In Playa Grande, where the sunsets are pure magic, and the waves are a surfer’s dream, we’re here to uncover the top hostels that won’t break the bank. This article is your guide to budget-friendly stays in this Costa Rican paradise.
Here are the best hostels in Playa Grande, Costa Rica
Our favorite hostels in Playa Grande are:
- Playa Grande Surf Camp - best for surfers
- ONDA Playa Grande - best for social butterflies
- Sugar's Monkey - best for solo travelers
Money-saving tip: Compare hostel prices with Hostelz.com. They compare prices from Hostelworld, Booking.com and others with 1 click.
1. Playa Grande Surf Camp
2. ONDA Playa Grande
3. Sugar's Monkey
Backpacking around? We also have a guide on the best hostels in Costa Rica.
This guide is perfect for YOU, when you…
- are tired of crappy hostels!
- want a social Hostel to actually meet people
- are happy to spend $1 to $2 more for a much better experience
You can find all 5 Star Hostels here with Hostelgeeks and all the guides to “Best Hostels In” here.
Quick Introduction to Playa Grande
Average price for a bed: Hostels in Playa Grande cost around $44 per night for a bed in a dorm. This is a rough average, just to give you an idea.
Prices always depend on the season and holidays. Please always check the exact rates on Hostelz.com or Hostelworld.com.
Check-In and Check-Out: The average check-in time is from 15:00 (3 pm), while the Check-Out time is before 11:00 (11 am). Hostels usually offer luggage storage in case you arrive earlier or leave later. Make sure you check if luggage storage is free or if there is an extra cost.
Must-try Costa Rican Dishes
- Casado: This quintessential Costa Rican dish is a must-try. It’s a hearty plate with rice, black beans, plantains, salad, and your choice of protein, typically fish, chicken, or beef.
- Gallo Pinto: Start your day the Costa Rican way with Gallo Pinto, a flavorful mix of rice and black beans seasoned with spices, often served with eggs, cheese, and a side of tortillas.
- Ceviche: Being a coastal town, Playa Grande offers some of the freshest seafood. Dive into a bowl of ceviche, a zesty dish of marinated fish or shrimp with lime, onion, and cilantro.
Must-try Costa Rican Drinks:
- Imperial: When in Costa Rica, you can’t miss trying Imperial, the country’s iconic beer. It’s a crisp and refreshing lager that pairs perfectly with sunset views.
- Chiliguaro: Spice up your night with a Chiliguaro, a fiery Costa Rican shot made with local liquor, Lizano sauce, hot sauce, and lime. It’s a favorite among locals and backpackers alike.
- Coffee Elixirs: While Costa Rica is famous for its coffee, try something different – a “Café Chorreado,” a traditional Costa Rican pour-over coffee, or a “Sweater Coffee,” which includes condensed milk and cinnamon.
Tips for staying on a budget as a backpacker:
- Street Food: Embrace the local flavors by munching on street food. Look for “sodas” – small family-owned eateries – for affordable and delicious meals.
- Surf Camps: Playa Grande offers budget-friendly surf camps that include accommodation, lessons, and board rentals. It’s an excellent way to enjoy the waves without breaking the bank.
- Happy Hour Hunter: Dive into happy hour deals at beachfront bars and restaurants. Sip on your favorite cocktail or beer while watching the sunset over the Pacific.
Local Culture Insights:
- Pura Vida Spirit: “Pura Vida” is more than just a phrase in Costa Rica; it’s a way of life. It means “pure life” and represents the country’s laid-back and joyful approach to living. Embrace it, and you’ll feel like a local in no time.
- Respect for Nature: Costa Ricans take their natural surroundings seriously. Keep this in mind and follow their lead by treading lightly and respecting the environment. Don’t be surprised if you see recycling bins everywhere!
- Bring Cash: Not all places in Playa Grande accept cards, so it’s wise to carry cash with you.
- Pack Sunscreen: With the tropical sun beaming down, sunscreen is your best friend. Don’t forget it when you hit the beach or explore the town.
🎁 New to Hostels? Read our guide to staying in a Hostel for the First Time here. We especially recommend reading:
- How to book hostels? (and websites to save $)
- 23 clever items: the hostel packing list to download
- How does the Hostelworld App work exactly? Our Advanced Guide
The 3 Best Hostels in Playa Grande are …
Let’s jump right into the coolest hostels in Playa Grande.
- Playa Grande Surf Camp – best for surfers
- ONDA Playa Grande – best for social butterflies
- Sugar's Monkey – best for solo travelers
These are our favorite hostels in Playa Grande. We want to make your life even easier, so we put all accommodations on a map for you. We even added our own tips for favorite restaurants, things to see, and more.
1. Playa Grande Surf Camp
2. ONDA Playa Grande
3. Sugar's Monkey
Overview: Best Hostels by Traveler Type
| 🦸 Solo Traveler: | Sugar's Monkey |
| 🧘 Cozy Hostel: | Playa Grande Surf Camp |
| 🙎♀️ Female Solo Traveler: | Sugar's Monkey |
| 🏄🏻♀️ Surf lovers: | Playa Grande Surf Camp |
| 🌆 For Best Views: | Sugar's Monkey |
| 🎒 for Backpacker: | Playa Grande Surf Camp |
| 👫 For Socializing: | ONDA Playa Grande |
1. Playa Grande Surf Camp
Just a short walk away from Playa Grande beach, you’ll find Playa Grande Surf Camp located within palm trees and near the beach.
This hostel boasts an outdoor pool, a café, a BBQ zone, a shared kitchen, and relaxing hammocks to throw yourself in after a day spent surfing (or exploring the area).
It has good Wi-Fi, air-conditioned rooms and a lot of activities you can join in like horseback riding and hiking. All of these perks translate into a super friendly hostel with positive vibes where it’s super easy to meet people and just relax and enjoy yourself.
Obviously, as their name suggests, they also offer surfing lessons, but you don’t need to be a surfer to stay here
The best choice in Playa Grande for
- Surfers
- Backpackers
Check prices at:
Hostelworld | Booking.com | Hostelz.com
2. ONDA Playa Grande
ONDA Playa Grande isn’t just for snoozing. It offers a groovy stay that plunges travelers headfirst into the spirited Playa Grande social scene.
A mere 500-yard (457.2m to be exact) stroll from Costa Rica’s coolest beach, their spaces encourage and threaten you with socializing and cater to remote workers with a top-tier coworking hub.
Here, you can also enjoy air-conditioned rooms because sweating while you’re sleeping isn’t quite it.
This hostel also offers sun-soaking action on its terrace, billiards games, and lots of good food that might make you want to extend.
Founded by travel aficionados, ONDA guarantees a chilled-out ambiance where bonding, beverage-sipping, and surf escapades are all the rage.
A great choice for
- social butterflies
Check prices at:
Hostelworld | Booking.com | Hostelz.com
3. Sugar's Monkey
Sugar's Monkey, a quirky guesthouse, delivers oceans of fun and relaxation, featuring free community spaces, a gym, and a pool table.
Located just 150 meters from white sandy shores, travelers of this hostel are surrounded by tropical gardens and sea breezes while savoring healthy and delicious food from their restaurant.
Turtle enthusiasts rejoice: this Playa Grande hostel offers guided turtle tours at night.
With eight cozy rooms equipped with AC and necessities, Sugar’s Monkey offers comfort for the laid-back traveler.
Swim in their pool surrounded by vibrant green trees and birdsongs or catch waves near Playa Grande’s center, this is the hostel of your dreams if you’re a turtle-loving-sun-soaking-nature-strolling traveler.
This is one of the best hostels in Playa Grande for
- Solo travelers
- nature lovers
Check prices at:
Hostelworld | Booking.com | Hostelz.com
Best Hostels in Playa Grande for Solo Travelers?
We think that the best hostel in Playa Grande is Sugar's Monkey. It offers a super laid-back and chill atmosphere, surrounded by everything that makes Playa Grande a must-see destination in Costa Rica.
Check prices at:
Hostelworld | Booking.com | Hostelz.com
Party Hostels in Playa Grande
The best party hostel in Playa Grande is ONDA Playa Grande. It’s probably not the wildest party hostel you’ll ever encounter, but it’s very social and adults only, so you’re guaranteed to have a good time in this environment if you’re more of a nightlife-lover.
Check prices at:
Hostelworld | Booking.com | Hostelz.com
More Hostels worth a mention
At the moment, we think you are all set with the hostels we just shared with you. We always try to keep our guides super fresh and up to date. We might add more hostels worth mentioning here in the future if we feel that it could enrich your travel and hostel experience.
What about the cheapest hostels in Playa Grande?
Of course, there are always cheap hostels. But how do you actually find them? When you are traveling on a shoe-string budget and you want to save every dollar, there are ways to find the cheapest places in Playa Grande.
- Open Hostelz.com with a full list of all hostels in Playa Grande
- add your dates
- Order the listings by price
Simple as that.
Hostelz.com is a price comparison site for hostels. They list every single one in the world and tells you exactly which website is cheaper to use.
Another smart Tip: Check what is actually included, and what is excluded. Take a closer look at the location, too. A further location might mean more costs in transport.
Any Discounts?
You can find all our hostel discounts worldwide here. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the freshest hostel discounts directly in your inbox. We even have special discount codes we only share in the newsletter.
It is completely free to join!
How to book?
The most popular booking platforms are Booking.com and Hostelworld.com. On both platforms, your credit card is 100% protected and the booking 100% confirmed.
We included some handy links to each of the recommended hostel. Just click on the hostel name. The link will lead you to check prices and availability.
Read: Step-by-Step guide on how to book with Hostelworld
We recommend booking your hostel as early as possible! All of Playa Grande best hostels are popular; especially in high-season. To make sure you end up in those stylish and good hostels, secure your room/bed as soon as you have your travel dates fix.
The coolest Hostel App you need comes as well from Hostelworld. It gives you super cool features like you can contact your hostel mates beforehand, ask questions, and make plans together. Find more details in our review of the app.
Scan the QR Code with your Smartphone to download the Hostelworld App from the App Store - like a real Hostel Geek!
Need an eSIM Card for Playa Grande?
Get your eSIM Card with Airalo.com instantly online. It is easy to set up and cheap! Read our review of Airalo here.
No more searching for mobile stores. Get your eSIM Card for now and enjoy it instantly after landing in your new destination.
Our Favorite Hostels in Playa Grande put on a map + sights
We’re listing all the three best Playa Grande hostels on a map to give you an idea of the location and distances between them.
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FAQs
Here we share with you the most asked question:
Any questions about hostels in Playa Grande?
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Flights to Playa Grande?
We use Skyscanner and Omio.com to find cheap flights and good connections all over the globe.
Skyscanner has a bunch of cool features like Multi-City Trip. Instead of doing this research step-by-step, Skyscanner offers this flight planning tool.
More handmade Guides for you
Alright, this is your answer to where to stay in Playa Grande, Costa Rica.
We did the leg work for you and bring you more hostel guides to destinations in Costa Rica:
- best hostels in Costa Rica
- Best Hostels in San José
- best hostels in Uvita
- best hostels in Tamarindo
- best hostels in Quepos
- best Hostels in La Fortuna
- best hostels in Manuel Antonio
- best hostels in Tortuguero
- best hostels in Monteverde
- best hostels in Jaco
- best hostels in Samara
- best hostels in Bahía Drake
- best hostels in Santa Teresa
- best hostels in Puerto Viejo
- Coolest Surf Hostels in Costa Rica
- 8 Best Yoga Retreats in Costa Rica
And other parts of Latin America:
You can find all our new and updated articles for Best Hostels here.
We also created a huge guide to hostels. Here we cover how to build lifetime friendships in hostels, the perfect packing list, and more.
Over to you
Do you have any questions left, maybe doubts? Then please leave it in the comment below. We are very keen to help you - and actually you would even do us a favor!
Your question will help us to improve this Playa Grande guide.
Last note: Our commitment
This is a genuine article to help you travel a bit smarter, and find the best place on a budget! We will never recommend you any place we haven’t evaluated or are not convinced by. We are constantly updating all our guides to keep them as fresh and accurate as possible.
Safe travels,
The Hostelgeeks
