Green Tortoise Hostel - San Francisco

The Green Tortoise Hostel is one of the most popular in San Francisco, with an extremely social atmosphere and lots of amenities geared toward budget travelers. Green Tortoise originally started out as an adventure tours company in the '70s, with customized sleeper coaches. In keeping with the company's roots, there's a tour office in the hostel today. The main building itself is over 100 years old and features a brown and green facade with classic siding and bay windows (the hostel's private rooms are located in an annex building). Inside, the hostel maintains some old-school decor like painted or wood wainscoting, beautiful wood door trim, and chandelier lighting. There's no doubt that this is a hostel though -- in some rooms, the carpeting is bright and somewhat garish, and lots of items throughout are worn or could use a paint job, but it somehow feels like it's all part of the charm. The "dining room" is located in the old ballroom and features a beautiful wood ceiling and a huge windows with stained glass detailing. Known as a social/party hostel, the property is particularly lively on weekends with live in-house music, beer pong tournaments, and other events, making this spot particularly popular among backpackers and "flashpackers" in their 20s and 30s. 

The Green Tortoise Hostel is located in central San Francisco's North Beach area, within about 10 minutes' walking distance of Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Financial District, and just a two-minute walk from the famed City Lights Bookstore. Guests can get to the waterfront in just eight minutes on foot, with a 15-minute walk to Pier 39, which hosts ships going to Alcatraz. The popular Lombard Street is about a 15-minute walk from the hostel, as is the nearest BART station, Embarcadero. Several restaurants, bars, and grocery stores are also within walking distance. There's no parking on-site, but discounted parking is available at a nearby lot. The San Francisco International Airport is a 25-minute drive, when there's no traffic. And the hostel can help guests book an airport shuttle.

The Green Tortoise has private rooms for two to three people and dorms for four to nine people, with a female-only option. Rooms are simple but functional and clean for a hostel, with floral wall-to-wall carpeting, white walls, wooden bunk beds outfitted in colorful sheets, and coordinating curtains. Guests find the beds comfortable. Rooms all have sinks and some have nice bay windows with window seats. Some private rooms are located in a nearby annex about a block away. Bunk beds have attached lockers, but guests must bring their own locks or purchase one from the hostel. Wi-Fi is free, but there have been some complaints that the signal is weak or won't work in rooms. The hostel can be noisy, particularly on the weekend, though rooms higher up will get less noise and the hostel sells earplugs. Note that there is no air-conditioning and the hostel has no elevators.Neither private nor dorm rooms include en-suite bathrooms. Rather, each floor of the hostel has five individual bathrooms each of which includes a sink, mirror, toilet, and wet-room style shower with soap dispensers. Guests must bring their own towels or can rent them for a nominal fee. Guests can also rent hairdryers, Skype headphones, alarm clocks, and power adaptors for a small deposit. 

The Green Tortoise takes pride in its plethora of common areas and activities that encourage social interaction with fellow travelers. The dining room is in a fun converted ballroom that features hangout areas including a reading nook, foosball table, pool table, and a stage with instruments. An Internet lounge offers spaces for guests to use their own computers or make use of one of the hotel's workstations, though printing costs an extra fee. Wi-Fi is free, but there have been complaints about connectivity issues, particularly in the rooms. The hostel has a small sauna, a bike storage area, and a laundry room with coin-operated washers and dryers. Laundry soap is also available for purchase. The hostel has free daily breakfasts, which includes simple standards like bagels, oatmeal, and eggs, though guests must prepare the eggs themselves. Coffee and tea are also free. The hostel serves free dinners Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and guests are welcome to use the hostel's commercial-style kitchen, which is stocked with cooking pots and utensils and has refrigerators available. Known as a social/party hostel, the property is particularly lively on the weekends with live in-house music, beer pong tournaments, and other events. The hostel also organizes bar crawls, dinners at neighborhood restaurants, and other local social activities. Green Tortoise originally began as Green Tortoise Adventure Travel in 1974, offering customized sleeper buses, and they continue to offer coach tours, including out-of-state, city, and wine tours, as well as tours of Mexico and Central America. Guests can also book an airport shuttle. Guests of the hostel can book tours through the hostel's tour office.