We noticed that you're using an unsupported browser. The Tripadvisor website may not display properly.We support the following browsers:
Windows: Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome. Mac: Safari.
Lowest prices for your stay
Hotel direct offer!Book through our website and save even more!!
Expedia.com
$263
Fully refundable before Fri, 8 Dec
No prepayment needed
Get rewarded with One Key
Hotels.com
Get rewarded with One Key
Booking.com
Orbitz.com
Vio.com
Agoda.com
View all 10 deals
Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
Traveller (131)
Room & Suite (64)
Videos (1)
Payments made by partners impact the order of prices displayed. Room types may vary.

About

#1 of 18 hostels in San Diego
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Lucky D’s is fun, comfortable, clean, and safe. It has an amazing atmosphere and a perfect location. Lucky D’s Downtown San Diego Hostel is steps away from the Gaslamp District, home to San Diego’s hottest nightlife, restaurants, bars, and shops. It’s close to all of the city’s attractions and the best beaches are a quick bus ride away. Lucky D’s staff are wonderful. They are knowledgeable, and helpful and will make sure you have a good time. San Diego is a fantastic city and Lucky D’s is in the middle of the action. There are fun things to do every day and night, and there are plenty of travelers staying with us, you never have to do anything alone if you don't want! You’ll have so many new friends by the time you say goodbye you won’t know what to do with them all.
Read more
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Property amenities
Paid public parking nearby
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Vending machine
Bicycle rental
Game room
Adults only
24-hour security
24-hour check-in
Street parking
Wifi
Bowling offsite
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Video game console
Baggage storage
Non-smoking hotel
Shared bathroom
Shared kitchen
Shared lounge / TV area
ATM on site
First aid kit
24-hour front desk
Clothes dryer
Self-serve laundry
Show more
Room features
Housekeeping
Oven
Stovetop
Electric kettle
Cable / satellite TV
Radio
iPod docking station
Walk-in shower
Kitchenware
Show more
Room types
City view
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Centrally Located
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Portuguese
Hotel links
Special Price:Book through our website and save even more!!
961Reviews7Q+A100Room tips

Reviews
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.

Traveller rating
  • 578
  • 223
  • 78
  • 40
  • 42
Traveller safety
Time of year
Traveller type
Language
  • More
Selected filters
  • Filter
  • English
Popular mentions
Sort by:
Most Recent
Tony wrote a review Oct 2023
Nashville, Tennessee1 contribution
I honestly wasn't having a bad time, I booked for one night initially, as I do most times I stay somewhere new, to see what the place is like, get the initial vibe, etc, and I make sure to mention when I check in that day or night that I would possibly be booking an additional night if I enjoyed the first one. Well, here comes the rub. Upon checking in, I mentioned the additional night possiblity, and the girl working said that would be fine, just let them know; which is what every other hostel I've ever stayed at has said, unless it was super busy, and they sold out before I could extend, of course. And that is always totally understandable. It happens. That is NOT what happened at Lucky D's. First problem with accommodations themselves, I booked my first night in the Hostelworld app, which, I will admit after checking today, does specify on a few of the room options that the rooms have A/C. But they DONT specify on the ones without, that they are NOT air conditioned. Maybe I'm crazy, but until California, I've never seen hostels in the USA without A/C and heat?? But anyway, I asked when checking in if I had booked with an A/C or not, but she kind of pretended not to hear the question, which I immediately realized meant...NO A/C. I mean, it was fine, it was a cool night anyway so I was straight, but why was I not asked," hey, if you would like to pay the extra, I could upgrade you to an A/C room? " upsell is the easiest money in the world, just saying. Next issue, beds were not very good. I mean, not the worst, by far, but my back is not in good shape anyway, and the beds didn't help at all. Next issue, and obviously the biggest; the following morning as soon as I woke up, which was well before check out, I went onto Lucky D's actual webpage and booked that night, even electing to choose the No A/C option to try to make their job a bit easier and maybe not have to even change my room or bed number. It said it was confirmed, and because I was just extending, which you may remember I mentioned to the clerk at my original check in the previous night, I went back to sleep, exhausted. I was woken up maybe an hour later and told I needed to come and check out immediately. I let the staff member know I had extended, and should be good, but I had no issue with coming to the front desk to let them figure it out. She then told me, well you didn't pay yet though...which I was not aware of. So I apologized for my lapse in the thinking and immediately got my shoes and ran down to pay, at which time I was told I was not allowed to stay and that my reservation was no good because I couldn't show them a plane ticket showing travel out of the area at that time. *Side note, San Diego is 20 minutes from the Mexico border, in case anyone wasn't aware of that fact.* I told them I would be going to Mexico the following day, taking the rail to San Ysidro and using the international pedestrian bridge, which apparently does not qualify as international travel, nor does not TENNESSEE Drivers License qualify as proof I don't live in San Diego or California, or even this side of the Mississippi River!! Also, I can't for the life of me understand why they would turn down someone wanting to extend a stay by 24 hours, nor do I understand why I was told the previous evening that extending was not a problem. And just as other reviews have said, some of the staff are great, others seem annoyed and very bothered by having to do their jobs, or even speak to guests. Also, bathrooms, not the cleanest, rooms only semi clean, no breakfast, no locks or I guess without buying them... not much about Lucky D's ended up being good. Go at your own peril, but know that there are plenty of other hostels close to same areas, for maybe 5-10 more dollars, and it's probably worth the slightly higher price to avoid this one. And to the owner...your staff members told me conflicting things, and then did their best to make me out to be the one in the wrong. That is NOT ok. I came as a traveler to stay a short time, one or two nights, which I specifically told your clerk at check in....and was told, if I wanted to extend to use the actual website, and it wouldn't be an issue. And after doing EXACTLY that, a different worker tells me when I come to the front desk that next Morning, that they don't allow locals to stay...I'm NOT a local, came here on a multi city and multi country trip, just came across an international border the same day i stayed the initial night, etc. I simply came back to San Diego to get to an early appt to meet with my physician, and I felt like I should go ahead and stay the next night as well to get cheaper tickets booked, but was unceremoniously told after trying to pay for my reservation that I made on the site, that I needed to strip my bed and leave, because I didn't have a plane ticket showing my next destination.....
Read more
Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: Avoid this place, or at least check the details and apparently ornly plane tickets count as poof...
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Dan H wrote a review Feb 2023
Paramount, California5 contributions1 helpful vote
Property's Favourite Review
What a cool place to stay and pretty much in the heart of downtown! We got away for the long weekend and everyone from the staff to the other people staying at the hostel were so kind and friendly ! Would certainly recommend and will stay again ! Rooms were clean and each floor provided its own coolness and vibe. Well done Lucky Ds :)
Read more
Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Share
Response from , General Manager at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 20 Feb 2023
Hey Dan, thanks so much for the great review and 5-bubble review!! It was a pleasure hosting you guys this weekend. We are so glad you enjoyed the eclectic decor and our amazing staff and guests in general, they are the best staff and guests in the world! We look forward to seeing you again the next time you get away to San Diego! Cheers!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rick wrote a review Oct 2023
7 contributions4 helpful votes
This is a good hostel. Breakfast was good. The trolley station was 2 blocks away, and there is a Grocery Outlet around the corner. Staff was friendly and helpful. The trolley is $6 a day for adults and $2.50 for Seniors. It includes the trolley and buses that go everywhere in San Diego County.
Read more
Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: A good hostel to stay at, and it's a good value
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Leslie C wrote a review Sept 2023
1 contribution
Honestly have never stayed in a hostel so I was a little nervous but it was not too bad. I saw staff cleaning almost everytime I was walking through, the shower was well kept I was well accomadated by staff.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Roisin B wrote a review Sept 2023
1 contribution
DO NOT STAY HERE. Disgusting room. We checked in and got into our room and seen a bug on the bed, ignored it and gave the place the benefit of the doubt. No more than 5mins later we noticed several bugs crawling over the bed in clusters. Disgusting. We checked out immediately and had to book somewhere else. Disgusting. Can’t imagine what bites we would have had if we had slept there. DO NOT STAY.
Read more
Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from , General Manager at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 23 Oct 2023
I am so sorry you had that experience. Unfortunately, that experience did not take place at our hostel. You never set foot on our property and when you tried to leave the same review on Booking.com, they removed it because it was a lie. I’m very sorry you lead a sad bitter life and I hope it gets better for you, so you stop running around America defaming business. Defamation is a crime in the US, FYI.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sofia C wrote a review Sept 2023
1 contribution1 helpful vote
The room was so dirty. The bed was so uncomfortable, the peel and the blenches were having a terrible smell. The bathroom and the shower were mixed and were so dirty . I asked for the towel for the shower, and I paid 1$ for the renting and the towel was dirty. The breakfast was the only thing’s good
Read more
Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: Don’t choose this hotel
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Share
Response from Michelle Aftimos, Owner at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 5 Sept 2023
Well Sofia, I am so terribly sorry you had to endure such conditions. It completely amazes me that you would subject yourself to 3 nights of such squalor and abject discomfort. You poor dear thing, it just breaks my heart. All that suffering, and not a single whimper or complaint during the entirety of your stay with us. You, ma'am, are a martyr. That you would willfully choose to stay in a room as dirty as you say it was, without a single complaint to anyone, or sleep in a bed so uncomfortable without even asking to change rooms once, and we would have gladly accommodated your request; that you would bath in such 3rd world conditions and be forced to dry off with a dirty towel that you paid for without so much as a single word in protest tells me so much about you. I just don't understand how it's even possible you would consider going into the kitchen, let alone eating anything the hostel provided after the filthy room, wretched smell, dirty bathrooms, and towels. Yet, you did, and you liked it no less. Absolutely fascinating...and so brave.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
roger m wrote a review Jul 2023
San Francisco, California4 contributions1 helpful vote
I stay at Lucky Ds every year during SD Comic Con. The staff are always friendly and helpful. The rooms are clean, the shared showers and toilets and also kept in good condition. The shared kitchen area is a highlight; excellent coffee and light breakfast. Wouldn't stay anywhere else!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from Michelle Aftimos, Owner at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 24 Aug 2023
Hey Roger, it was great having you again this year, and thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We are so happy to hear that you continue to enjoy your time with us and we look forward to seeing you again at next year's ComicCon! Cheers!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Douglas G wrote a review Jul 2023
4 contributions
Lucky D's is great! It's in a great location, the staff are wonderful, and they keep everything in great shape. It's a hostel with shared bath facilities, so keep that in mind, but the private rooms are a good size and the fridge is a nice touch! We've been staying here for 13+ years and have never been disappointed.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: There's no elevator, so get your legs ready!
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from , General Manager at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 25 Jul 2023
Douglas, thank you so much for your review but also for your continued patronage! It's reviews like this and guests like you that make us proud! We look forward to many more years of hosting you in the future!! Cheers!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bernie Eastwood wrote a review Jul 2023
Salzburg, Austria152 contributions86 helpful votes
Back again after so many years. Good value, friendly staff and clean. Everything is closeby and in walking distance. I missed the daily breakfast, it is only available on weekends. They offer a nice Programme everyday. I can highly recommend.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from , General Manager at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 19 Jul 2023
Hey Bernie, so glad to have you back and to hear to had another great stay with us! We look forward to seeing you again, next time. Cheers!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Pedro; wrote a review Jul 2023
Recife, PE1 contribution
Hi! My name is Peter Keays and I have been staying at Lucky D's since the beginning of June, on and off. This hostel is really into communal action and gets things done in terms of fresh sheets and super clean floors. There are spaces to do work and quiet moments to do what you need to get done, 24 hours. I really think the kitchen is great with lots of pans to cook and everything you need. Some of the wall hangings are cheerfully made by happy guests from the past and there's some collage tributes to artists like Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, etcetera. I would definitely stay here again. So easy to make friends! And that Balboa Park is something else!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: You need to wash and dry your plates here. Try to time the kitchen to get your cooking going at a...
See more room tips
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Share
Response from , General Manager at Lucky D's Hostel
Responded 19 Jul 2023
Hey Peter, I am so happy to hear you are having a great time at our hostel! Our staff work really hard to make sure all the cleaning gets done every day so it's great to see that reflected in guest appreciation! We look forward to seeing you again soon! Cheers!
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Previous
123456
PRICE RANGE
$144 - $164 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
lucky d`s hotel san diego
LOCATION
United StatesCaliforniaSan DiegoDowntown
NUMBER OF ROOMS
45
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

Claim Your Listing

LUCKY D'S HOSTEL - Reviews & Price Comparison (San Diego, CA) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Lucky D's Hostel
Which popular attractions are close to Lucky D's Hostel?
Nearby attractions include The Shout! House (0.3 km), Murder N’ Mayhem (0.3 km), and Gaslamp Quarter (0.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Lucky D's Hostel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, self serve laundry, and baggage storage.
Which room amenities are available at Lucky D's Hostel?
Top room amenities include an oven, a stovetop, and a walk-in shower.
Is parking available at Lucky D's Hostel?
Yes, paid public parking nearby and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Lucky D's Hostel?
Conveniently located restaurants include Provisional Kitchen, Cafe, and Mercantile, The Mission - East Village, and Hodad's Downtown.
Is Lucky D's Hostel located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.4 km away from the centre of San Diego.
Are any cleaning services offered at Lucky D's Hostel?
Yes, self serve laundry and a clothes dryer are offered to guests.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Lucky D's Hostel?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Are there any historical sites close to Lucky D's Hostel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Mormon Battalion Historic Site (5.8 km), Whaley House Museum (5.7 km), and Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House (0.4 km).
Does Lucky D's Hostel have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the city view available here.