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How to get to the hostel, what you can do near the hostel and about Costa Rica
How to get to the hostel
Our address is "Paseo Colón, Calle 32, diagonal a Pollos Kentucky" - that means that we are on Paseo Colón (which is the main road cutting through the city and leading to the airport), at street number 32, diagonally opposite from KFC. If you are coming into San José from the airport or the North or Pacific side of the country, you cannot miss us! If your taxi driver tells you that we are full or closed, he is just trying to take you somewhere that will pay him a better commission (in particular JC and Friends).
By Bus
Buses from the airport and from Liberia, Jaco, Puntarenas, etc. will pass directly in front of the Molino Rojo Hostel. We are a short walk from the Coca-Cola terminal and other major bus terminals in San José. At night, it is safest to take a taxi, especially if you do not know exactly where you are walking.
If you take a bus from the airport, it will go most of the journey on the motorway and then make a sharp left to leave the motorway as it enters San José - after that, you have to get off at the second stop. At the stop you will see a KFC ahead and to the left, we are diagonally opposite from that on the right (i.e. the side of the street that the bus stop is on).
By Taxi
Just let us know if you want to book an airport pick up and we can arrange it for you - it costs $22 and is with taxi drivers that we know and trust so is a lot safer than taking a taxi from the airport.
All taxis in San Jose should (and generally will) use a meter. Tell your taxi driver that you want to go to the Molino Rojo Hostel on "Paseo Colón y Calle 32, diagonal a Pollos Kentucky" and you will be taken directly to our doorstop. As a guide, a taxi ride in San Jose will cost a few dollars across town.
 
What you can do near the hostel
The Molino Rojo Hostel is the only hostel on Paseo Colón, the central avenue in San José, so we are centrally located close to nightlife, shops, bus stops, the Sabana Park, embassies and everything you could possibly want.
About Costa Rica
Volcanoes and beaches
Costa Rica is famous for its natural beauty, in particular its beaches and volcanoes. Our favourite volcanoes are Volcan Arenal and Volcan Poas, which you can easily reach from the Molino Rojo Hostel with a tour, in your own vehicle or on public bus. Please ask us at the reception for more information about how to do this.
There are numerous beaches on both the Carribean and Pacific sides of the country. The closest beach to the Molino Rojo Hostel is Jaco (on the Pacific side), which can be reached by public bus in about an hour and a half. A couple of hours further south is Manuel Antonio, which is a beach inside a national park rainforest and is one of Costa Rica's most stunning beaches, especially since the number of visitors is limited per day so it never feels over-crowded or touristy.
 
Driving and Bicycling in Costa Rica
Driving in Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart - it's difficult and can be dangerous, but it is the best way to see a lot of Costa Rica in a short space of time. (More information about car rentals can be found in the "Tours" section of the website.) Legally, you will need to have a driving licence and information confirming that you are the owner of the vehicle. Insurance is not a legal requirement for driving your own vehicle or a friend's vehicle in Costa Rica (although it's obviously recommended), but it is essential if you are renting a car. The speed limit is 90km/hr on the motorway (55mph) and in cities you will have to look for the signs, but it is normally under 40km/hr (25mph).
Bicycling in Costa Rica is illegal on the motorways and unfortunately motorways make up the only good roads across much of Costa Rica. We do not recommend long-distance cycling in Costa Rica (and Central America in general) as it simply is not safe but hopefully in the future we will have more cycle routes.
Conducir en Costa Rica es bien dificil como peligroso, la documentacion legal para conducir cualquier vehiculo es: Licencia de conducir vigente, Derecho de circulacion y Revision vehiculo (RITEVE) vigente, no es requisito ningun seguro adicional en caso de conducir el vehiculo de algun conocido, pero si es obligatario en un carro alquilado. El limite en autopistas es de 90 km/h y en ciudades varia segun las indicaciones de las senales de transito, generalmente no es mas de 40 km/h en zonas urbanas.
Circular en bicicletas es prohibido en autopistas y en las rutas y calles del pais no existen aun ciclovias para que este tipo de vehiculos, por lo que implica conducir muy cerca de conde circulan camiones y autobuses, puede resultar una experiencia peligroso.
Money in Costa Rica
The official money in Costa Rica is the Colon (colones in plural). US dollars can be used in most hostels, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets, but you will almost always get change in colones. The notes come in 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 colones. There are two different types of coins that are used in Costa Rica (both legal!) - the older gold coloured ones that come in 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 colones and the newer silver ones that come in 5, 10 and 20 colones. You can't really buy anything for under 50 colones and you should be aware that many shops will not accept them. You might hear the colones referred to as "cañas", which is just a slang name.
La moneda oficial en Costa Rica es el Colon (o colones en plural) hay solo cuatro tipos de billetes: mil, dos mil, cinco mil y diez mil colones. Ademas existen dos tipos diferentes de monedas de curso legal, las doradas de 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 y 500 colones y otras de color plata con denominaciones de 5, 10, y 20 colones. Casi nada se puede comprar con menos de 50 colones. Es comun escuchar en "slang" llamar el dinero como "cañas".
 Food and Drink in Costa Rica
The typical Tico (Costa Rican) diet consists largely of "gallo pinto", which translates literally as "painted rooster" but refers to rice and beans cooked and fried together. Vegetarians should be warned that this is traditionally - but not always - made with pork fat and so might not be vegetarian; if you are concerned about this, it is worth checking the chef. It is delicious, but after a few weeks of breakfast, lunch and dinner gallo pinto, you might well feel your arteries clogging up with atherosclerotic plaque.
"Sodas" are small, Tico-run breakfast-and-lunch restaurants, where you will find good, cheap food. At lunch-tiome, it is often cheapest to order a "casado", which costs US $2-4 and consists of gallo pinto, meat, chicken or fish, a salad and a drink.
Close to the Molino Rojo Hostel in San Jose, you will be able to find restaurants specialising in food from around the world (Chinese, Argentine, Mexican, Italian, American, etc.). At the Molino Rojo Hostel, we also have a range of take-away menus and will be happy to help you organise a food delivery if you don't feel like leaving the hostel. Of course, you are also welcome to use our communal kitchen.
The tap water in Costa Rica is safe to drink, but cheap bottled water is also widely available if you prefer that.
Molino Rojo Hostel, Paseo Colón, Calle 32, diagonal a Pollos Kentucky, San José, Costa Rica
Telephone: (506) 2221 6868
00 1 (718) 514-2763 (EE UU & Canada)
00 44 20 3286 6922 (United Kingdom)
Email: info@molinorojohostel.com
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