Kamala Surf & Backpacker Hostel — Hotel in Parroquia Manglaralto

Definitely, without question, the best hostel in Montanita.||||We spent a 8 days in Montanita, the first night in a pretty average hostel which was highly recommended on HostelWorld, the second night in a below-average hostel which would be very well known in south America (it begins S and ends in 'ina').||||Eventually, we gave Kamala Hostel a go and it was sooo worth it. We thought because it was a little bit out of town that it might be a bit of a nuisance trekking in and out, which is definitely wasn't. It's a short 15 minute walk (on the beach) to the town centre. The beach is the best part of Montanita and the Kamala Hostel is right on the beach. Oh and even if you didn't fancy walking on the beach into the town centre, you can take order a taxi from the hostel for $1.50 (per taxi, not per person), probably about a 5 minute drive to the centre.||||So the positives: the pool is great, staff were extremely friendly and eager to help. The food is some of the best in Montanita, the chicken wings were delicious along many of the other dishes oh and the cocktails too were lovely. The general vibe an atmosphere really suits the location, the music playlist they have is second to none. Plenty of hammocks to relax in while reading or listening to your own or the hostels music. They've also got ping pong, a pool table, giant jenga and probably some other games too. Also, it's really easy to get to from Guayquill or Banos via bus.||||All in all, it's a great hostel, probably one of the best I've stayed in and I myself have travelled extensively through Australia, South East Asia, Europe etc. We spent 6 days there in total, wish I could have spent longer. Anna and Jenny were super helpful and really knowledgeable...

The location of the hostel is amazing. Beautiful view of the beach, they have two donkeys that are really fun and cute. Most of the workers/ volunteers are amazing, except for a few who were very rude and would carry on conversations with people who already had food when you have been waiting for just a cup of water for 10 minutes. One of the workers was very rude and degrading to the people staying at the hostel when he was not on duty. The food is great but unfortunately I saw one of the cooks take the spoon out of the pot he was using, lick the spoon, and then put it back and kept stirring. There was a candy wrapper with chocolate left by our bunks from the people who stayed in the room before us and our beds were infested with tiny ants that looked like fleas. We brought this to the attention of the staff, and they were cleaned but still in that hot environment it was very unsettling to have bugs crawling all over the bed. There is no air conditioning and not enough fans for the hot conditions. The prices are great for food and drinks, the people you meet will be amazing, they have a fun pool table and dart board, but other than that you have to pay for any other activities. There is also a pool on the site that was fun but dirty. It is a very beautiful place and you'll have fun if you go here, but on weekends if you are not someone who can fall asleep to loud music I do not suggest staying here. Also in the bathrooms, you have to throw away your toilet paper and not flush it, but they keep the toilet paper rolls on top of the trash bins so it is very hard to operate and makes an...

Kamala is a dream for those who are low-key, love to be around nature but also appreciate delicious food and a fun bar-on-the-beach atmosphere. Kamala is a very special place in that it was built, owned, and now ran by Ecuadorians. Other places in Montañita town can’t say the same. If you’re a person who loves nature, to occasionally have a drink(or more), and support a true local business, this is the place for you. The restaurant has the BEST food and can accommodate vegetarians and also non-drinkers. It has everything you need that you don’t even need to go to Montañita town, but of course that’s not recommended- Montañita is a blast! This hostel is far enough away to get actual private beach vibes but close enough to walk to town and enjoy endless sand and waves along the way. The icing on the cake is the plentiful taxi’s are only $1.50 to town from Kamala so don’t worry about always walking to and from.

The bungalows are made out of local materials. Mosquito nets are provided and the beds are comfortable enough. Occasionally, the water turns off but will turn on later on the day. As a first worlder, I appreciated that aspect as a reminder to be humble and appreciate what we have access to, as opposed to being pretentious and assumptive in a third world country.

Montañita town is wonderful- but it’s Kamala hostel that will have me keep coming back. Best place in...