Casa La Bella Samaria Hostel Boutique

The staff were very friendly, but my private room with a balcony was extremely bright, noisy, and hot. I had both fans running all night with the windows open, and still couldn’t get comfortable. I’d suggest looking at hotels or hostels a few streets nearer Santa Marta’s old town, which seemed safer at night.

The building is lovely inside, with plants all through the hostel and on the rooftop, and the staff were friendly. But the room I booked, a private one with a shared bathroom, only had a window facing into the hostel. It got unbearably hot at night, and the ventilator helped a little but was noisy. I don’t think that room should be rented to guests. I was also charged a “city tax” that I hadn’t paid at the other three places I stayed in Santa Marta, and it wasn’t shown to me on Booking. The rooftop looks beautiful, but has no shade at all. The pool water was green, which was a shame because the pool was the main reason I chose this hostel over another one, so I didn’t use it. Check-in took 15 minutes even though there were no other guests. The location is poor, and this area of Santa Marta is dangerous at night. If you’re alone, take a taxi. When I arrived in the evening, nobody was at reception, so I waited outside for five minutes in this dangerous area. That’s a no-go.

We got a cheaper room, and though it was small, it was nice and had a window. The bigger rooms I saw looked really pretty. There were some issues with the sheets, but they explained the water situation in Santa Marta very kindly, so I won’t complain. Thanks!

The rooftop could be nice, but it has no cover, so the sun makes it mostly unusable during the day. I didn’t like dealing with the staff, and guests can’t use the kitchen freezer because it’s locked. The pool or tub looked very unclean. Police told me this is a dangerous area. There are lots of better places for about the same price.