The Purple House International Backpackers' Hostel

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are open but our availability is limited in October so we ask that you reserve directly with us at the hostel so we can avoid double bookings. Thanks so much!!

Welcome to The Purple House International Backpackers' Hostel, the ORIGINAL authentic travelers hostel located in the second largest city in Panama, David City. We are very proud to be celebrating our 7th year of successful operation and to have welcomed over 15,000 satisfied international travelers over that period of time!

The Purple House is a fun hostel and a great place to meet other travelers. It's homey, with a friendly staff, and it's very clean and comfortable because it is owned by experienced travelers who know what other travelers are looking for! Our theme is purple, and most guests are surprised to see just how many things we have managed to find in the color PURPLE!


We offer :

Shared (dorms with 4 or 6 beds)
Private rooms with and without private bath and air-conditioning and TV. (Make sure that you check our web page for details on which rooms have which services, so you know which room to reserve!
Free internet access including free wireless access
Free coffee and tea all day,
Free use of our fully equipped kitchen,
Free use of our living room with cable TV, stereo, DVD,
Free book exchange for our guests,
Free reference guide books,
24 Hour Check-in/Security, No Curfew
Outside area for smokers, hammocks,
Cheap laundry service,
Cheap international phone-calls,
International travelers atmosphere.
Discounts on local airlines (Aeroperlas and AirPanama) plus other services like buses and tours
Eco-friendly and socially and community conscious atmosphere.
We love PURPLE and we are proud of it!

(For the month of October 2009, you should contact us directly at the hostel to make your reservation. Thanks!)

David City is a convenient stopping point on your way to Costa Rica, or Bocas del Toro. You can easily make day trips to Boquete and Cerro Punta. It also tends to be less rainy in David City, than in other parts of the country, so with more dependability you can plan your city jaunts, shopping and sun intake in our glorious backyard and shower garden!!

Here are some additional reviews from a few of the many satisfied clients that have stayed at The Purple House Hostel recently. These are from July/August 2009.

'Just wanted to thank you so much for a great stay. I was almost planning to skip over David City and move on to somewhere else, but your nice hostel kept me there for three days!' Liora from Israel.

'Your hostel is one the cleanest and well maintained places that we have stayed in during our travels in Central America. The high quality of service that you offer for the cheap price is truly quite impressive.' Julie from U.S.A.

'My father wanted to stay in a hotel, but I wanted to meet other young travelers. It worked out perfectly that he could get his own private room with private bath, and I could hang out in the dorms with other travelers.' Kevin from U.S.A.

'You and your staff were very friendly and helpful.' Sabine from Switzerland

'It was a nice party hostel but still we appreciated that we could get a good night sleep for our early hike the next morning.' Jeroen and Erik from Holland

Sometimes the reservations systems show us as full, or taxi drivers or other people will tell you we are closed or full, when in fact, we have plenty of space available. If you have a problem reserving for the same day or the next day through Hostelworld.com please email or call us directly to find out if we have space available.

When you reserve through this service, your room will be held until 6:00pm on the arrival date, unless you contact us directly at the hostel to give us more detailed credit card information.
This information is current as of September 5, 2009

Directions

How to get to THE PURPLE HOUSE...

The Purple House neighborhood of San Mateo, David was selected especially with the international traveler in mind, because we have many 24 hour stores, restaurants, nightlife and services and the area is considered to be extremely safe.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are arriving to David City from the Paso Canoas border of Costa Rica or Cerro Punta or Volcan, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE BUS ALL THE WAY TO THE BUS TERMINAL! You can ask your bus driver to let you off about 3 blocks from The Purple House (La Casa Morada), and that way, you save taxi money! This is what to do: Ask the bus driver to let you off in front of the bus stop 'Universidad Tecnologica'. You will be in front of a gas station. Pivot your body around and look for the Budget Rental Car Office, and walk toward it and continue on this same street (Avenida Sexta) for 3 blocks toward the Chamber of Commerce. It is a five minute walk.

If you somehow end up at the bus terminal anyway, follow the instructions below!______________________________________________________________

IF YOU HAVE ARRIVED IN THE BUS TERMINAL OF DAVID CITY (Bocas del Toro, Panama City, Boquete, Las Lajas and others), Take any bus (30 cents) that passes in front of McDonalds (there is only one here) When you pass McDonalds tell the bus driver to stop at the Supermercado 99. Get off here, and continue walking straight ahead of you 1 block to the Budget Rental Car office. At the Budget office, make a right and walk 3 blocks til you see the pretty purple house on the corner.

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TAXI OPTION (As of June 1, 2008, the prices for all the taxis and buses have gone up due to increases in gas prices, so make sure you agree on a price.)

You can splurge $2.00 (for up to 4 people) and take a taxi to The Purple House International Backpackers' Hostel. ($1.50 for 1 person)

This is what you can say to your taxi-driver (if he doesn't understand The Purple House):

'La Casa Morada, ubicado en la via rapida en San Mateo, atras de la Camar

Facilities

Breakfast Included, Restaurant, Car Parking Available, Internet Access, Linen Included, Telephone/Fax Facilities, Travel Desk/Travel Info, Common Room, Air Conditioning, Meeting Facilities