Traveling Costa Rica As A Black Woman; I Was Scared

On a Thursday night in December, I landed in San Jose, Costa Rica, where I would stay in a hostel for the first time ever. Within minutes of getting off the plane and grabbing our luggage, we spotted our taxi van driver.

Using broken Spanish, my partner and I asked the driver to drop us off at our pre-booked hostel. We then hopped into the van with two other women who’d also just arrived at the airport.

Riding to the Hostel in San Jose Costa Rica

While heading to the hostel, I noticed that most of the homes were equipped with security bars on their windows. Even more disturbing, the gates and fences were mounted with razor wire. After driving pass several of these prison-themed homes, our van turned onto a narrow, dark, empty road. Then, the van came to an abrupt stop in front of a large rusted metal gate. This immediately evoked memories of every horror film I’d ever seen. 

Before I had time to gather my thoughts, the gate creaked open, and a shadowy figure directed our driver to pull the van through the gate. Beyond the gate looked like what I could only describe as a dark abyss. Once the van drove in, the shadowy figure immediately closed the gate and secured it with a thick chain. At this point, my heart sank into my stomach. I turned to Ellie and gave her a frightful stare, hoping to telepathically communicate that “we were about to die.” The other two girls sat in silence, with similar expressions their faces.

When the van came to a stop alongside a building we all just sat there waiting for our ill fates. The driver opened the door to the van, but none of us made any attempt to get out. Perhaps aware of our apprehension, the driver got out of the van and proceeded to open the door to the building. When he opened the front door we immediately heard the buzz of loud young voices reverberating off the brightly-painted walls. We turned to one another and smiled, realizing that we had safely arrived at the hostel, not a slaughterhouse.

Arriving at the Hostel

We hopped out of the van and went to the front desk of the hostel, where the host warmly greeted us. Ellie and I paid for one night’s stay in a private room. Then the host gave us two free vouchers for drinks at the bar. Yay, free drinks! After we placed our luggage in the room and shared laughs over what happened inside the van, we hurried back downstairs to tour the hostel.

My First Impressions of the Hostel

Though our private room was pretty basic, the hostel was AMAZING. It had several amenities, including a swimming pool, bar with flat screen TVs, a pool table, free wifi, and a large outdoor area with spectacular views of the city.

After touring the hostel, we went to the bar/restaurant, ordered our two free drinks, and sat a table full of other young travelers. Though we were very tired, we stayed at the table for a few hours hours, drinking and conversing with our newfound friends.

Eventually, we made it back to our room, showered, and laid in bed. Ellie fell asleep before me. But, I did not mind. It gave me time to daydream about our upcoming trips to La Fortuna and Monteverde.

Is the Hostel in Costa Rica Still Good?

Because we visited San Jose nearly a decade ago I don’t know if the hostel is same. But, if you’d like to check it out, here is some info.

The place where we stayed is called Hostel Pangea. You can book through the Pangea website or hostelworld.com. Just make sure you check out the hostel’s reviews before you book.

Whether you decide to stay at Hostel Pangea, another hostel, or no hostel at all, make sure you get out and explore Costa Rica. It’s a beautiful country with so much to offer!