RK Buckner Hostel

I was an employee here. Trust me, if you’re looking for a place to book in, this is not the place to be. There are lots of mice, drugs, not a healthy environment to live, the management is weak, the employees he hires are all addicts even though the owner she doesn’t care about all the guests. Even if you ask for a refund you will not get it. Please go somewhere else to book in. Go somewhere else where you can be safe and happy not Rk Buckner.

If you’re an out of city traveler looking for a place to relax for a great price I will recommend the R.K. Buckner hostels. Their staff is very friendly, the place is clean and spacious.
This past weekend we were just on a limousine ride from down town to Coronado. Although, this is not a usual occurrence it was nice to experience. The guests are very respectful of each other. Features include a kitchen, multiple toilets and showers, Public computer, free wi-​fi, a TV room. There are 2 locations for you to pick from. Come check it out. You’ll love it.

$ 20 for a spot in a 4 bed dorm in the middle of downtown area of San Diego. There is a thin mattress on top of a piece of wood, not the worst thing I’ve slept on. It was a cold night and it was quite drafty and chili, with a thin comforter. Luckily I brought another blanket, so I would recommend the same. The room smelled vaguely of cigarettes but that said I am sensitive. It’s a pretty big place, Im guessing they could fit 60 plus people in there. Wifi was decent. Kitchen is small, but adequate. Only one fridge for the whole place, people complained of food being stolen. no food is allowed in rooms.
Common room is a couch and 2 other seats and flat screen with a computer and desk. Rooms have their own sink, bathroom is shared with 3 –5 other rooms. Bathrooms were pretty clean. Overall ambience is definitely not warm in any sense. Feels run down, yet clean enough. Staff was ok to me, but also someone complained about their stuff being stolen and they were not helpful. The woman could’ve been cookoo, complaining about trivial items but the staff was less than concerned. Had trouble with the code to get back in at late night which was frustrating.
Luckily I’m a heavy sleeper with the cold, the loud rickety noise of someone climbing on and off the top bunk, being right next to the street where you could feel the rumble of trucks right outside your window, and streetlights shining through the thin white curtains.
You have to pay for parking between 8a-​6pm so be ready to set your alarm for that.
If you have standards you will probably not be too happy here. If you are looking for a deal and like the feel of a sleazy motel then this is up your alley. Bring blankets if its cold!

I’ll start by saying that despite booking a private room shortly after we received an email saying it wasn’t available. We were then placed into a 4 bed dorm and were reassured it would be girls only. Since we were in town for comic con we were charged $ 55 a night. This was completely overpriced for multiple reasons.
–Upon arriving they took hours to get our room ready. They assured us upon check in and payment (which was cash only) that yes we did have only girls. They kept our luggage in a pile in the office and 6 hours later (after keeping busy at the zoo) we discovered a man in our room. After a few arguments placing blame on me the problem was finally resolved.
— They tried to charge us more than our actual reservation.
— multiple people had lost reservations. Instead of taking responsibility and checking over emails before the busiest weekend of the summer and keeping records the staff was passive (almost every guests had sent an email the day of booking and the day before arriving to confirm for comic con).
— This place is an actual cesspool. It smells like urine, cat litter and weed. Nothing was clean, some people entered their rooms after waiting for check in time and ‘cleaning’ only to find no sheets. There were cockroaches and bugs. The room of (some) of the staff had a stench all the way down the hall. The hostel is unsanitary and unsafe and falling apart to be frank.
— The people working here are nice enough people but horrible employees. Despite flyers all over the hostel warning that ‘quiet hour’ is at 10pm, the young staff would play music, drink and yell into the early hours. Being politely asked caused no change in behavior and passive aggressiveness in the morning. Actual confrontation was responded to with aggression.
–The staff also ate guests food and breakfast was never provided.
–There was no one in the front office multiple times and they didn’t seem to be able to answer many questions about the city.
–A few staff members were pestering guests about having their SDCC badges to use while they napped or came back mid-​day to the hostel. Some of the staff made unwanted advances on female guests or harassed them.
— I only saw any sanitation once and it was vacuuming at 11pm.
— All the doors and windows are left open and unlocked.
— there is no a/​c
— the showers are tiny and have no water pressure. The temp is very difficult to get at a comfortable temperature.
— they’ll occasionally allow homeless people to stay in the hostel. This wasn’t as much of an issue as it was fully booked for comic con, but speaking to other guests that had stayed some days prior it does happen.
–Some rooms had people sleeping on the floor die to confusion and those guests were expected to still pay full price. This is also I am nearly positive illegal as it is a fire/​safety hazard.
— I know what to expect of a hostel. But there was no ‘community’ as with other hostels. It was basically the staff having the run of the place and expecting you not to voice concern or complain.
— The owner/​manager was never available for questions and did not provide a number to be reached.
For $ 55 a night per person I expected better. Not anything great but at least some cleanliness, relative quiet, and hospitality.
If you’re going for comic con and have no other options due to availability it’s a place to lay your head and within walking distance of the con center but otherwise spend the extra money and stay elsewhere or even couchsurf. You’re less likely to catch disease or be harassed to be honest.
I wish I could give this place zero stars.

Checked in and had to hit the ATM as they don’t take cards. Came back after hours and had to pay the next day, and the staff member I dealt with didn’t seem to be very friendly. He wanted to charge me a late fee for not tracking them down to pay earlier, he insisted I’d have to change rooms, and kept claiming my reservation was shorter than it was. I didn’t get a good vibe from this place so I just told him I’d leave early and go stay at a friend’s house. Bummer, as I had high hopes for this place.

Horrible horrible place. The guy at the reception is pretty creepy and informal. Ok, the place is cheap but you at least expect to have sheets on the bed! We checked in, we came back to sleep at night and we couldnt even find bed sheets under the cover. Go stay somewhere else. It smells disgusting at the lobby as well. I am a traveller and this is the worst place I have ever stayed.

This is a pretty bad hostel. Not bad for a place to lay your head but the people are creepy and the area is sketchy. I would skip this one, there’s plenty better ones in the area.

I just spent 3 nights at the RK Buckner Hostel. The private room (which is a tiny room with a twin bed and a sink) was only $ 35 a night which I thought was too good to be true.
Pros:
It only takes one bus to/​from the airport… and a 2 block walk. $ 2.50 per ride or a $ 7 all day pass. It was $ 14.50 for a taxi this morning because the bus didn’t run that early.
It is walking distance to Gaslamp District and not too far from Seaport Village.
It’s very easy to take the public bus to almost anywhere in town from the location of the hostel. I went to Old Town, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, and La Jolla all on the bus or trolly.
Cons:
The area of town is a bit sketchy and on Saturday night there was tons of noise, police sirens and drama from the people on the street which didn’t stop until sometime around 3 am. Unfortunately my alarm went off at 4:15 am to catch a plane. My bed was right by the window on the street level and it didn’t feel very safe. I did end up walking back to the hostel after dark a few times and didn’t feel all that comfortable with it (as a single woman), but thankfully I didn’t get harassed.
I have stayed in hostels all over Africa and a few in the states. One of the things I really like about hostels is the community that’s available for travelers around the world. This hostel does not offer that community. There’s no activities, there’s no bulletin board with things to do in town or deals or suggestions on where to eat near by. They didn’t even know which taxi service I should call to get to the airport! You’re really on your own. Thank goodness for smart phones.

The area is a little sketchy, but that‘s not that hostel‘s fault, and I don‘t think that it‘s fair that people judge based on that. You‘re paying $ 20, it‘s not gonna be that great. If you want something better, go pay more somewhere else.
Anyway, while I‘ve stayed at a number of hostels around the world, this was my first time staying at one in the US. I‘m from the Bay Area, and have always stayed with friends when I come down to SD, but due to various reasons, I stayed at a hostel this time. When I had talked to a guy on the phone about parking, he was a little rude, and I was regretting booking the hostel online, but once I got there, everyone was super friendly.
There were only two bunk beds in the room, which means there would be 3 other people there — max. Pretty good, in my opinion. There‘s a TV, a closet, and a mini-​fridge. There‘s also a sink that you can use, which is convenient, because the bathrooms are communal, and people could be showering when you just wanna brush your teeth. But the bathroom’s were actually pretty nice. It was large and clean! There‘s a ledge next to the shower where you can put your stuff on. I didn‘t use the kitchen, and didn‘t bother trying to get breakfast there, because free hostel breakfasts are rarely good.
My only real discomfort there was how stuffy the rooms are. I went when it was about 90 degrees in SD, so I understand, but the fans didn‘t really help and the windows didn‘t seem to open. Aside from that, it‘s not bad for the price.

Worst.
Breakfast is awful (and it makes NO sense as there is a super cheap grocery store 2 blocks away with alot of awesome cheap options.)
I slid on the bathroom and seriously hurt myself.
Really unfriendly people.
Dirty. Gross. I felt unclean. I wish i slept in my car. Super noisy (hard to sleep)
I am making a grossed out face just thinking about this place.

Do not stay here I booked 7 nights 2 beds. Stayed 2 days they refused to give my money back for the remaining days even though they had no sign or statement saying there would be no refund when I booked. They only take cash for that reason. There were boogers on the shower walls. The kitchen was disgusting. The staff was clueless on legal matters. The beds were sheet-​covered metal bars. Just sad even for a hostel.

This place is NOT a hotel at all!
First off, me and my friends went there and talked to someone by the name of James. Awful at his job I have to add. He forgot that comic con was going on (which we were attending) and instead of paying the 25 he told us in an email, we had to pay 90 dollars instead which he told us last minute. Because we couldn’t get another hotel, we had to stay. As we checked out, they tell us AGAIN! That we owe them money for some kind of tax that the city of San Diego has for if there is a room with more than 2 beds, we have to pay 25 dollars a person that’s staying in that room. I’ve never heard of such a thing, and I don’t see any law online either. We argued and told them we won’t pay it and they waived it, but seriously, that is really stupid!
Now for the rooms. They are awful bunk beds that have no AC, the windows are broken, and no shower in the rooms at all. It’s not even a real bathroom because the sink has no pressure. And for 90 dollars a night, it’s such a rip off! The showers are located in the hallway, and don’t work properly at all.
The staff is new, don’t have any information on anything, and charge you ridiculous prices AFTER you go down and talk to them. Save yourself time and don’t go to this establishment. I wish Unilocal gave negative stars cause I could give them –5

THIS IS A NEGLIGENTLY-​RUN HALFWAY HOUSE AND NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY! I unfortunately live close to this place and it’s absolutely appalling… take a look inside one of the windows (which are usually wide open). There are frequent visits by homeless, schizophrenics and other sketchy people (who constantly argue or scream into the windows at all hours of the night) and many neighbors have even witnessed drug deals going on from this establishment.
I have total respect for halfway houses that are in good condition and are trying to help people get back on their feet, but that is NOT what this place is. HORRIBLE…