Name: Rockin’ J’s
Location: Puerto Vijeco, Costa Rica
Budget: Cheap as (Plantain) Chips.
$26 for a small private room with bunk beds
Vibe: Art house – come – hippy commune
Best Point: The colours, moasics and art, everywhere; not to mention that it’s nestled right on the beach.
Worst Point: The private “Cabanana” Lauren and I rented for a few nights didn’t have closeable shutters, so there was no privacy.
I have no time for your jibberish, should I stay here: Sure!
But keep in mind a few things, as below.
If you’re travelling through the hostel scene in the surrounding countries to Costa Rica – especially Panama or Nicaragua then it’s more than likely that you’ve already heard of Rocking J’s. Its reputation precedes it for countries sprawling across Central America, well known for its party scene and laid back hippy feel; it draws world-wide travellers to it just through word of mouth. As it happens, Lauren and I came across its reputation well before we even left for Central America, we stumbled across it on Trip Advisor and I must admit it looked pretty damn awesome, but it wasn’t until we were leaving the place we loved in San Juan Del Sur that we really got wind of how big Rocking J’s was.
Every inch of Rocking J’s is covered in colour
Friends we met told us that we must, must, MUST, go there, they had gone and days slipped by before they felt the need to move on. So Lauren and I decided to book into a private room (hopefully better than our hell hole of a room in San Jose) and hopped on a bus from Costa Rica’s capital down to the Caribbean coast (wahoooo!). The bus was jam-packed with travellers; music was played, fresh fruit eaten, whilst we drifted through Costa Rica. After five hours, we got off the bus and started meandering towards Rocking J’s, it took about a minute before we realised that 70% of the other travellers from the bus were also making their way there, it was a pilgrimage to the Mecca that was Rocking J’s.
One part of the hostel
At first impressions Rocking J’s did not disappoint; every single wall, ceiling, floor and post, was covered in glittering mosaics, colours shone from every wall; when the light struck any surface the hostel glistened and glowed. The place was massive, hosting tree houses, cabanas, tents, hammocks; all that you could rent to lay your head for a day, week, month, even more in some cases. Lauren and I had pre-booked into a Cabana for $26 a night; the mosaic and colourful theme carried on throughout, up to and into our room, but other than that, I must admit, it was very basic. It had two fans, some bunk beds and metal shutters on the windows, which we couldn’t pull down to reserve our privacy or keep the bugs out, still it was our own little space right on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
Stairs up to the Private Rooms
The hostel had its own kitchen, which we didn’t take use of; we were only there for a few days and we wanted to fill our boots with seafood and ceviche. Whether you have a private room or a hammock to sleep in, everyone shares the same bathrooms and showers, both of which really weren’t so bad. The showers actually had a decent amount of power to them, let’s be honest, everyone, everywhere, no matter how much of a ‘hardcore traveller’ you are, loves a decent shower.
Despite all of these amazing aspects of Rocking J’s, Lauren and I just didn’t ‘feel’ it; the hostel was far too big to form friends easily; we had just come from Casa De Olas which like I’ve written before was our home away from home, so despite all of the beauty and quirks of Rocking J’s, it just wasn’t our cup of tea. However, I would highly recommend anyone to stay there, the staff are friendly, the place really is stunning and apparently they have a Rocking (see what I did there?!) party scene; however we must have just missed that.
I only have a few photos of Rocking J’s (above), as at the time I was unaware I would be writing up hostel reviews, remember, this blog is still very new. BUT! If you use your good friends Instagram and Tripadvisor you will be able to get a pretty decent visual of what it’s like there. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help, visually. From now on I’ll ensure that I get snaphappy of the places where I stay.
thefarawayfolk 