| In 2005 Hostel Bekuo opened their doors and became, | | | | does design work), so they don't need the income |
| according to the Lonely Planet and many other | | | | from the hostel to survive. They are also quick to point |
| guidebooks, "Costa Rica's nicest hostel". Today, unlike | | | | out that the hostel is basically home to them and their |
| many hostels in San Jose, Bekuo is improving even | | | | employees, and they wouldn't want guests in their own |
| more, and reinvesting in their business, making it easy | | | | home sleeping on an old, uncomfortable mattress and |
| to see why they are still the highest rated hostel in San | | | | have nothing to keep them entertained. The owners |
| Jose according to Hostelworld.com, as well as a host | | | | even asked Hosteling International (HI) to remove |
| of other hosteling sites. | | | | Hostel Bekuo from their web page. HI is one of the |
| On my most recent visit to Bekuo, the newest | | | | largest hostelling organizations in the world, and were |
| upgrades to the hostel were easily noticeable; a new | | | | sending quite a few reservations to Bekuo, but |
| 50″ flat screen in the living room, a new Wii for | | | | according to Ramon and Storm, they weren't sending |
| the old 42″ flat screen, a Foosball table, some | | | | the kind of backpackers they sought, and it made it |
| amazing lamps, as well as a fair amount of new art | | | | really difficult to maintain a cool/relaxed atmosphere in |
| created by past guests and employees. I have always | | | | the hostel with these guests. |
| noticed the little things, and enjoyed them very much, | | | | It's taken years for other hostels to start opening in |
| that they do at Bekuo as well. For example, the | | | | San Jose. For the longest time, there was Toruma, |
| employees actually live in the hostel, and they get up | | | | Pangea and Backpackers. But today, there are a |
| every morning to make breakfast for the guests. Not | | | | handful of higher end hostels like Hostel Bekuo, Mi |
| some milk and cereal, a pretty hardy breakfast of | | | | Casa Hostel near La Sabana, and Hostel 1911 near La |
| pancakes, fresh fruit, toast and jelly, coffee and tea. At | | | | Clinica Biblica. Still, however, even these upper tier |
| nighttime, when things are winding down for the | | | | hostels fall short when compared to Bekuo. Other |
| evening, lights are turned off in favor of candlelight | | | | hostels that have opened in the last few years like |
| throughout the house. The owners say this helps | | | | Casa Yoses, Kabata, Tuanis, Tranquillo and a few |
| reduce electricity costs, and also discourages people | | | | more, have really fallen off in the quality area. It's as if |
| from being loud at nighttime. | | | | they have become too much of a burden for the |
| Bekuo has also been upgrading their mattresses as of | | | | owners, and their facilities continue to deteriorate, as |
| late. The private rooms, in my experience, have | | | | opposed to improving. |
| always had great beds, and now the dorm rooms are | | | | If you're looking for a place to stay in San Jose, Hostel |
| getting high quality mattresses and covers to match. | | | | Bekuo is the easy choice these days. If some of the |
| When I ask the owners how they can afford to make | | | | other smaller hostels start following their lead, that may |
| all of these improvements while charging only $12 a | | | | not be the case forever, but until they do, as they say |
| night for a dorm bed, they point out that the hostel isn't | | | | at Bekuo, "If you're paying $12 a night somewhere else, |
| their only income (Ramon is a veterinarian and Storm | | | | you're getting screwed. |