Buritaca · Colombia
Viajero Tayrona Hostel & Ecohabs
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Alejandra, the volunteer at reception, was lovely! Luis at the restaurant also. Pool was lovely and restaurant food was good. More of a resort vibe, we didn’t find it super sociable but that was fine. Unfortunately there were bed bugs present in our dorm. We told reception who gave us a small discount but we were told we couldn’t move to another dorm so we had to pay for a private room upgrade. There were a lot of insects but that is part of being in the area! Bring repellent!!!
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Possible Booking.com
No es lindo para hacer playa, ya que es muy movido y con muchos troncos. La limpieza de los cuartos tendría que mejorar. Las sábanas estaban contaminadas de chinches de cama, las cuales nos llenaron de picaduras. Los rincones tenían arena y bichos
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Confirmed Google Maps
Beware of bed bugs! After our first night here, I woke up with a severely bed bug-bitten back. We went straight to reception to change rooms and to request a wash and disinfection of our clothes, but this was more difficult than it seemed. It took 4 hours for them to allow us a free wash. The lack of concern and general unprofessionalism from staff was astounding. We were told this is the first report of bed bugs they have had, but after eventually speaking to the manager of the hotel, he told us they had just fumigated the room 2 weeks ago! Some volunteers then told us how there has been a report of bed bug bites this last week from one dorm specifically, Anguila 2. That morning we also asked to cancel the remainder of our stay with a refund for the next night, to which we were told no. In the late afternoon, we were told to not tell anyone about the bites (hard to hide this evidence..), and that a refund would be possible for the next night. This felt unsympathetic and rather an attempt to get rid of me and my back from walking around the hostel! The management seems to have their priorities mixed up, whereby the hostel and its financial performance seem to come before the health of the guests. Thank you to Jessica and the housekeeping staff specifically - for their understanding of the gravity of the situation that other senior members of staff just could not grasp. In the end we were offered the wash for free and our remainder of stay refunded, no reimbursement more.
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Confirmed Booking.com
Beware of bed bugs! After our first night here, I woke up with a bed bug-bitten back, picture attached. We went straight to reception to change rooms and to request a wash and disinfection of our clothes, but this was more difficult than it seemed. It took 4 hours for them to allow us a free wash. The lack of concern and general unprofessionalism from staff was astounding. We were told this is the first report of bed bugs they have had, but after eventually speaking to the manager of the hotel, he told us they had just fumigated the room 2 weeks ago! Some volunteers then told us how there has been a report of bed bug bites this last week from one dorm specifically, Anguila 2. That morning we also asked to cancel the remainder of our stay with a refund for the next night, to which we were told no. In the late afternoon, we were told to not tell anyone about the bites (hard to hide this evidence..), and that a refund would be possible for the next night. This felt unsympathetic and rather an attempt to get rid of me and my back from walking around the hostel! The management seems to have their priorities mixed up, whereby the hostel and it’s financial performance seem to come before the health of the guests. Thank you to Jessica and the housekeeping staff specifically - for their understanding of the gravity of the situation that other senior members of staff just could not grasp. In the end the furthest the offer we could achieve was the wash for free and our remainder of stay refunded, no reimbursement more.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Beautiful location but would look elsewhere for a beach hostel. Bathroom dirty and possible bed bugs on lower bunks. Music blasting til at least 1am EVERY night- which blares into the rooms because there are no windows. Did not get a good nights rest any of my days here. Staff is friendly. But overall this place is catered towards large groups coming to stay and paying their bar. Not social unless you are in one of these groups (most unfriendly people I’ve met in 1 year of travel). Activities/tours were overpriced and disappointed in lack of communication
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Confirmed Google Maps
i had a very disappointing stay at viajero tayrona. we stayed in viajero before, in salento, in horrible dorms so we expected our stay in this viajero would be better. the hostel is very pretty on the outside, very green, big hotel, great bar. the dorms were very modern and we loved the shower in the dorms as well, although it was only cold water shower. But besides that, the hotel is a catfish. - the pool was dirty, lots of bugs and muggy water. -My bed in the dorms had bed bugs and my legs are full of bites. and they didn’t accept to give me a refund on this instance. very unprofessional the parties had horrible sound system that stopped every 5 minutes, we couldn’t even get through one song with out technical difficulties. in addition, the manager shut down all of the parties earlier than agreed upon and all of the customers were upset. there are no neighboring hostels or restaurants so the only food we ate was in the viajero hostel. there was a large variety of food to eat, but nothing tasted good. it took over half an hour to get our food every time we ordered. sometimes it even took over an hour, and our food would come cold. overall, we didn’t enjoy our stay in viajero tayrona. mostly because of the bed bugs, food, and general unprofessionalism. the surf school Olala is great, the waves are hard to surf on but the instructors are very nice and helpful. they also have great coffee.
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Vibe Analysis
Viajero Tayrona is less small backpacker hideout, more beach-resort compound with hostel energy: big green grounds, pool, hammocks, beach access, cabanas, restaurant and bar, and a lot of day-to-night activity. The best version of it is a short, pretty beach reset near the Buritaca/Tayrona coast: volleyball, ping-pong, yoga, surf-school moments, pool hangs, and party nights when the crowd is actually into it. Socially, it is an odd format. Some stays land well: cool travelers, friendly bar/restaurant staff, activities that get people moving, and an easy pool-and-beach rhythm. Others feel too big and spread out to make solo socializing natural, more resort than classic hostel, with couples and groups doing their own thing. If you want a small communal table where everyone becomes best friends by dinner, this may miss. If you want a scenic party-tolerant base where you can opt into activities and drift around the compound, it makes more sense. Book it with eyes open. The music is not background ambience; it can dominate the pool, beach, dorms, and even some private rooms late into the night. The location is remote enough that the restaurant, bar, taxis, and weak Wi-Fi shape the whole stay. Bring repellent, offline plans, patience for slow service, and do not choose it as a quiet work-and-sleep base.
Signals to check
- Noise is central, not incidental: loud pool/bar music can carry into dorms and private rooms until midnight, 2 AM, or later on party nights.
- This is a remote, captive setup: there is no guest kitchen, few easy food options nearby, and restaurant prices/service can make the isolation feel expensive.
- Mosquitoes and jungle-room bugs are a real practical issue, especially without bed nets in dorms/cabanas.
- Wi-Fi is weak and the coworking promise is unreliable, so this is a bad bet for calls or remote work.
- Food needs caution: the hostel is remote, the restaurant is often the main option, and recent stomach-sickness incidents are part of the risk pattern.
- Service and problem resolution are inconsistent, especially around reception, check-in, billing, refunds, and room issues.
- Keep valuables locked and check room access; isolated but serious theft and unsecured-room incidents are part of the risk profile.