Kitesurf Hostal Ocean House — Hotel in Atlántico

Just go here.

I showed up late one night, way after check in, a little tipsy from sharing drinks with the strangers in the strange taxi. Little did I know the paradise I was walking into! We laughed from the very start :) Andrea put together a super late dinner just for me, it was of course delicious. Vlad and Sophia added to the laughs as I stumbled through explaining how I had ended up there: seeking wind for kitesurfing. I didn't know much about the area, and this family put all my concerns to rest.

I didn't need for anything while I stayed with them. Vlad set me up with a local kitesurf instructor the next morning, where met an incredible kitesurfista. It was a great time. Later they helped me get a cab to go party in Juan de Acosta. The next night we just partied right on top of the hostel, all the kitesurf crew staying there drinking and dancing with the beautiful ocean view.

Breakfasts were always great, same with lunch and dinner, but the breakfast especially. They taught me to make patacon! I wasn't bad for a first timer. A nice breakfast and a dip in their little pool was the favored way to start my days here.

When I finally left, Andrea and Sophia even took me in the car to Cartagena when I went traveling with a friend. I told them it felt like mom taking me to the movies, and we nearly crashed laughing :)

Be nice when you get there, they are...

Vladimir and his family could not have been more hospitable during our stay, they are incredibly warm people. The hostel itself is very nice and well done. It was quiet, and it's about a 15-20 minute walk from the main part of town in Santa Veronica. The internet was good and it was a nice place to work, with a desk in my room. Good with a group, but solo travelers may prefer somewhere in town, although we could have just been there during a slow couple of days. The only issue we had was with the pickup in Cartagena, where they were 1.5 hours late...it is Colombia, but it bothered me that they didn't tell us that they'd be late until 10mins after we were supposed to be picked up. It would have been nice to have a hose to rinse kite gear, only a faucet outside with low pressure that only had water 20% of the time. There is a nice big indoor garage to store kite gear. You can take a Tuktuk to Salinas for 5mil per person or walk 10mins to the beach and launch there. Would stay again...

Such lovely hosts and a great hostel! Breakfast and dinner was delicious every time. The room was nice. The upstairs bar/seating area is comfortable and has a great view. And they've got very friendly pets :)

For kiters they've got a place to wash and dry your gear. Getting to the beach is a short tuk tuk ride away which was simple to arrange. They'll fit in all your kiting great no problem (we had two boards and...