Best hostel in Puerto Rico - with rooftop patio overlooking Caribbean Sea.
You can see a complete video and pictures of the hostel, inside and out at the following link: http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=3488109&sk=3...
Moonlight Bay Hostel is ideally suited for meeting the needs of budget-conscious travelers desiring affordable lodging on their way to the popular offshore (offshore of Puerto Rico) islands of Culebra and Vieques.
It was apparent that the city of Fajardo did not have any low-cost lodging or lodging facilities that were within walking distance of the Culebra/Vieques ferry terminal that accommodates thousands of travelers per day. As such, travelers who wanted to take the ferry to Culebra or Vieques from Fajardo either had to stay in high-priced hotels or arrange expensive cab rides on the day of travel. Moonlight Bay Hostel was established to overcome these problems and provide quality, affordable lodging that is within walking distance of the Fajardo ferry terminal. Our guests stay with us in the evening, then walk right out our door in the morning and get on a ferry to enjoy the beautiful islands of Culebra and Vieques. Many of our guests stay with us on their way back from the islands too.
Beginnings and Improvements
The property in Fajardo was perfectly situated to be turned into a hostel to serve travelers going to Culebra and Vieques. The property was in excellent condition and is only a two minute walk from the ferry terminal in Fajardo. (It is strategically located right on the street – only a couple hundred feet from the entrance - that cars, taxis, publicos and shuttles take to get to the ferry terminal. So every car headed for the ferry sees our property and our signs. The property also backs up to the parking lot for the ferry. So everyone coming from the ferry to their parked car also sees our building and signs.) In 2012 the property was purchased and renovations and preparations for opening began.
From January 2013 until March 2013 improvements, renovations and upgrades were undertaken by a licensed contractor. Railings and a staircase were put in to turn the roof into a patio/terrace, virtually all of the plumbing in the building was upgraded. The property now has a completely self-contained water system with a pressure pump and 1200 gallons of reserve water. This allows us to operate without incident even if the city water supply were to be off-line for two or three days. On March 1, 2013, Moonlight Bay Hostel opened for business!
Moonlight Bay Hostel has received very high ratings from travelers from all over the world. Guests from nearly 40 countries representing every continent have stayed at Moonlight. Many guests have extended their stay because they enjoyed our facility so much. The highlight of the property is unquestionably the rooftop patio. The property is a few hundred feet from the ocean and the view from the roof is spectacular. On one side you can see the jungle, on the other the ocean and several islands. In the morning many of our guests sunbathe on the patio. In the evenings we cook hamburgers and hot dogs for our guests and spend many hours relishing the warm temperatures, listening to music, savoring the breeze that comes off the ocean and enjoying the company of travelers from all over the planet. If you read our reviews, many of them specifically reference the rooftop patio.
Owner has a financial services business in the USA that is expanding and needs to spend his time concentrating on that. The hostel property is in excellent condition.
Asking Price and Property Info
The asking price for the hostel, which includes the business, the property, the company van, and all improvements to the property, is $350,000.
The property is 3200 square feet and the rooftop patio is 1600 square feet for a total of 4,800 square feet plus the garage (2000 square feet).
We have 2 private rooms that hold 2 guests each, a 6 bed female dorm, a 6 bed mixed dorm and a 15 bed mixed dorm. So at maximum capacity we can accommodate 31 people. We have actually accommodated groups of over 40 in the past as we have lots of extra space in the TV room, lobby etc. We have even had guests sleep in hammocks or on the lounge chairs on the patio.
The property also has a TV room, a lounge, a kitchen, laundry room, part of the garage has been turned into a bar/indoor hangout area and of course the rooftop patio.
We have 2 live-in managers who live in their own room as well as 2 to 6 work exchangers that have their own quarters. There is also a kitchen for the staff.
You can see a complete video and pictures of the hostel, inside and out at the following link: http://www.visualtour.com/applets/flashviewer2/viewer.asp?t=3488109&sk=3...
Occupancy
There is a busy season and a slow season in Puerto Rico for tourism. The busy season begins after Thanksgiving weekend at the end of November and runs through August. So our slow months are September and October. The busiest month of the year is March, which correlates to spring break in America and Europe. That is by far our busiest month.
We get most of our reservations from walk-ins, hostelworld.com, booking.com and from our website at www.moonlightbayhostel.com
We don’t break out statistics by the number of guests, rather by revenue generated from sale of beds. In 2014 we have increased our revenue by over 35% from 2013. And so far in 2015, our revenue is 35% higher than in 2014. In 2014 we achieved profitability and expect to be profitable going forward.