Santa Lova Eco-hostel Isla Tintipan

A slice of paradise! Such friendly staff and so beautiful it is ridiculous. The food was delicious with big servings and I loved how eco friendly the place was they really care. The excursions offered were super fun, I really recommend the snorkelling and plankton tours. If there is one you want to do not offered on the daily sign up sheet they can arrange it for you.

I didn’t dislike anything but it is SO hot and no air con so if that bothers you then it’s maybe not for you. Also the showers stopped working on our final night so we had to use buckets of water to shower which was not ideal but all part of the process! It’s definitely more catered to small groups of people than singular travellers I’d say but if you’re sociable you’ll be fine.

The sea in front of the hostel and all over the island is just amazing. The staff is very friendly and the activity choices allow you to explore the area and enjoy the naturalistic treasures around. Good food for fine prices. The baths and showers are constantly kept clean by the staff and the beach area is well equipped to enjoy the sea. Would definitely recommend to spend at least 2 nights, or more if you have time Thank you!

The plastic cups to get the drinking water are not the best idea, sometimes they smell badly and this gives taste to the water. Would replace with glass ones. As for the free coffee, that was definitely not the best we’ve drunk in Colombia…

Nice, beautiful and good energy environment, great eco approach, very good fish based dishes and good portions, nice sea access and areas to chill

- There is an additional charge of 5,000 pesos per person per day for “drinkable” water. I think it would be better to simply include this in the overall price, as realistically, most people are not going to bring three litres of water with them. It feels a little like a mandatory extra charge for something that everyone needs to pay for anyway while otherwise it would be seen as a nice gesture by the hotel. - The non-fish-based dishes could be improved. There were fewer options, and the quality was not as good as the fish-based dishes. - We asked staff what we could do after being dropped off at the public beaches, what our options were, and whether there were specific places where we could ask the boat to take us. Unfortunately, the staff couldn’t really provide any information and simply said, “we’re not from the area.” This was surprising, as I would expect the staff to have at least some basic knowledge about the islands and what visitors can do. I had actually found more useful information after just two hours of reading Google and travel blogs - We were asked to complete a pre-arrival check-in that required a significant amount of information, and we were even reminded to complete it. However, upon arrival, we still had to go through a full and lengthy check-in process again. When I mentioned that we had already completed the pre-check-in, the staff member said, “Ah, people usually put the wrong information, so we do it again here.” If the information provided during the pre-check-in is not actually used, I would suggest not asking guests to complete it or sending reminders to do so, as it makes the process and the effort feel useless - The focus on monetising every aspect of the experience felt a bit too intense. Of course, it’s understandable and OK to spend money in the hotel, but the approach for charging two full hours for a kayak rental even if we wanted to use it for 1h15–1h30 felt excessive.

Nice room with a comfortable bed. Really cute toucan and piglet as a pet.

You had to choose your meal hours in advance and it would only be served at 1pm for lunch and 7pm for dinner, which felt very militant. Also the private room was really expensive for what it was, especially considering you share bathrooms with the rest of the hostel which are a really long walk from your private room. (Especially in the dark/rain at night) Tintipan in general was underwhelming. You can’t walk around the island due to the mangroves so you’re just trapped at your hostel unless you go by kayak, which is weather dependent. It’s super overpriced for a less fun experience than you’d have at Rincon Del Mar on the mainland. Save your money and time!