Updated October 17, 2026. We rechecked every hostel in this guide against its own website, its Google Hotels listing or its Discover Puerto Rico profile. Five places from the old list are out (see what changed), Fortel Hostel in Old San Juan is in, and Nómada now counts as two hostels because it runs two separate properties.
Hostels in Puerto Rico are a small, mostly urban scene, and that is good news for planning.
Most of the hostels we could confirm are in San Juan, within walking distance of Ocean Park, Condado or Old San Juan. A second cluster is in Luquillo, the surf-and-rainforest base on the east coast. Aguadilla and Vieques have one each.
This guide used to list 15 hostels. After the October 2026 check, these 12 made the cut, grouped by area so you can pick a base first and a bed second:
– San Juan and Carolina (1–7)
– Luquillo, near El Yunque (8–10)
– Aguadilla and Vieques (11–12)
– What changed in this update
– Tips before you book a dorm bed
1. Santurcia Hostel (Santurce, San Juan)
Santurcia sits at 353 Avenida José de Diego in Santurce, San Juan's arts-and-murals district. Google Hotels describes it as a hostel with bright dorms, private rooms and a rooftop bar that looks out over the city.
One warning: the hostel's old web address now sends visitors to an unrelated gambling site, so don't book through it. Use a major booking platform you trust, or reach the hostel through its Google listing.
Read more about the neighborhood in our Santurce guide.
2. Mango Mansion (Santurce, near Condado and Ocean Park)
Mango Mansion, at 159 Calle Primavera, bills itself as an upmarket hostel about 500 feet from the Atlantic. It sits between two beaches, Ocean Park and Condado, and close to La Placita de Santurce, the city's busiest night-out square.
Dorms come with memory foam mattresses, air conditioning in every bedroom, lockers, sheets and towels. Between 8 and 10 a.m. the staff sets out breakfast ingredients (toast, eggs, fruit, coffee and tea) and you cook your own. Wi-Fi is free, and beach gear and padlocks can be rented for a small fee and deposit.
See our Condado guide for the beach and food nearby.
3. Nómada Urban Beach Hostel (Calle Loíza, Santurce)
Nómada calls itself Puerto Rico's first hostel group, and its Calle Loíza location (Calle Loíza 2062) is the city pick. Ocean Park Beach is about a five-minute walk away, the rooftop patio faces the ocean, and the street outside is lined with bars and restaurants.
Beds come in a ten-bed co-ed dorm or a four-bed women-only dorm with its own balcony, both with shared bathrooms, plus private rooms and a cowork space. Lockers are there, but a lock is a one-time $5 rental. Dorms are adults only: no children, pets or smoking. Nómada's site lists starting prices in the mid-$40s a night.
4. Conturce Hostel (Calle Loíza, Santurce)
Conturce, at 1507 Calle Loíza, is the most boutique place on this list. Its website now titles itself "Conturce Hotel" and its rooms page shows only deluxe rooms, yet its FAQ still describes shared rooms for budget travelers alongside private rooms with private bathrooms. If you want a dorm bed, confirm one is offered for your dates before you book.
Every room has air conditioning and a small fridge, and guests get individual lockers. Shared spaces include a full kitchen, outdoor tubs and rain showers, and a rooftop terrace with an ocean view that groups can rent. The location puts Calle Loíza's food and nightlife right outside the door.
Compare more places to stay in San Juan.
5. Hostel H1 Miramar (Miramar, San Juan)
H1 Miramar, at 668 Calle Suau, is the no-frills option in San Juan's historic Miramar neighborhood. Google Hotels lists it as a modest hostel with simple rooms and dorms, two lounges and two patios, about 3 km from Condado Beach.
It has no website of its own, so check recent reviews and book through a platform you trust.
6. Fortel Hostel (Old San Juan)
Fortel takes the second floor of 309 Calle de la Fortaleza, inside the walled city. Its website describes a remodeled, refurnished hostel built around safety and location, and that location is the draw: you can walk to the forts, plazas and bars of Old San Juan without a car.
It replaces Casa TripGoGo as our Old San Juan pick, since we could no longer confirm that one (see below).
7. Nómada Beach Hostel (Isla Verde, Carolina)
Nómada's second property is at 1265 Calle Marginal Villamar in Isla Verde, which is in the municipality of Carolina. Google puts it about an 8-minute drive from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. It is the quieter of the two: there is a pool, a speakeasy-style lounge called Vagabundo Social, and Isla Verde Beach is about a 10-minute walk away.
The co-ed dorm has eight beds and a shared bathroom, with the garden picnic area right outside. A second mixed dorm has its own bathroom. Every bed gets a locker, a reading light with a USB port and towels. As at Calle Loíza, dorms are adults only.
See our Isla Verde guide and more places to stay in Carolina.
8. Casa Coral (Luquillo)
Casa Coral is a social hostel and a strong fit for an El Yunque trip. Its contact page gives the address as Calle del Sol 42 in Luquillo. The house is right by the beach, and the hostel puts the El Yunque entrance about a 10-minute drive away. From the open-air spaces you look out where the Sabana River meets the Atlantic.
You can pick a mixed dorm, a women-only dorm or one of three private rooms built for two. Dorm bunks have air conditioning, memory foam mattresses, a locker and a privacy curtain. There's an outdoor kitchen, a rooftop terrace with a smoothie and açaí bar, kayak and surfboard rentals, and surf, paddleboard, yoga and boat outings the hostel can set up. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and checkout is by 11 a.m.
Plan the rest of the trip with our Luquillo guide and El Yunque National Forest guide.
9. Luquillo Beach Hostel (Luquillo)
Luquillo Beach Hostel, at 5 Calle Esperanza, is listed by Discover Puerto Rico, the island's official tourism organization. Google Hotels describes simple dorms and private rooms, a gazebo, and a rooftop deck with a barbecue grill, about a two-minute walk from La Pared, Luquillo's surf beach.
Google puts it about 11 km from the Fajardo ferry terminal, so a night kayak on Fajardo's Laguna Grande bioluminescent bay is an easy add-on.
10. The Surfing Turtle Inn (La Pared, Luquillo)
The Surfing Turtle, at 69 Calle Fernández García, is more small inn than hostel. Its property listing counts seven rooms with their own bathrooms. One of them is an adult dorm, two are suites, and the whole place can hold up to 28 people. It's a short walk to La Pared Beach. Each room comes with beach chairs, beach towels and a yoga mat.
Book the dorm if you're traveling alone. Groups of surfers can take over several rooms. More east-coast options are in our Luquillo places to stay listings.
11. Medusas' Hostel (Aguadilla)
Medusas', at 11 Calle Progreso in Aguadilla, is a shared house in a mansion from the 1800s. It has seven bedrooms mixing private rooms and dorms, two shared bathrooms, a full kitchen, two balconies and a big living room, and it can sleep 20 guests. That makes it a natural pick for a group taking over a whole house on the northwest coast.
Read our Aguadilla guide for beaches and surf nearby.
12. Vieques Good Vibe House (Isabel II, Vieques)
On Vieques, the Good Vibe House at 424 Calle Carlos LeBrum is in the heart of Isabel II (Isabel Segunda), the town by the ferry dock. You can walk there from the ferry terminal and to Sea Glass Beach. Google Hotels describes simple rooms with shared bathrooms. Upstairs, a reggae bar doubles as the Wi-Fi lounge.
Reservations are by phone or text (the numbers are on its website). Plan the crossing with our guide to getting to Vieques, and save a night for the Mosquito Bay bioluminescent bay.
What changed in this update
We dropped five places that were on the old list because we couldn't confirm them as working hostels:
- Wild Flowers Boquerón (Cabo Rojo): its website no longer loads, and it rents rooms and apartments rather than dorm beds.
- Villa Eshta (Santurce): its website domain has expired and is up for sale, and the property itself has been advertised for sale, so we couldn't confirm it is still taking guests.
- Casa TripGoGo (Old San Juan): no website and no current Google Hotels listing, and the newest booking-site review we found was from 2022.
- Casa Luna (Ponce): it now shows up only as a short-term apartment rental, not a hostel.
- Itza-Bella Suites (Isabela): a suites hotel, with no dorms that we could find.
We also fixed a few details. Nómada's Calle Loíza hostel is in Santurce, San Juan, and only its second hostel is in Isla Verde, Carolina. Villa Eshta's address is on Calle Santa Cecilia, not on Calle Loíza itself. And Calle Loíza is a street in Santurce, not the town of Loíza.
Which are the best hostels in San Juan?
For a beach-and-nightlife base, pick Mango Mansion, Nómada Urban Beach Hostel or Conturce, all a short walk from Ocean Park or Condado and close to Calle Loíza and La Placita. For an arts-district base pick Santurcia. For history on foot, pick Fortel in Old San Juan. If you have an early flight, Nómada Beach Hostel in Isla Verde is about 8 minutes from the airport by car.
Which are the best hostels for surfing in Puerto Rico?
Luquillo is the easiest surf base: Luquillo Beach Hostel and The Surfing Turtle are both a short walk from La Pared, and Casa Coral arranges surf lessons and rents boards. On the northwest coast, Medusas' puts you in Aguadilla. See our Puerto Rico surfing guide for breaks and seasons.
Which are the best party hostels in Puerto Rico?
For nights out, stay on or near Calle Loíza in Santurce: Nómada Urban Beach Hostel and Conturce are on the street itself, and Mango Mansion is close to La Placita. Santurcia adds a rooftop bar of its own. Then read our guide to nightlife in San Juan.
Tips before you book a dorm bed
- Check the bathroom setup. Several dorms here share hallway bathrooms. Pay for a dorm or private room with its own bathroom if that matters to you.
- Bring or rent a lock. Lockers are common, but some hostels charge for the lock itself.
- Look for women-only dorms. Casa Coral and Nómada's Calle Loíza hostel both have one.
- Traveling with kids? Nómada's dorms don't allow children. A private room or a guesthouse is the better fit.
- Confirm arrival times. Front-desk hours vary, so message ahead if you land late.
- Book on a site you trust. When a hostel has no working website of its own, book through a platform you know rather than an unfamiliar link.
FAQ section
What is the best hostel in Puerto Rico?
It depends on your base. In San Juan, Mango Mansion and Nómada's Calle Loíza hostel put you near the beach and the nightlife. For El Yunque and surf, Casa Coral in Luquillo has the widest choice of dorms and activities.
How many hostels are there in Puerto Rico?
Not many. This guide lists the 12 we could confirm in October 2026: seven in San Juan and Carolina, three in Luquillo, one in Aguadilla and one on Vieques. Outside those areas, look at guesthouses or campsites instead.
Final thoughts
A hostel makes sense in Puerto Rico when you'd rather spend on tours, food and nights out than on a room. Pick the area first: Santurce or Condado for city beaches and nightlife, Old San Juan for history, Luquillo for El Yunque and surf, Vieques for island time. Then choose the bed.
For more budget planning, read our backpacking guide, our camping guide and the full list of places to stay in Puerto Rico.
Originally published on PuertoRico.com (2023-03-19); last updated 2026-10-17.