R K Hostel

The location is just awesome! It’s so close to everything that you can walk. You meet awesome and nice people. We got a great room and had a great time there!

The location is awesome — right in the heart of Little Italy and almost literally next to the freeway. Perfect for a stroll around the neighborhood without worrying about parking (and without worrying about drinking and driving — plenty of wine in Little Italy!), and perfect for a quick drive to nearby neighborhoods or to the other side of San Diego. I rented a car and I was able to find street parking each time I returned to the hostel.
The staff are really friendly and that helped with feeling welcome. You can tell they genuinely enjoy meeting new people, which is perfect for the hostel environment.
The actual conditions could have been a lot better. The bathrooms looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a few days, and everything felt cluttered. I don’t mind the clutter, but I’m kind of picky about the bathroom. Also, there was no AC. Normally, I wouldn’t mind this but it happened to be pretty hot and humid when I was visiting, and I was sweating nonstop so it made getting ready for the day (and for a friend’s wedding) pretty challenging. I even ended up just putting on my makeup in the car with the AC running. Plus, I couldn’t really nap during the day… it was just too hot. I ended up not being at the hostel all day — which was okay because I really wanted to explore San Diego anyway! If you wanted to hang out at the hostel, however, be prepared for this.
That said, I know these details will vary based on personal preference. I decided to continue my stay here because: staff was friendly, it was affordable, and the location was great. I doubt I would come back because as I get older, comfort becomes more important for me than convenience.

Great place, staff is so understanding. Erika is a sweetheart and really tries to help you out! I just extended my time at this hostel cause the staff is hard working but understanding at the same time! The people that are here are also great, unique backgrounds and all fun!

Do not give these people services!!! They are fraud and it smells funny in there! They have a lock on the door too like it is not safe and probably the staff sleeps on the job that’s y the lock is there. They are fraud people and the policy doesn’t make sense! They used a credit card that didn’t match the expiration date or give the 3 digit code on the back which is scary to me now that this low baller type dorm building would be sooo thirsty for money like this. It was damn obvious that I didn’t show up there last night but still want to charge!!! They are very «special» people!

This is not a hostel, its a half-​way house. There are plenty of bad reviews on here, here is my story. Summary: Drug Addicts, Non-​travelers, Horrible Management.
I walked in at around 3pm, and one of the guests showed me to the desk and the bell. I pushed the bell and heard it ring in the other room. No one came to the desk. After a few minutes, another guest said «do you want me to get him, he’s just in the next room?» Out walks Scott, who tells me this is a really bad time to check in because there’s a football game on. I said that if it were better for him, I could come back later. I returned an hour or so later, and Scott is willing to check me in even though he is annoyed because a new football game had begun. After I pre-​paid for four nights Scott tells me that he can’t wait to go smoke weed. Scott is one of those guys that makes really bad outdated ‘bro’ jokes, and tells you that his other job is an office job, when he is clearly not cut out for office work. After a brief, and pointless tour, which does not include telling me how to open the front door when it is locked (as I was later locked out), I settled into the common TV room. There were several people in the room, all of whom seemed to be American. One gentleman in the room is a large seemingly kind-​hearted black man who goes by Chicago. Chicago has a haircut that only a mentally deranged person would choose. His head is shaved, except for a patch of Jerry curls in the back. His slurred manner of speaking and extremely deep voice are reminiscent of every guy named Bubba in every prison movie. When Scott sticks his bag of weed in Chicago’s face, Chicago seems unimpressed and not at all surprised. Moments later a young girl enters the room and launches into a discussion about the rehab she and the other girl are currently in, and the detox process. The tone and tempo of conversation is exactly that of a person who is currently on drugs. At this point, I have seen about 20 people who all look like crackheads, and heard one girl launch into a crackhead diatribe. I might have been there an hour, but I had seen enough. I went and found another place to stay, and was willing to forfeit the one night in order to not have to return to this place after nightfall.
The next day, I attempt to enter the building and get my remaining balance back. It was locked. Luckily, I had chosen not to return during the night, because I would not have been able to get in. After a few minutes, an Nigerian gentleman who would only tell me his name was G.W. let me in and showed me the code for the door key lock box (it’s 2020). I explained the politest version of events that I could. GW pointed to a sign that was only visible from his side of the desk, that said NO REFUNDS. He asked me if I was assaulted. He did this in a manner that suggested that there was a workflow chart that allowed him to give me a refund if I were assaulted. A clear sign that my opinion of this being an unsafe place to stay, was correct. After a 45 minute discussion in which he was aggressive and immovable from his position, I finally broke through. He thanked me for telling the most honest version of events in that he knew the hostel had a problem with drug addicts, but that he cannot explain this to his boss as his words, he cannot explain it as my opinion. He then gets on the phone with his boss for 30 minutes while I wait at the desk. There is no resolution and she plans to call back. He is clearly annoyed with her. At this point, another guest is standing at the desk and complains that the owner refuses to go to rehab, and that she comes in and goes off on crazy endless rants to the staff in front of her and other guests. I stayed and argued my point for another 30 minutes after that. G.W. says he is unable to give me a refund, and unwilling to allow me to escalate directly to the management. He agreed that I was owed this money, he agreed that the place has a drug problem, he agreed that there were a huge management problem. And yet he refused to allow me to escalate, and he refused to give me my money. I’m making it my hobby to file complaints with the local authorities.

Not a good experience. They did not clean my room. I was punched by another tennant who I had NEVER met before and the staff treated it like a college prank and made him come to my room and say sorry to me… like a child. There are tons of middle aged men staying there that made it feel like a halfway house. For the money you can do so much better in San Diego. Check out hostel world and price check. I promise you would do better going literally anywhere else. This place needs to be shut down.

Uggghhh BED BUGS and horrible, mean, manager!
Would not stay here. Manager turns people away if he doesn’t like them. And did I mention BED bugs???

Here’s the facts. I have stayed at this sewer many many many times only because they don’t limit your days per year. Never again and here is why. The majority of the guests are not travelers but broke locals or people trying to move to SD, so they live in this hostel full time. The no limit on days allows this to happen. I’ve witness management in aggressive verbal fights with each other & with long term guests. Even aggressive telephone calls between management and the owner where I literally thought there was a street fight outside my door. I’ve had my food in the fridge stolen from my labeled bag countless times. The entire facility is complete filth & wreaks of urine. I mean absolutely wreaks of urine. Bathrooms, rooms, etc, all filth. The main showers upstairs are so mold ridden that giant sections of tile are falling off the walls. Their solution was to cover it in black duct tape and waterproof wallpaper. The other Unilocal comments regarding bed bugs are 100% fact. My mid section is currently covered in 100’s of bites from bed bugs which I’ve photographed in detail. There are long term guests in the 12 person dorms eaten alive by them and I’ve woke up in that room and killed several males crawling up my side. Room 20 was just as bad, probably worse. There was blood on my sheets from the ones I killed in both rooms. I’ve asked other long term guests about this severe bed bug issue and was told to keep quite or I’d be asked to leave. I could go on forever but the bottom line is the building should be vacated and closed for good. If you’re traveling and looking for a sewer to sleep in then RK Hostel is the place for you! Personally I’d rather sleep with the homeless people that line the sidewalk out front on State St. Everything I just posted is 100% fact and I can back it up. The only reason I gave it 1 star is the system requires it to submit a post.

This hostel is the badest I’ve ever been. When you go inside of the hostel it smells horribly .I really don’t want to know why. The sheets are dirty and when you lie in the bed everything starts itching.
Last night someone puked in the washroom and nobody cares, that’s completely disappointing.
The rooms are so small that you really get a space problem when 4 people stay in one room!
When you ask where to park your car safe, nobody has an idea.
When you want to use the laundry room, bring your own change because they don’t have any change. (Laundry room smells horribly a swell !!!)
It’s really loud there because the airport is not far.
I’m really angry that I spend 22 $ (this isn’t much but too much for this hostel)

***DO NOT STAY THERE!!!***Great Location but this is by far the worst establishment I ever stay in. That is not a HOSTEL but a Rehab or a Shelter Home. If you are a Traveler that is seeking an affordble place to stay please look other options. I risked staying one night, or to be exactly, half of that night. From unwelcome reception, fights on the hallway between the «employee» and a guest, which seemed to be local people staying there, I also had my cellphone stollen, and luckly only that. It was a very unpleased and i wont recommended anyone to experience that!

I stayed there for two weeks and during my stay I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, all I can say is it was a very pleasant experience and a new one for me since I’ve never stayed in a hostel before. The staff was great and everything was very clean and all of the other guest that I met were very pleasant. I consider myself a people person and there were a lot of different people that came through there during my stay and I enjoyed it

I have stayed at Hostels all over the world… literally. This place is absolutely awesome. The location could not be better. You can get to ANYWHERE in San Diego from this Hostel. The staff is super friendly, professional and accommodating, especially James. The rates are more than fair, especially given what you get for your money. The view is breathtaking from the outside patio, which is awesome, by the way, for BBQs and small hostel group gatherings. Sometimes, we even have Tapas nights and cook out together. There is a huge TV room with a big flat screen, cable, AND Netflix. Sweet! The full kitchen has every piece of cooking equipment that you could possibly want to cook your own meals. Every single person staying here has been so super cool and I have made some great friends. Heck, they are even like family to me. Everyone is respectful and you never have to worry about it being loud, as it is not your typical ‘party place’ hostel, like many of the others in town. It is quiet and peaceful. Community computers are available; free internet; ping pong table… you name it. I’ve read reviews about bed bugs here. Absolutely NOT TRUE. I’ve seen bed bugs in other hostels. Especially in Europe, and I have not seen one single bug– of any kind. The place is super clean. I would recommend RK to anyone that I know. I absolutely love it here and will stay EVERY time I come to San Diego.

Bedbugs and bad business practice. When I arrived it took them an hour to check me in, in part because they demanded that I pay for the four nights I’d booked in cash. That night, I was working on the couch in the lounge and found LIVE BEDBUGS crawling on it! The next day when I checked out early due to the unsanitary conditions they refused to give me back the money I paid for the three nights I didn’t stay there, and also wasted two hours of my time. From the way they treated me it became clear that bedbugs are a recurring problem that they have, and their response is to not give refunds if you find bedbugs and consequently no longer wish to stay there (they tried to argue with me that I shouldn’t get my money back because I had found the bedbugs in the lounge and not in the bed that I only slept in for an hour and a half — WEAK!). Don’t stay there, the owners are greedy and they will steal your money!!! If you see this review posted elsewhere it’s because I’m trying to burn them for what they did — I am a real person :)

another report on r.k. hostel i check out this morning to find a bed bug crawling on my arm. i think that is sick they need to sanitize, there rooms & beds before they lose all there business. i only stayed there for 3 days. i may not even stay there again!!! the stay wasn’t that bad it is very quiet & the rooms are large with a lot of space to walk around and the bath rooms are big to. they really need to sanitize all the rooms for bed bugs, this the first hostel i stayed in that had bed bugs!!!

Stay away — bedbugs galore and both my feet are both covered in bites after two terrible nights here
Would post pics if possible

This is an interesting little place. It’s a bit dark when you walk in which could be off putting, but the staff was very helpful and trustworthy. The rooms were clean, the bathroom.. . well.. .it was a shared bathroom and a little old, but hey it’s a hostel.
The coolest part was the next morning when I had to make this ungodly early flight. The airport is really close, but my taxi was late. Late Late Late! Yikes! Even though it was like 5:15am, the front desk guy continuously called my cab company to get their arses over there, and even stood in the middle of the street for almost 15 min trying to get me a cab (apparently not an easy feat as they all seemed to be taken).
RK is solid. It’s not the Ritz, but people were looking out for me. I’ll take that any day over a hotel.

I stayed here mid January and my 2 night stay turned into 4 or 5. My first impressions of this place were that it was a bit strange — the common area was really dark (I later realized this was because when people plug in their lap tops, they have to unplug the lamps). But the place warmed on me greatly. The people working there were incredibly welcoming and friendly — and funny! I was even cooked dinner :) Breakfast is simple — cereal, coffee and oats if you want to cook, but good enough.
I’ve seen other reviews that have mentioned this place was dirty — but I noticed nothing of the sort. Everything was clean to me. Also someone noted no hot water — and I thought that at first myself, but in the dorm room I stayed in, you just had to run the shower for a few minutes before getting in and it was perfect.
The location of this hostel is fantastic! I was driving and was able to find street parking close by every night. I had a bike on my car and practically my whole life inside the car so was a bit worried about it — completely fine though.
I would recommend this hostel and I would stay here again.

DON’T GO THERE!!! This hostel is the worse place that I have been in my life! Completely dirty!!! I could see all the dust under the bed. During the night we heard noise from rats coming from the ventilation system.
We booked a private room for 8 people and the room did not have a door with key (low security) and we discover that the guy that works there were sleeping in the same room as my friends and I, very inconvenient and no privacy. Also, the hostel smells pretty bad, no hot showers and dirty bathrooms.

Very cool little place. Ted, the owner or manager (not sure), is super friendly and helpful. I spent a few nights here and loved it. There is a full kitchen available for use including a refrigerator, freezer, stove, oven and microwave. I stayed in a single with a private bathroom that has an awesome view. There’s a patio upstairs with a grill and table and chairs. They have wifi throughout the place and a tv with cable down in the common room. They also have coin op washer dryer (cheap, $ 1 each). They are located in Little Italy and are close to the airport. My room was a little chilly when I was here in February but there were plenty of blankets and they did offer me a space heater. Honestly this is a nice little place to stay, and not too bad price wise either for $ 55/​night. Their dorms are a lot cheaper of course. The shared bathrooms are nice, they’re shared in the sense that anyone can use them, but they are each a single bathroom with shower, toilet and sink.