HI Hostel Santa Monica, Los Angeles

Clean

No water fountains, you have to bring a bottle

Events

The central location, the bathroom facilities

The parking it's a problem

Everything

Wished you could stay more than 14 nights per year

The location is amazing

Some guests in the hostel - including my room - were very weird. If you’re a young traveller expecting to meet other young backpackers - forget about it.

An over-the-top hostel with very clean and comfy dorms, lots of free breakfast options, free daily activities, just a few steps from Santa Monica Pier. You can get here from LAX airport by Big Blue Bus.

I honestly feel like I made the best choice. The hostel and bathrooms are clean, the dining room is big, there’s a pool table and a fireplace with couches around it — super cozy vibe. The room I stayed in was nice and had air conditioning, two big windows, and a comfy bed. I guess I was lucky to have really nice and respectful roommates too. The front desk staff were great. There’s even an ATM in the lobby. The location is perfect — close to shops and restaurants. I didn’t use public transport, but I saw there’s a bus stop and metro station nearby. My experience was 10/10. They also sell snacks and drinks at the reception. The breakfast they serve has good options — for me, it was really good.

The hostel was absolutely fine. Nice breakfast, clean rooms, perfect shower, comfy beds. It is a huge hostel with many many rooms, and somehow ppl here communicate less with each other than in smaller, more intimate settings. But overall its all fine with it.

Very great location. Very clean and well maintained.

Great

Close to Santa Monica pier literally on your steps, staff were accomodating, it was very clean for a hostel. They host social events but we never tried them out so couldn’t say how they were. Rooms were cleaned regularly, breakfast was surprisingly very good! Overall good stay!

The activities coordinated by the hotel are free and there's something different every night. I went to my first open mic and tried yoga.. both for the first time at HI😊 The beds are comfy. Coffee and laundry detergent are free as well. I could go on and on. I'm grateful for the time spent and will go back for a 3rd time.

THE MICROWAVES ARE RUSTY AF!! IF YOU LOOK IN THE MICROWAVE THE TOP IS VERY RUSTY DUE TO MOISTURE.. ITS GROSS. MY PHOBIA KICKED IN AND IT MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE. THE SECOND TIME GOING I DIDN'T USE THEM OR LOOK IN THEM BECAUSE IT WOULD RUIN MY STAY. THIS CAN CAUSE ILLNESS. IF YOUR FOOD TASTE FUNNY ITS RUSTY... IT'S VERY GROSS 🤢

Everything!

Amazing location close to everything. This was my first time in a hostel. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean it was . The beds were tidy and easy access to lockers in every room. Loved the free breakfast and self serve cleaning. Also enjoyed the social acctivities throught the week and I even participated by performing on the comedy show.

All the breakfast cereals were too sugary. Perhaps add some non sugary options like bran flakes or simple oat bran(not the packaged oats which has too much sugar)

Okay

You have kitchen, activities, open areas

I really liked the structure of the hostel. This is one of the biggest hostels I’ve ever stayed in.

The heat of the female dorm I stayed wasn’t working so the room was really cold. There were girls who did not want to stay there because of this incident. I myself went to the front desk a few times but they said it was a general control that couldn’t be turned off. Even though they adjusted the temperature to make it warmer it never worked. In the end they only offered us to change dorms the night before we left.

The place was incredible, very clean,and the people were kind. It was also in a great location!

The desk staff was very helpful and supportive, the kitchen was a magazine dream, and the other guests were helpful and comfortable to be around.

No complaints here!

close, fast, clear and intuitive

the rooms are too small. like barracks in some hospital. the people there are all silent as possible. everyone walks quietly and doesn't communicate. i've been to other hostels, they have a different atmosphere

It’s a great place. Stayed several times. Would recommend it for anyone. It was a little too hot at night, staff noticed and mentioned it being broke

The place is a hostel, very high quality and very nice staff. The breakfast is simple but good and the kitchen is fully equipped. The location is also great to walk around Santa monica.

The room was small but it was private with 2 single beds.

Perfect location, clean and good bathroom

Strange roommates

All spaces were clean, the staff was really nice, I had fun doing the activities they offered

Kind staff and attentive. Loved my private room, it was a bit far from the bathroom/toilets but spacious and with a terrace. Quiet as well. Great location! I couldn't enjoy it, but it was great to see the many activities they organise. I also found it very handy they sell stamps and can post your letters. Saves you a lot of hassle and time.

It's nice they offer breakfast, but it was a bit meh - would have been nice to have a toaster for instance, to grill the bagels. The place overall really looks like a hostel, nothing special.

breakfast

nothing!

Small basic room with shared bathrooms but excellent staff, location and facilities (kitchen, pool table, TV room). They even stored our bags after we checked out.

The super kitchen with everything that you need The laundry The fireplace

I had a pleasant stay overall. The location is fantastic, just a short walk from Santa Monica beach, which made exploring the area super easy. The staff were friendly and welcoming, and the building itself felt modern, clean, and comfortable. For the price, it’s definitely a great value.

There were a couple of issues that stood out. On more than one occasion, I found the shampoo containers in the showers empty in the morning. It's not ideal to realize that after you're already under the water. Also, guests are responsible for washing their own dishes after breakfast or any food they eat. While I understand the idea behind it, it raises some hygiene concerns, especially since I’ve stayed at the HI Chicago Hostel where staff took care of dishwashing, which felt more professional and sanitary. Lastly, breakfast supplies like bananas and even milk would sometimes run out near the end of breakfast hours. It’d be great if there were better restocking or planning for that.

Everything was perfect, staff very friendly,the room was clean, bathrooms very clean , the facilities was amazing and the location was perfect, we have the beach , restaurants just around the corner. Thank you ! What a hostel

Safe, great vibes, all ages walks of life welcoming, very clean, very comfortable, spacious, LOCATION, solo friendly, helpful warm staff, accessible, respectful of peace and zen but also options to mingle and play, would stay again. Always was a toilet and shower available. Spacious.

I have nothing to complain about I was impressed.

Excellent location and very good value.

Location was excellent. Breakfast was good, we were given many options to choose from. Room was clean.

Room was small.

Very clean and very nice hostel

Bathrooms were quite cold

Location Location Location. Quick walk to Santa Monica Beach and Pier. Each bed has a light that shines down on your bed without disturbing anyone else, and an outlet. I didn't have time to take advantage of all the social stuff like movies and pool table. The breakfast in the morning had more than enough variety. I was happy to wash my own dishes, but I hadn't seen that in a while.

It was too cold at night in March with the AC running. I had to put my jacket on, in addition to the sheet and thin blanket. Another woman in my dorm had the sniffles and she said she got it from there. She eventually got a second blanket from reception, but I hadn't thought about that. I told reception in the morning, so hopefully that's not an issue anymore. No parking for the hostel so I had to park in the structure near the Civic Center and walk 10 minutes, which wasn't bad, and it cost me only $8 because it was a weekend.

Everyone is super friendly and helpful. It's a big hostel but it never felt super crowded

Location is in downtown of Santa Monica near the Piier

The amenities, soap and shampoo in the restroom and the breakfast

I appreciate the community that this hostel and its staff create with their welcoming party and assembly events like an open-mic and a walking tour of Santa Monica. The beds and bathrooms are clean and well maintained. I've made a lot of new acquaintances and possibly a friend during my visit. Staying at this hostel wasn't just a part of the trip, it was an unforgettable moment of community, learning, and joy. The building is even adjacent to the original City Hall of Santa Monica. I would definately recommend HI LA to anyone who wishes to travel to Los Angeles.

I had no issues at HI LA.

Everything. The atmosphere, the location, the friendly staff. Free coffee, water & the events. The traveleres that stay here are friendly either and open to meet! Also liked that's there spaces to work, as I worked remote for a couple of days.

Probably the bed... It felt like an inflated bed, I don't feel it was that comfy. For me

Everything

It was clean, new and well situated

Well I was alone in the room with a person that was under drug… I think the staff shouldn’t have let this person came in… But they changed me room

I liked the cleanliness, the room, the friendly and helpful staff, the free breakfast, the free weekly events they put on, the social areas and the location, just 1 or 2 blocks from the beach.

Nothing. Couldn't recommend this place enough

Perfect location, just 2 min walk to beach and easy connection to most touristic places in LA(if you plan to use public transport).

some of the friendliest staff of any hotel i’ve ever stayed at, really well looked after :)

not much to not like, for a hostel it’s great and you’re well looked after

Good place, conveniently located next to Santa Monica pier. The room was comfortable, the staff were nice, the breakfast is the typical breakfast you expect from a hostel, nothing fancy, but enough to start the day.

Clean and warm

I like everything good location

So open and welcoming

The guest shuld have a place to put away used dishes. They were left out everywhere. Other than that everything was spot on..

Good location in Santa Monica. Breakfast included in the price. Friendly staff. Clean bathrooms. Towels provided for free, even towels and beach staff. Have events every night and staff is engaged. There is a socket in every bed. Felt safe. Coffee provided whole day. Spacious kitchen.

The room could get a bit cold at night because of the air conditioning. The free breakfast is really limited. During breakfast the guy making breakfast puts some loud metal music (which I don't judge at all) but there was a lady in the kitchen that put another music on a speaker REALLY loud and also singing at the same time and it was like the worst noise you could get to start your day because both music sounded at the same time and it was really stressful. I find this is disrespectful for the people around you to put your own music on the speaker because most probably you don't like the other music. This won't affect my review because it's a specific person that works there but I would like it to be seen by the hostel for the future.

The location is great! The breakfast is great.

None.

Clean. Easy to navigate. Location is great