The Journey Hostel

- Apparently the best hostel in the world according to tiktokers. - we had booked 1 bed in an 8 bed dorm and 2 beds in a 10 bed dorm (we couldn’t get 3 beds together). - When we arrived, we hoped they would be able to accommodate us by putting us all in the same dorm however they said they were fully booked and we were the last ones to check in (this was at 1:30pm & check in officially began at 2pm. - The girl on reception proceeded to tell me that we had 1 bed in an 8 bed dorm and at the other side of the premises (5min walk) the two other beds were in a 13 bed dorm. When I explained that we booked at 10 bed dorm she said they don’t exist and booking.com wouldn’t let them change them to 12 bed dorms but it’s in the fine print. (I checked, it isn’t in the fine print). - The girl at reception told me I could speak to a manager so I did, her name was Geraldine and she couldn’t help either or didn’t have a valid answer as to why they are false advertising. - This hostel is completely hyped up on social media and I couldn’t disagree more. Even when we were in the 12 bed dorm, one of us was upstairs in the tree house and the other person was downstairs. - We stayed at the pool in the hostel all day and sat numerous other backpackers checking in, both in groups and solo travelers, so they lied to us at reception. - The hostel itself was extremely dirty, rubbish everywhere on the grounds and in the dorms. Bathrooms in dorms were filthy - looked like they hadn’t been cleaned. - We had our dinner in the hostel and then were told that if you bought a drink between 8:30pm and 9:30pm that you would be in with a chance of winning a night in two of the private rooms. Yet we were told the hostel was full? - Check out was long and stressful. - Nothing positive to say about the place except the other backpackers that were staying there were lovely.

- A Terrifying and Unacceptable Experience - Warning! I would never recommend this hostel to anyone. We booked two nights, but an hour after we checked in, the power went out. After an hour, the power returned, but the staff chose to turn off the air conditioning in our room, making it unbearably hot. We received no information from the staff about what was happening. The worst part was the next morning when we woke up to 50°C heat inside the room and decided to open the window. Shortly after, we heard people running around, and when we looked outside, we saw that there was a fire on the other side of the hostel. No staff came to warn us or tell us to evacuate. If we hadn’t opened the balcony door, we might have been trapped in the flames. We quickly packed our things and ran down to the street. No fire trucks or police ever arrived. Instead, the villagers gathered with fire extinguishers borrowed from each other to put out the fire. The Wi-Fi was also turned off, so we couldn’t contact our family or anyone else to inform them that our hostel was burning. Our room was also dirty, with filthy towels and bed linen. The bathroom was unhygienic as well. We chose to move to another hotel, which was the best decision we made to avoid the nightmare we experienced here. In short, I cannot recommend this hostel to anyone.

- The room was outdoors therefore lots of insects. My wife had an allergic reaction to something in the room we therefore had to leave. The hostel refused to give a refund (even partial) and the staff did not care. We ended up leaving the hostel and stayed opposite who were super accommodating! Disappointed in our treatment, we’ve never left an accommodation before…

+ I liked the location, the view. It's pretty good

- The cleanliness of the rooms, they were extremely dirty. Extremely smelly rooms where I slept with my nose under my shirt, the dorms are poorly put, I couldn't even sit properly on my bed without hitting the wall.

+ Nada.

- Hostal demasiado desorganizado, reserve una habitación privada y era un desastre, ni siquiera te hacen entrega de la habitación tienes que ir preguntando, además apenas llegas en la entrada hay olores horribles, la verdad que NO VALE LA PENA.

+ Nothing

- Everything.

+ Landscapes, views, facilities, common areas

- To other travellers - BE AWARE: We are victims of identity theft through our stay at the Journey Hostel. The management at Journey Hostel have shared our passport details, and as a consequence we have been bullied/harassed online (LinkedIn). Just after we left the hostel we received an email from a random person demanding to transfer money which supposedly my husband and I had stole. Within this email, was also OUR PASSPORT photos attached. We found this enfuriating and immediately reported it to the hostel assuming it is a scam, but most importantly we were shocked that hostel has shared our contact details and copies of our passports. The hostel further assured us that we have been filmed on CCTV opening a bag that does not belong to us and stealing the money. We asked for this CCTV evidence, and it has never been provided. It is now 2 months since the event. Which is very upsetting as we have nothing to do with this theft. In parallel, this person found both of us on LinkedIn and bullied us there requesting for the money through public posts and contacting our work. One can only wonder what more damage can be done to us with our personal details being shared online illegally... This left us wondering why the hostel would wrongfully accuse and compromise on their guests personal data. It seems like we were victims of a situation that the hostel have contributed to, and does not have tools nor idea of how to manage. We would like to warn other travellers should they choose to stay at Journey Hostel. It would have been enough to apologise for wrong doing, but this never happen. Journey hostel, thanks for making our travelling exprience in Colombia the worst we ever had!

+ Mitten in der Natur.

- Relativ teuer.

+ Nice spot, near tayrona entry (15min walk). Wifi is good...when it works.

- Music too loud during the day. It's a shame they just dont turn it down a little. (So people can talk) Sounds from the road at night if you are in the "open" shred bedrooms. Not that much animation during the day and evening. "Volonteers" are not very invested. Improvements: A nice add-on for the hostel could be some soap in the shower. And a shower near/at the pool before people jump in it. Family dinner portions could be a little bigger for 35k.

+ La vista a la montaña especialmente en el atardecer y la actitud de los colaboradores. Son atentos.

- La subida a pie es incómoda y las habitaciones compartidas son muy ruidosas. Los casilleros son muy pequeños y las puertas no tienen seguro. Las duchas regulares y el desayuno es muy básico. Debes pagar adicionales.

+ Fue precioso quedarse aquí. El ambiente en el hostel era muy bueno. Las comidas estaban muy ricas todas.

+ We enjoyed the location, close to the entrance of Tayrona Park. The views from the hostel over the valley are great! The infinity pool is smaller than anticipated but has amazing views. The private room was small but comfortable bed and nice to have AC in the heat! The inclusive breakfast was nice (avo / eggs on toast etc) and the lunch/ dinner menu was also good and generally varied. The hostel has a tour desk which is handy and there is also a laundry service.

- Generally thought it was overpriced. The private rooms (not bungalows) are in the main building opposite the kitchen so it’s noisy from 6am - light sleepers bring earplugs! The music in the evenings can also be quite loud until late (but perhaps not an issue if you’re not staying in the main building). Not a reflection of all staff, but some could have been friendlier.

+ La vista es privilegiada y la piscina muy bonita. El desayuno es rico y la cocina del restaurante muy buena!

- La cama era incómoda, llega mucha gente de fuera porque el hostel acepta estancias de un día solo pagando consumo. Si vas de solo viaje es perfecto, si vas en pareja o familia no es lo ideal, no es del todo tranquilo. El baño de la cabaña estaba en mal estado.