Hostel Finca Escalante | Informal Campsite

We wanted to stay there but we could not get through the gate with our Sprinter

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Nice place. 20 usd, breakfast included for 2. Laundry, electricity, cold and warm showers. Enterence a bit tricky for larger vehicles.

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What a lovely place to park our van for a few days. It’s the absolute hilight of dreary San José and makes a good base to recharge batteries in the rainy season if you are on your way to boondock on the Caribbean somewhere.
The house is beautiful and I found out today it was the hole of the President back in the 1940’s and is now owned by his son who was President back in 1992. He rents it out to the guys that run the hostel.
$20 total for 2 people in a van. They allowed us to plug in with no extra charge. Breakfast is included and the showers are HOT. The garden space is lovely to hang out in and wifi is good.
We loved it here so much we stayed 5 nights total on 2 different occasions.

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There is really nothing much to see in San José ( it’s a bit of a dump) but if you have to come here then this is the place to be!
The back garden is lovely and is as described by many others. Breakfast is included and the coffee is good!
they let us plug in our van for free and we even had a load of laundry done $10. That’s a steal here in Costa Rica. We ended up booking a flight to Mexico while we wait for the protests in Panama to clear up so we ended up staying at the hostel on 2 different occasions. Loved it!

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not suited for medium size rigs, only small rigs, very narrow entry and max about 2.5m height now because low hanging branches, very small carpark, $2.50 for hot shower

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We made it with our Ford E350, it's really very thight. We stayed for one night and paid 20 USD for two persons one night. A littlebit expensive, but you get a very clean bathroom, friendly staff and you can use the whole clean and nice hostal area. The breakfast and electricity were included. We used the laundery service for 10 USD for 17 kg. It's a perfect location for visiting San José.

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This place is the place to stay if you’re coming to San Jose. No height restriction for parking, but the entrance is narrow. Our Ford Transit can just comfortable squeeze through (easier if one side mirror is folded in). Parking is flat and tranquil. Best if you can get the spot farthest inside the lot but if you arrive too late in the day, it can be hard to reach there since it’s hard to navigate once you’re in the lot.

WiFi is all over the premesis, but can be hard to get inside the van sometimes. Breakfast is nice and included but never changes. Pancakes, fruit, and granola. Coffee and tea all day long.

The worst thing is the bathroom/toilet situation. It’s a hostel and so the nearest bathroom/shower room (by the back entrance) gets pretty gross by late afternoon.

OVERLANDER PRO TIP: There are 2 ‘hidden’ showers behind the kitchen room. They’re much cleaner. But hot water can be hit or miss.

Hose for fresh water is available on site. You’ll need at least a 25ft long extension cord to get to the closest socket in the hostel.

Very friendly service. OUR CAT LOVED IT HERE!

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Great hostel, possible to find flat parking. Nice ambiance and good breakfast. $10 per night, that includes the desayuno.

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agree with all previous posts. very nice place, comfortable and very welcoming with our dog. BUT, it is a tight fit. we barely slipped through the gate (width was the issue) with our sprinter van. great location though.

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Super hostel in a nice neighborhood and super friendly staff ! We stayed one week, slept in our van in the parking lot. You have electricy on the parking lot. For $15/night you can use toilet and showers (hot water!) and also breakfast (delicious pancakes, eggs, toast, cornflakes). There are coffee and fruits for free all day long. We even let our van for free on the parking lot during the weekend when we went to manuel antonio. We spent some time there because we had to sell our van, the staff was really supportive with us and they told us that actually it was the second time that a traveler sell his van here so its maybe a lucky place for this !

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Only good vibes at this place. Super friendly and welcoming staff. Pet friendly. Full of travelers almost everyday. I went there for just one night and spent three. Two nights sleeping in my camper and one more in a private room with private bathroom. 10$ 2 people sleeping in your camper and you can use bathroom, showers , power , water and kitchen. Also free coffee and free breakfast. You can’t beat that. Only con is the parking lot is too small. Only regular cars. No big rigs definitely . 10$ pp if you want to sleep in dorms , 35$ in a room with shared bathroom and 50$ room with private bathroom. I waited until late afternoon to ask if they have a room. I took a private one down from 50$ to 30$. Use your bargain skills. Also they have a restaurant next door with great tacos.

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Great hostel, very friendly owner, vibrant neighborhood with lots of nice cafes and restaurants. Very recommended!
Camper vans are allowed on the parking lot (don’t know what’s the deal for that)

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Adding this place as an informal campground, description taken over from Hostel entry:

Nice hostel and very friendly manager Warren let us park-up in the car-park and sleep in our truck. This is the only place we found in San Jose that we could fit into. There are wires across the gate. We are 3.3m high and we only just got under them by lifting them up with a stick. Any taller won't fit in. Once you're in, there's plenty of space in the car park for up to med/large sized rigs (not for very big rigs). Good bathrooms/hot showers in the hostel. Small chill-out area out the back with hammocks in trees. Good wifi most of the time (bit slow at peak times). Electric plug-in available but we didn't need it (good solar). Peaceful place. Great location in nice part of town, close to nice cafés bars & restaurants. $15pn for 2 people & truck.

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