Opinions GREEN TORTOISE HOSTEL San Francisco

Great vibes, great activities!

Convenient, cheap and clean place to stay in San Francisco.

I live an hour away from SF, so sometimes if I'm going to be in SF a bunch over a couple days (eg a weekend with a lot of activities), I'll crash here for a night or two to cut down on travel time back and forth.

It's easy to pop in at a moment's notice, there's usually a room available without a reservation. Super easy to extend if you need another night as well.

The facilities overall are pretty clean and well-maintained (shared bathrooms down the hall, common lounge / meal / party area, sauna, etc). It definitely has more of a kitschy, "lived-in" feel as opposed to an immaculate, sterile feel. Like, a tiny bit of wear and tear on some of the furniture, But I say that in a way that just gives it more of an old-school vintage / hippie vibe, as opposed to anything that makes it unlivable.

Fantastic hostel. Great friendly staff,relaxed atmosphere & it has everything you need!! Will definitely come back ????

Impressively Clean Facilities!

I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the bathrooms here! It's rare to find such spotless facilities in public places, but this establishment truly goes above and beyond. The bathrooms were not only clean but also well-stocked with essentials. Kudos to the staff for maintaining such high standards of hygiene. Definitely a huge plus for anyone visiting!

Seamus and Tati were amazing and friendly

Green Tortoise came recommended from SF locals and out of town friends alike. We split a private room for 8 days during a conference and were very happy with the experience. The place was in a great walkable location, overall quiet and safe -- though neighboring nightclubs are loud during the weekend.

The main lounge is great for free coffee/bagels in the morning and winding down after a long day. We did not make use of the industrial kitchen available to us. The hostel hosted activities every night - and we met many friendly guests. There was a free sauna, too. The bathrooms and shared areas were very clean and I didn't have to worry about looking my best after a week here.

The staff and service people were all helpful and friendly.

A charming hostel in a great location. Great for singles, couples, friends and business if you’re the type to prefer a cheap, cozy, community oriented spot over a sterile expensive luxury hotel. At the edge of China Town and a short walk to the pier and situated alongside famous local businesses like Tony’s pizza, the Beatnik museum and City Lights bookstore. Wash your own dishes, make friends with your neighbors, use the public transit, and have a real human adventure in San Francisco!

What a vibe! What an excellent experience to stay here.

A great place to stay and a great location. Very close to Chinatown, Little Italy, and multiple bus lines as well as Muni Metro. The place is well maintained and clean. Free breakfast is a great plus. The only downsides are that some rooms can be cramped and the bathrooms sometimes have a weird smell (nothing unbearable though). I would totally stay here again- great value for the money!

This hostel was amazing! It had a great breakfast option to cook your own eggs and make oatmeal and coffee. It was very spacious and had a lot of cool events though not many people attended.

I spent 4 nights at this place last week and had a great time during my stay. The free breakfasts are good, the staff is very friendly, the place is clean, and I always found the bathrooms to be clean as well. The quality of your stay will largely depend on the people you share the room with, but overall, everyone is polite. I recommend bringing earplugs as the bars can be noisy on weekends. Additionally, the location is excellent, making it an ideal spot to explore SF without spending too much money. I would go back and highly recommend the place.

Awesome experience! We stayed 2 nights and had a great time. 5 stars all the way

I think it is quite a nice place for staying a few nights. It is right at the junction of Chinatown and Little italy, so many food options near by and many public attractions like Coit Tower, Filbert Steps, The Embarcadero at the walking distance. The nearest Subway station is Montgomery and Yellow and red Line form the San Franciso airport can be taken to reach here. The property offers free Breakfast every morning, which is relatively decent, considering it is free and yes bagels are part of breakfast. I loved the common area, equipped with cool collections, music instruments and games. Leaving luggage before and after the stay is possible. Sharing room with 7 other people may not sound charming but beds are comfortable and clean.

What a great decision to stay at Green Tortoise! I was in SF for 6 days as a solo traveler & this hostel was perfect in every sense! Free breakfast, great neighborhood, fun events, super cool common area & fantastic crowd. I forged some amazing friendships while staying here & I’d love to be back one day! Shoutout to Brad, Jonah, Seamus, Carrie, Joe & the other staff for a pleasant experience! Cheers!
-Rohan.

The platonic ideal of hostels; haven't seen another like this anywhere on this side of the Atlantic

Hostel is great value in a good neighborhood in SF. The building is relatively old and the rooms get the job done. Could be a little bit cleaner overall, but not much to complain about.

I am in love with the vibrant atmosphere of this legendary hostel! The Green Tortoise is centrally located in the lively North Beach neighborhood with a wide enough offering to fulfill every taste, from local bars, dance clubs and live music to cultural and art events and of course great food!
The staff is super friendly and helpful giving amazing recommendations and can help booking one of their many tour options plus cool events every night of the week!
The female dorm was very comfortable and clean, breakfast was plentiful and I also scored a free delicious dinner on Sunday!! Does it get any better?
The common area is huge with lots of comfortable seating, games and musical instruments, a big communal kitchen and they have a seperate work room if you need more peace and quiet to concentrate.
Thanks Green Tortoise for providing the setting so I could get to make the coolest friendships and unforgettable memories!
I can’t recomend enough for you to stay in the Green Tortoise if you are ready to immerse in a real San Franciscan experience!!

The place is perfect. Of all the hostels I’ve stayed this is by far the best. The room was clean and comfortable, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful, the breakfast was very good and the facilities facilitate for making new friends, do networking and finding activities in the city. They have a specific activity for each night, which is a great way to connect with people and get to know the city’s nightlife. There are arcade games in the common area. Everything we asked for was available and easy to get, even when we thought they probably wouldn’t have (phone charger, sunscreen, etc.). They have lists of recommended places by category (thrift shops, coffee shops, weed places, restaurants, etc.). The washing machine and dryer work perfectly, are easy to use and usually available. The location is good, very close to many places and to important bus stops, while being located in right outside the Chinese neighborhood. The doors were automated and you could access anything with your key.

Despite its proximity to a rather lively night club, this is by far the best hostel I've ever been to (and I've been to quite a few). The staff were all very welcoming and kind-hearted, they'll help you out with any questions/problems. The common room is fantastic and the kitchen is well equipped.

In conclusion this hostel is the bomb ???? ????

????! This place is well-maintained and with the exception of the psychedelic carpet, beautifully decorated. The owner is here regularly and cares about implementing feedback, so the standards of cleanliness and overall experience are high quality. They change cute signs on your door to let you know what social events take place that day. They throw special parties for holidays/big occasions. Clothing swap/sale + community dinner on Sundays (have never been, but hear it’s worthwhile). Decent vegetarian protein options at breakfast. Some of the receptionists have a stank attitude sometimes but Seamus is unproblematic 100% of the time. You might end up w difficult roommates or people clearly sick. Just advocate for yourself + unlike other hostels they’ll accommodate your request to switch.

I booked this hostel on Airbnb and I stayed at this hostel for about three weeks. I could give no star, but I’m giving one star since some of the staff there are nice. However, this hostel seriously needs to improve their cleanliness by firing and replacing the cleaning company they partner with. The “cleaners” that they have come everyday are just bad. They only replace the sheets, but never disinfect/spray the rooms. Let me repeat that I stayed here for three weeks. So within the whole three weeks that I was there, I NEVER EVER saw the cleaners once disinfect any bedroom. This is a serious health/hygiene issue. I told staff about this hygiene issue and they told me that they would speak to their manager. Nothing was done. In addition, the place gets really cold when it’s January/December. They don’t provide heaters or change the ac despite the conditions being insanely cold. I ended up getting really sick during my time here. I even had to purchase my own heater and sleep at other place since it was way too cold in my room. I can’t recommend this place.

Update (based on the business response): I really hope that the Green Tortoise can understand that I booked my stay via Airbnb. There’s plenty of folks that book out long stays via Airbnb. Regardless, this review would have been the same if it was shorter stay. This isn’t about an extension. Please take this review seriously and look at how your cleaners are cleaning the rooms****. I have never seen them spray or clean the bedroom. They just replace the sheets. I made a request for this to be looked into and it was entirely ignored. It’s important that you care about the health of your travelers.

Has pros and cons. Bagels and fixings are a simple but amazing breakfast. On another hand 4 person rooms are way too small. So much so the air gets pretty gross at night with 4 people breathing in the tiny room.

I’ve stayed at many hostels around the world but this was my first in San Francisco and it was great all around! Safe location, good for walking around Chinatown/North Beach as well as taking transit to other parts of the city. Extremely clean, super kind employees, huge kitchen, towels/linens and breakfast provided. Couldn’t ask for much more, definitely recommended! Thank you!

Very lovely stay, very nice vibes and fabulous location near chinatown & little italy.

Very nice vibes and location

1/ Prix :
Assez bon rapport qualité/prix à San Francisco où les hébergements sont assez chers !
Cela reste cher quand même car le prix de revient par personne et par nuit est de 31,2$ contre 28,3 $ dans l'autre auberge de SFO... La différence justifie peut etre l'emplacement.

2/ Situation :
Plus animé que Fisherman, Green tortoise est situé dans le quartier North Beach, sur la Broadway St, ou il y a sex shop & boites de nuits, mais aprés 2 pas, on se retrouve dans le vrai quartier italien, animé et bon enfant, avec ses pizzeria. L'hostel est également situé juste à coté du Chinatown, trés animé aussi en journée, et un peu moins le soir...

3/ Personnel :
Personnel super sympa, jeune et dynamique !! Nous avons demandé des tas de conseils, pour le bus par exemple, où la fille nous a meme donné gracieusement un pass transport valable pour une journée. Trés disponible !!

4/ Chambres & Sanitaires :
Chambres petites, vieillotes, mais avec lavabos (pratique pour la toilette). Elles comportent juste des lits, avec des grands casiers dessous.
Les sanitaires sont dans le couloir (5 WC/Douches par étage). Ils sont donc nombreux. Il s'agit de WC individuels avec une douche dans chaque.

5/ Propreté :
Assez propres, mais un peu vieux... Cependant, trés fonctionnel !!

6/ Services :
Petit Déjeuner offert dans la salle a manger principale : Jus orange, thé, café, chocolat chaud... et Bagels (avec confiture, sirop d'érable, beurre de cacahuète.... humm !! )...Et meme des Fruits !! Et tout ca A VOLONTE !!. . Tres Bien pour les gros mangeurs du début de journée !!
De plus, 3 soirs par semaine, il y a des Diners offerts, donc aussi trés pratique et economique !!
Laverie disponible (le détergent est à environ 50cents), téléphones à carte/pièces... Pas de parking gratuit, et le moins que l'on puisse dire, c'est que se garer dans le quartier relève de...LA GALERE !! pas de places dispo, à par des parkings payants, à environ 7$ la journée.
Un sauna est disponible dans l'hostel, vous avez juste a demander les clés à l'accueil, et il a vous pour 1h !! Trés sympa, meme quand il fait 27°C dehors...

7/ Sécurité :
Pas de soucis niveau sécurité. Le quartier est assez sécuritaire malgré les sex shops et Nightclubs. On y trouve pleins de touristes !! Sinon, dans l'auberge, les portes ferment à clés, et si vous ne laissez pas les fenetres grande ouvertes (elles donnent indirectement accès au couloir de l'auberge), il n'y a pas de raisons que l'on vous pique vos affaires !!

EVALUATION GLOBALE :
Trés bonne auberge, avec une super ambiance, détendue !! Par contre, ne vous attendez pas à du luxe, car le style de l'auberge est assez vieillot, trés peace & love, mais cela fait son charme et on s'y plait trés bien !! Le quartier est sympa, et proche de pleins de centres d'interets de la ville. De plus, elle propose vraiment pas mal de services. A retenir


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