Gagaka Rua Hostel

The room wasn’t available until 3pm even though it was ready earlier. They said letting us in sooner would mean we used extra air-conditioning. Wow. Breakfast was very basic, just eggs on toast and some fruit. The room was dark and had no windows or hot water. The towels smelled awful, and the bed was very uncomfortable. The mattress felt moist and left us wet at night. The area also felt sketchy, with many homeless people around, and unsafe after dark. I wouldn’t recommend it.

The main receptionist was nice and helpful, and the two pools seemed well maintained. But the place has potential and still feels abandoned. The rooftop pool bar was closed, with only two sunbeds and a few chairs, so it was very quiet. Our double room had no windows and felt stuffy and humid. There was no hot shower, only cold water. The towels smelled so bad that we asked for replacements, but the new pair had the same smell. Maybe the lack of air was why, but we couldn’t use them to dry off. The mattress also seemed old or unaired and felt damp. It’s about five minutes from the centre, but the area didn’t feel safe to walk around at night.

The room was clean and comfortable, and the rooftop pool was a real plus in the heat. The team looking after Gagaka Ria's guests made my time in and around Santa Marta much easier. Special thanks to Caro, Dani and Sergio for being so helpful.

The room was spacious enough, and the staff were nice. I enjoyed this quiet hostel, with two pools that are handy for cooling off in Santa Marta’s heat. But at checkout they inspected my white towel for stains and charged me because it wasn’t still bright white after four days of use without being changed. That really ruined the stay. Seriously? They might as well not hand out towels.