Socialtel Santa Teresa South - Formerly Selina Santa Teresa South

I spent a month in Costa Rica and Panama in January 2024, using Selina all the time. Santa Teresa South was my first stop. Now being able to compare all, I would say this one was okay, but others were better (Puerto Viejo was way better). The biggest difference as a solo traveler is the effort they make to socialise. The Welcome Drink here was me and the receptionist! At other places you were put onto a newbies table and then natural chats started... and you could go for welcome drinks every day. Not here. Santa Teresa is great. If you want to do Selina, stay at ST North. More fun, more social. South is almost all private rooms, so families and couples. But my biggest complaint was a tour I paid over £100 for the 'Cabo Blanco Beach & Forest (Full Hike)', described in their slick literature as 'our guide will show you the wonders of the forest until you reach Caboe Blanco beach, a pardisical white sandy beach where you can enjoy quiet waters for swimming, sunbathing or simply to enjoy the striking view of Cabo Blanco island'... There was no beach. The guide said we had no time and could either rush there and back or enjoy the forest. He also insisted we pay entry to the national park when I confirmed afterwards that this was supposed to be included in the hefty up-front fee. It's clear Selina is not running these tours, even though they word them as if they are. I was encouraged by Juan the manager of Santa Teresa South that he would arrange a refund for me. I would have been happy with a partial refund. But since leaving, I have been ghosted by him in our WhatsApp conversation. I have emailed Selina contacts and had no reply. And posting a complaing on their website give an 'Ooops' error and doesn't allow the complaint to be posted. Go to Selina's, they are good, they are especially good for wifi and working. Don't book their tours. Go direct to the tour companies, save some money, and perhaps have a better chance of being sold what you are going to get. Disappointed.

For a hostel, this was great! The grounds and facilities are far nicer than they have any right to be - the pool turned out to be a great alternative to the beach (with some much-needed shade and calmer water 😅), the co-working space is perfectly airconned, quiet and equipped, and everything all looks very lovely lit up at night. The staff also do a brilliant job with cleaning, the place is pretty much spotless everywhere (although beware the poop from the resident pigeons on the terrace at night!). Also note that all communal lighting is switched off around 10pm - at first we found it annoying cos it basically forced us back into our rooms quite early, but on the flip side it does discourage any loud late-night behaviour! By comparison, the private room we took was pretty basic and functional. The bed was super comfy, but the shower was pretty ineffectual and the curtains were so thin they might as well not exist - get ready to wake up at 5.30am with sunrise and for anyone walking past to see into your room when it's dark and you've got the light on... One other thing - don't let Selina organise the transfer from SJO, because for us they used Transporzuma who turned out to be absolute rubbish and we basically lost an entire day because they never showed up. Just use Bookaway to book your own transfer. Despite these drawbacks, we still wouldn't hesitate to come back the next time we're in Santa Teresa and need to work at the same time!

Das Hostel war sehr schön. Aufgrund eines Fehlers im System würde ich kostenlos auf ein Einzelzimmer hochgebucht. Das Personal war sehr freundlich und hilfsbereit. Die Küche war sehr sauber und wurde regelmäßig geputzt und aufgeräumt. Am Pool gab es leider nur den Boden als Sitz oder Liegemöglichkeit.