Playa Bonita

The vibe was very quiet and relaxed, more like a luxury hostel or boutique hotel than a party spot. The staff were lovely, and the forest setting added to the charm, even though it meant a 15-minute walk to the main road. The location was excellent, and it was nice being outside Tayrona Park but only about a 25-minute bus ride from the entrance. The property’s sustainable design felt cozy, especially around the bar. Our hut was adorable and very clean, with plenty of room. Some details didn’t quite match the online photos, perhaps one or two lamps were missing, but it was still cute. The bed’s mosquito netting was very useful, since nature is all around you. The room was cleaned daily and we got fresh towels each day. You can ask them not to change towels daily to support sustainability, but in the humidity they don’t dry easily, so fresh ones were helpful. The outdoor cold showers were perfect for the 30-35°C temperatures in Tayrona, and hot water didn’t feel necessary. My only suggestion is to add more light in the outdoor bar area where people sit on pillows in the sand. Candles, solar lights charged during the day, or a few fairy lights could make it feel warmer and cozier. I can’t think of anything else I disliked about the property.

This place keeps things simple and lets the natural beauty around it speak for itself. If you want days on the beach, outdoor showers, and really tasty meals, you’ll like it here.

We booked this as a special Christmas stay and had high hopes, but it was deeply disappointing. On our last night I got severe food poisoning from shellfish and became extremely unwell. My partner has a pineapple allergy and told the staff, yet dishes with pineapple kept being served. Once, they simply removed it from her plate and brought the same plate back, triggering a reaction that needed strong medication and left her incapacitated for a whole day. There were also serious problems from the start. Our pre-booked airport shuttle didn’t show after a long journey, and we waited 30 minutes. The shower was just a pipe dribbling down the wall, and the water from it, the sink, and the toilet was brown. We thought it would be fixed quickly, but it stayed that way for the whole visit. Breakfast was poor for the price: two eggs and one small slice of bread. One morning we had to pour our own coffee and ask for juice, neither had been offered. The advertised room service wasn’t available when we tried to use it. Staff seemed like they didn’t want to be there, and were slow and forgetful. Management acknowledged our complaints only with droopy eyed apologies, without taking action. There were a few enjoyable moments, but the problems overshadowed everything. For the price and what we expected, our stay was a huge letdown. Avoid this place. It wasn’t worth even a tenth of what we paid, and the places nearby looked ten times better.

We booked a Superior Double Room for 5 nights with breakfast, but the room we got was an unacceptable triple room, nothing like the hotel website description. It was sparse, dirty, and outdated. There were no promised chairs, table, or hammock, and the mattresses were so hard and uncomfortable that it felt like sleeping on the floor. The bed was only 120 cm wide, far too small for two, so we had to sleep separately. I woke with severe back pain and could barely get out of bed. There was nowhere comfortable to sit or relax, and the whole stay left us stressed. Breakfast was a sad fried egg, a few pieces of fruit, and three thin flatbreads. For the price, it was disgraceful. After two nights, we checked out. Management showed no interest in resolving anything and offered no compensation. They refused even a partial refund because we hadn’t told them in advance we were leaving early. Who would expect this quality of service beforehand? The hotel didn’t meet basic standards or offer support. The actual experience was completely different from what was advertised, including on social media. It felt like a rip-off, and I strongly advise people to stay away. Never again.