10/5): Good pick! - Exactly what i needed for an overnight stay close to the airport. Quick check in ans check out. Clean room and bathrooms. Cost indoor garden. Felt safe walking in the neighborhood. Nothing
- Sara (10/5): -
- Elizabeth (10/5): - Really lovely place. The owners are so kind. I arrived early and they suggested a tour that I could take to La Leona waterfall to make the most of my last day in Costa Rica. They arranged the driver and everything for me which was great. I otherwise was just going to sit around the hostel for my last day. Facilities are super nice, good kitchen, super comfy beds and pillows and nice having a private room.
- Lindy (9/5): - Super schone accommodatie! Zeer vriendelijk personeel!
- andres (9/5): - Hay que llamar o escribir a los encargados después de las 10 pm para que abran. Debería haber más facilidad de poder entrar sin tener q hacer lo anterior
- Kane (10/5): -
- Ursina (9/5): -
- Leslie (9/5): Great staff. Great place to relax. Good value for money - Lovely helpful staff. they take pride in their place. Nice area to relax. Good kitchen. Maybe a bit of tile cleaning in bathrooms
- Melvin (9/5): - Amabilidad del personal, todo limpio y ordenado. Todo bien.
- A (10/5): Amazing - Beyond expectation ! - There was NOTHING to not like. Soon after I booked my room, the owners got in touch and walked me through all the questions I could have, before I started my journey. So I could decided whether to book a car, how to reach the property, whether and how much to tip. Guillermo also arranged a cab for me to travel to another city and also help me book local tours. The bed in my room was comfortable and there was an AC. The linen and towels were nice and white. There were 3 bathrooms to share and they were cleaned multiple times a day, so the bathrooms and actually the whole house was spotless. Kitchen and Fridge were included, so I made myself breakfast every day. There was free coffee when I woke up. The property is in a central place, so I was able to walk to restaurants for meals. Also, not only did I feel secure in my room, but the house itself is gated. Can't ask for more ! NOTHING !
- Marie-Anaelle (10/5): -
- RaeLynn (8/5): - It had a great vibe, lots of nice sitting areas, the staff were really nice and accommodating. The bathrooms and showers were very clean. The kitchen was clean but not well equipped. The accommodation felt very secure. A couple of good sharp kitchen knives would be a welcome addition.
- William (10/5): - Wonderful hostel and very kind hosts
- William (10/5): -
- Jordan (10/5): Great place to stay in Liberia! - Super-nice family that runs it. They keep the place very clean.
- Erin (10/5): Great quality for your money! The people who own this place are wonderful. - Very clean and tidy, beautiful atmosphere, lovely family who runs this place!
- Thibaut (10/5): - Helpful staff with a big common kitchen and a lot of shared bathroom always kept clean. Maybe the lack of light in our room but that was okay since we were always in the common areas
- Tamius (10/5): -
- Elizabeth (10/5): Lovely Family Run Hostel - They went above and beyond for me! The visa requirements have changed for Costa Rica and now people holding New Zealand Passports can no longer enter visa free (which I did not know until I went to the Nicaraguan border). They helped me re route my travels (look for flights/buses etc) and went above and beyond helping me on the day I was turned back as well! Truely lucky for all of their help. On top of all of this the hostel is great, clean tidy and has a great outdoor area. Was not super social (but I think this is because it is a transit town)- but I would highly highly recommend it if you are transiting through to Nicaragua or flying out of Liberia ☺️ Nothing! Was perfect for my needs ☺️
- Cloe (10/5): Great price, great place, will go there again ! - The staff/owners were great! Nothing
- Véronique (8/5): -
- Nadia (9/5): Si vous voulez un endroit pour dormir avec un accueil impeccable, c’est la place! - La mère et le fils étaient très gentils et accueillant. Guillermo parle super bien anglais aussi. Sa mère m’a fait du café et il était excellent! Endroit très casual, beaucoup de place pour s’asseoir, netflix à disposition. L’air climatisé fonctionnait très bien dans notre chambre. Les draps étaient un peu sales et la tête d’oreiller pas super confortable
- Steve (9/5): Super endroit à séjourner à Liberia! - La grande gentillesse du personnel, la grandeur de la chambre, plusieurs équipements pratiques, épicerie à proximité, sécurité des lieux, propreté des lieux, espace commun beau et agréable. Je recommande, mon endroit préféré entre les deux hébergements où nous avons logé à Liberia. La chambre que nous avions près de la rue était un quelque peu bruyante en raison du passage des véhicules.
- Verna (9/5): - Great staff Clean Really nice gathering area
- Bruce (10/5): Very nice hostel and hosts who take pride in their lovely home. - Great location- easy walk from the (green) bus from the airport. Close to the city park.Very clean, nice kitchen, with the basics available to use. (Salt, oil, butter, coffee, tea) Nice areas to hang out on the computer, read, plays cards, etc. Street noise, but it was kind of unavoidable with a local fiesta. 10pm the hostel and the whole town goes quiet which was good.🤫
- Herbert (9/5): Gutes Frühstück 🍳 - sehr Freundlich ! - Top 👍 Unterkunft ! Unschlagbar für den Preis und die Leistung ! Türen 🚪 müssen abgeschliffen wetden diese auf den Boden schleifen. Waschbecken - Bäder kleine Reparaturen durchführen und gut is.
- Charles-Antoine (10/5): -
- Patrizia Gabriela (10/5): Schön und sauber - Wunderschöne Anlage und eine sehr saubere Unterkunft. Bequeme Betten und eine super ausgestattete Küche, welche sehr sauber war. Strategisch perfekt gelegen. In 5 Gehminuten im Zentrum und 800 Meter entfernt vom Busbahnhof. Die Besitzer sind äusserst freundlich und hilfsbereit.
- Antonella (10/5): Ame este hostel - Hermosos espacios comunes. Todo súper completo ordenado y limpio. Muy cálido el lugar.
- Antonia (6/5): - Sehr sympathische und hilfsbereite Mitarbeitende. Es werden auch Touren angeboten. Sehr laut aufgrund der Lage an der Straßenkreuzung. Für geräuschempfindliche Personen nicht geeignet.
- Petra (8/5): - great stuff, super clean room and other spaces very very noisy at night (busz street), otherwise I would give 10 stars..
- Javier (7/5): Solo para dormir por trabajo - Buena atención, cama limpia, WiFi gratis y buena señal Baño compartido, habitación sin escritorio ni closet, no hay desayuno.
- Lorenz (10/5): - Die Unterkunft hat eine gute Lage, ist sauber und ruhig. Guillermo ist sehr nett und hat uns bei Fragen zu unserer Weiterreise sehr geholfen.
- Joanna (10/5): Great little hostel to stay in with lovely open area - Very cute little place, nice open air courtyard to hang out in, cooking area, all the facilities you might need, rooms were very clean, and family owning and running the place was very friendly and helpful No complaints
- Manuel (10/5): -
- Anas (10/5): - The staff, the location, the service
- Tannock (8/5): Great budget accomodation 20 mins from the airport - Staff were lovely, price was affordable, secure parking spot, mattresses were comfortable. It's right downtown and LOUD! I knew that when I booked and brought earplugs, but if you have any issues falling asleep then this is not the place for you. Also it's good to know they don't supply blankets. Sheets only! It's a hot climate and sheets are fine, but if you are used to a blanket and like weight in you while you sleep then it's something to be aware of.
- Maxim (10/5): - Clean hostel ,nice ans helpful staff
- Kim (10/5): -
- Christine (10/5): perfecto! - Guillermo und seine Mutter sind tolle Hosts. Sehr sauberes Hostal (auch die geteilten Badezimmer jederzeit sauber). Die Lage ist zentral Nähe Busbahnhof, Zentrum und Restaurants. Würde jederzeit wieder hier buchen. Muchas gracias y pura vida.
- Camille (10/5): -
- Jorge (10/5): - Limpieza
- Mike Gov (8/5): - Very clean, all beautiful No for smokers of any sort
- Robert (10/5): - Nous avons été tres bien accueilli. L'endroit est près de tout. Dès notre entrée on peut déjà constater un .ieu bien investie avec une décoration soignée et chaleureuse avec p,usieurs aires de repos avec des plantes, ce qui apporte un calme et aspect très zen. L'endroit est très propre avec une cuisine commune hyper bien équipée qui invite à cuisiner ses repas. Tout était parfait. L'hôte nous a beaucoup aidé et supporté pour nous accompagner à trouver une solution concernant le shuttle qui nous a annulé à la dernière minute. Merci. En ce qui concerne l'établissement ? Tout était plus que parfait. Le fait d'être sur l'avenue principale résulte de plus de bruit, mais les chambres plus loin de la réception apporte plus de calme. On n'a quand passer une bonne nuit.
- Melissa (9/5): -
- Tyrus (5/5): - Free coffee.
- Carlos (10/5): -
- Vera (9/5): - The staff were very kind and the place was in general very clean and friendly There was no proper window in my room
- Ava (10/5): Will definitely be returning. - It was amazing! The staff was extremely friendly and their garden is truly amazing. The pictures don’t even do it justice, I spent all my free time in this garden and even drew, did work and read without disruption. Please visit if you have the chance, I’ve stayed in many places and this one is really beautiful for the effort they put into it.
- Marilyn (9/5): Was exactly what I expected. Staff is very friendly and helpful. - I provided my own food. Property is centrally located. Little noisy at night because of proximity to the street
- Marie (9/5): Super! - Guillermo est très gentil et aidant, tout comme sa maman!
- Miguel (10/5): -
- Marie-Anaelle (10/5): Parfait - L'emplacement de l'hôtel est top car proche du terminal de bus permettant d'aller au Nicaragua. De plus la propriétaire et son fils sont adorables: elle s'est levée à 4 h du matin pour nous faire couler du café avant qu'on attrape notre bus de 5h.
- Klaudiusz (10/5): -
- Leilani (9/5): - The hangout spot is amazing !!!
- Andre Paie (10/5): Very clean but they lock you - Super clean. Very friendly staff 11pm they close the doors and the only way in and out is by calling a number. You're basically locked.
- grace (9/5): - Nice family run business. Kind and good vibes.
- Natalie (10/5): - This was a lovely little hostel. Everything was immaculately clean, and the owner and his mum were so friendly. Would recommend staying here 😊
- Flora (10/5): -
- Carlos (8/5): - Sitio agradable, limpio No hay suficiente parqueo
- Kim (8/5): -
- Jill (8/5): Lovely small family run hostel. Lovingly decorated and maintained. - Very nice common areas. Very clean. Central.
- Masashi (9/5): -
- Slaght (10/5): Wonderful place to stay even if you are not traveling on a budget! - Property owners were very nice and welcoming. They kept the hostel very clean and even offered to replace our bed sheets and towels. It felt very secure and safe.
- Francisco (10/5): - La cercanía al centro y los cargadores del ICE Estaba con mi esposa y la habitación tenía camas individuales
- Vivi (10/5): El señor de la recepción excelente servicio al cliente - La atención
- Espinoza (10/5): - La atención y todo ..
- William (7/5): - Great location, not too far from the airport for a one night stay. The staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating, and the younger gentleman at the front desk set us up for a taxi pick up early in the morning. His uncle that stays at the place then woke up to make sure we got on the cab, that was sincerely appreciated! The rooms had an individual AC, which was really nice. That said the beds themselves weren’t entirely comfortable, and you were only given a singular sheet and pillow, and my pillow was particularly hard. So overall nice day, but just not the most comfortable sleep.
- Nelson (8/5): -
- Danny (10/5): -
- Ana Lucia Werner (10/5): -
- Nidia (8/5): Señora amable - La señora muy amable Lo que no me gusto baños compartidos
- Alvarado (10/5): - El departamento de la segunda planta es exelente Las habitaciones pequeñas, no las utilice pero para parejas no las recomendaría
- Stéphanie (10/5): -
- Tiina (10/5): :) - The hostel is very tidy and clean, the staff are super helpful with any question you have! The location was great, close to the main square and the bus station, easy to find! n/a
- Chevez (10/5): Es lugar es una joya escondida. - Personal muy amable, atención de calidad, el lugar es muy bonito, me senti como en casa.
- lot_15_k (8/5): - Very friendly and helpful staff, nice garden/living room Mostly cold water showers
- Derek (10/5): Beautifully decorated hostel with great common areas and friendly staff, like an oasis in the middle of a bustling downt - The common areas were spectacular for a hostel - so many different types of places to hang out, couches, outdoor patio, comfortable chairs, big screen TV - and all beautifully decorated. The kitchen was large and fully equipped with every type of tool you might want. The room was very small, but each room has air-conditioning so even in the warm weather it was comfortable in minutes. And the staff was so friendly and helpful and accommodating at every step. Just a great place. The property is located about five blocks from the central park, but it’s a quick walk. Surrounded by a lot of little businesses and markets, it can get a little bit noisy, but inside the hostel, it was much more peaceful.
- Michelle (9/5): We had a short overnight stay and an early morning flight and this was the perfect place. - Memo and his mother are friendly, helpful and run a great hostel. Spaces are cosy and rooms are good for a night's sleep. We would book here again for an early morning run to the airport. There was only a sheet provided for sleeping but it was fine as we could monitor the room temperature.
- Huberth (9/5): -
- SM (9/5): - The hosts were very nice and kind.
- Birgit (10/5): The very best - Hostel El Pretal is fantastic, a perfect place to start/end/or just chill (in) your vacation! Great location just a few blocks from the bus station. It’s run by a super friendly family who keep the place squeaky clean with the whitest and crispiest bed linen.
- Francis Saraí (10/5): El lugar cumplió todas las expectativas - Excelente atención, los anfitriones fueron demasiado amables.
- Joel (10/5): -
- Katherine (9/5): - It was close to the bus station, which made it super easy for us to walk to after taking a bus into the city from the airport. It was also in walking distance of a delicious dinner. They arranged a ride to the airport for us, which was super helpful. Clean, basic room. Perfect for a quick one night stay. The uneven floors were a little tricky to navigate to the bathroom at night. Also the giant steps into/out of the bathrooms. I had to be super mindful to not trip or fall while sleepy. Also, I would have loved more than a top sheet to sleep with.
- Claudius (9/5): -
- Eduardo Alejandro (10/5): - La decoración y el trato del personal, las instalaciones super lindas La ubicación
- Barbara (8/5): Très bonne auberge à Liberia - - La cuisine est bien équipée (les plaques mériteraient peut être d’être changées) - L’auberge est très agréable - La climatisation dans les chambres - Les douches partagées sont propres et très régulièrement nettoyées - Il est dommage de ne pas avoir de clé ou de code d’accès pour rentrer et sortir librement de l’auberge
- Alex FlyBird (8/5): Friendly place - Good place for a couple of days and visit the national parks around. The hosts are really friendly. Rooms are really basic but a nice relaxing common area.
- Francisco (8/5): Tranquilo y cómodo - Muy bien ubicado y muy tranquilo La señal del Wifi Fi no era buena en la habitación No8 llega muy intermitente
- Sybille (8/5): -
Photos
