Cartagena · Colombia
KIM
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Bedbugs, don’t stay here. Slick lobby, convenient location for Getsemani nightlife. But dorm was terrible - was in a 6 bed female dorm. I was bitten by bedbugs. Reception said that they’d check it out, but doubt it as they didn’t even ask what bed I was in. I’ve needed to seek medical help because of allergic reaction to bites, and delayed my trip to try to clean all my stuff. Also - the water from the tap/shower stopped working in the afternoon. Little natural light, like a grim jail. Avoid!
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Bed Bugs! Bed Bugs! Was in Cartagena for a month and at 4 different hostels, all far better than this one. It is in disrepair, the rooms are small, public bathrooms are not maintained (no toilet paper). The location is great with but unfortunetley it is not a comfortable or safe place to sleep. I alerted the staff that there were bed bugs and it took 3 days to get a reply and room change. Even then I was downgraded to a more compact room with more people. They ignored all communications.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Decent hostel. Not very clean and I got bed bugs on my second night in the hostel which is the only reason I wouldn’t come back. Nice staff though
HostelPunk native reviews
First-party field notes
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Vibe Analysis
KIM is a central Getsemani base for travelers who want Cartagena close and a rooftop within elevator range. The strongest pull is location: easy walking to the walled city, Getsemani, restaurants, bars, the castle, tour pickups, and the port. The rooftop, pool, and bar setup gets the best energy here, with city views, music, food, and space to hang around outside the room. This is more of a rooftop-forward hotel-hostel hybrid than a classic backpacker nest. It can work for a short stay, a group, or someone who wants a young party-leaning base and cares more about location than dorm ecology. Some staff are kind and helpful, and the AC can be a lifesaver when it is working. The room tradeoff is loud and real: many rooms are dark or windowless, humid, moldy-smelling, and weakly ventilated, with bathrooms that can flood or feel under-maintained. Rooftop music, hallway noise, street or club noise, metal bunks, and lockers can make sleep rough. Self-catering is also weak: no public kitchen, no easy fridge setup, and filtered or free drinking water can be hard to find.
Signals to check
- Many rooms can be humid, moldy-smelling, dark, or missing exterior windows.
- Noise can be heavy from the rooftop, halls, metal bunks, and nearby nightlife.
- Cleanliness and bathroom maintenance are inconsistent, with wet bathroom floors, dirty sheets, cockroach sightings, and broken shower or toilet issues.
- The rooftop and pool are the best draw, but availability, cleanliness, and service can be uneven.
- Check-in, payment, and extra charges can be frustrating or unclear.
- Classic hostel self-catering is limited: no public kitchen, no easy fridge setup, and filtered or free drinking water can be hard to find.