Sunset Terrace - Hostel

I spent over a week here with my son in a private room. It felt safe and was conveniently close to attractions. The staff were helpful, the facilities were clean, and there were a couple of nice places to sit on the roof. The kitchen worked well for basic meals, and the price was very economical. The internet was excellent too.

The terrace stayed breezy all the time, which made it really comfortable. The staff were incredibly kind, even taking us out dancing and cooking arepas for us. I felt like I was part of a little community and didn’t want to leave. I’d recommend it to young travelers looking for a relaxed, local travel experience.

It’s cheap, and you get what you pay for. There’s a good mix of travelers, flexible check-in, and a place to leave your luggage if you arrive early. The hostel sits among Cartagena's busiest side streets, so expect transit horns day and night and the smell of burning tires and trash on the way to the bus station. The rooms can be lukewarm or sauna-hot depending on the sun, though the fans work. At night, the stadium lights from the intersection by the Castillo give the area a postmodern feel. Most toilets have a shower head right above them for a quick rinse, or you can use the roomy 12- by 12-inch shower stall on the second floor.

For a private room, 30k is cheap, or 40k after the extra charge. There’s no AC, just a low-speed fan, and you can shower while sitting on the toilet seat 🤣🤣🤣. There’s no social scene. It feels more like renting a room in someone’s house in a ghetto, in a rough, noisy area. The entrance is hard to find. I wanted to book directly, but they told me I had to reserve online and then charged me the Hostel world price, which was annoying. They let me check into one room early, which I thought was nice, but later said I had to pay another 10k for cleaning. Basically, the boy didn’t tell me that. He said it would be fine since the cleaner comes to clean everything anyway. You get what you pay for.