Green Tortoise Hostel

Fun experience for my first hostel stay! The bunk was comfy, my only gripe was the pillow. It was more like a folded up towel, it was definitely a poor excuse of a pillow. Despite that, check in and check out was a breeze. I would advise to bring cash because they charge a buck for a towel and if you only have a card it will end up being like $7. The free breakfast was a great amenity and my room had a great view! But honestly for the price this place was a palace!

So I'm pretty new to traveling. Haven't stayed at very many hostels so obviously a party oriented hostel like the green tortoise leaves a strong impression on my virginal hostel traveling mind. You have the potential to meet some very interesting people here but also some very creepy people as well who give you a feeling as though they've just escaped from jail or have just come out of a mental ward. The 3 weeks I stayed there I was verbally assaulted by a person coming into the room at 4am directing his anger towards me because of the roommates shoes. Needless to say he was eventually kicked out after he also verbally assaulted someone on staff. Honestly you have potential to meet some great people here if you stay long enough but the fun doesn't really last very long. Everything is dictated by who is coming and going (if you like the social post 9pm party atmosphere of the hostel). The main problems I have with this place are it's very dirty. You will see multiple mice running around the kitchen. The staff are very rude elitist people who haven't yet escaped their teen angst phase (but they are well into their mid 30's some of them). Some of the staff are absolutely incredible people but overall they are mostly smug [-]. Green tortoise is an interesting place to stay for a couple of nights (if you want a cheap place to party) but I would suggest a more professional hostel for an extended stay. You have to put on a show, stand out, act like an ***** etc if you want to be treated well by staff. If you are an average person they will treat you poorly and you will regret your stay their. People that go there to stay can be great but the staff just sucks so i cant recommend this place due to my bad experiences with these people (front desk people should use eye contact, say thank you hello in a friendly way, be courteous etc ).

I cannot believe some critics here. I was there for 3 nights. Breakfast could be for free, but it was disgusting moving around the kitchen looking for the eating service and realizing the dirtiness. We had just one (and enough) breakfast experience. The room was OK, but VERY dirty. On the light switch in our room there were strange remains, which afterwards we realised they were rat excrement. I swear I am telling the truth. I have visited many hostels and HI in my life and this is by far the worst hostel I have seen. Free food and internet do not compensate the price of this place.

I used to love this place. I unfortunately had a female traveler who said she's going to make sure she keeps the riff out. So she thought I was riff raff and complained to the front desk manager about me. San Francisco is a very difficult city rn. You have to look a bit homeless because you don't want to get ripped off or have things stolen. Today, I got an email that I'm not a good fit for the hostel. I'm crying in a bathroom. Because I don't want to hear the European travelers hearing me cry. On a good note they allowed me to extend one day more than I should of. They are very nice people. But the you don't fit in here comment hurt my heart

If you love the experience of a European hostel with the comforts and convenience of an American lodging, this is the place to go. For starters, Space: the common room which I assume used to be a ballroom is very spacious and serves as dining as well.(btw, don’t miss the complimentary breakfast they offer in the morning.) the ample seating serves as a great atmosphere for meeting other people. While other people complain about how dated the decor is, I think it adds to the homeliness and novelty of it. Plenty of solo use bathrooms on each floor. And the beds are quite spacious. Location:it’s situated right next to Chinatown which is great for when you’re craving a quick Dimsum. It’s also a nice 15 minute walk to the piers. I would absolutely suggest using the trams to get to the west side of of San Francisco ie the bridge or presidio, but I’m a walker so it took me a good 1.5 hours which was a good workout. Staff: they were very friendly and informative as well as helpful so absolutely no complaints there. Security: I believe the doors stay locked after 1800 which require code or fob access. They make you wear a tag to identify you as a lodger which is added security. All in all a great experience, I would definitely come back here for my San Francisco trips.it’s by far one of the best hostels I’ve stayed in.