Amazing location just outside of the town with its own access to a quiet river and a short walk to the beach , surrounded by wildlife. Staff and volunteers all super friendly such a great atmosphere and set up we extended our stay by an extra 3 days wish we could've stayed for longer Kitchen is available although the they have a set menu (burger chips ect) and a special menu that changes daily for a cheap price Events every day Social but not a party hostel Great place to spend a few days or a few weeks

Stayed in April 2025

- the bathrooms and kitchen areas were quite dirty - my bed was dented in the middle and the sheets appeared old - the power went out both nights which was fine for the first time but the second time we didn’t have a fan running for the first half of the night

- great location right next to a river for swimming and a beach - such a social vibe, I met so many great people - great food options for lunch and dinner to buy for reasonable price - fantastic activities including painting a mural, pizza making and a fire show - you can rent a kayak to paddle into the nearby mangrove which I would 100% recommend - wonderful volunteers and staff, all very welcoming and kind

Stayed in March 2025

It’s rustic, which is to be expected for the price. But the social aspect, food and facilities on site make it excellent value for money. Perfect for international solo backpackers.

Super friendly staff and volunteers, lots of activities and events (perfect for solo travellers), beautiful location in nature (jungle, beach and river access) while being close to the fun of Palomino. Delicious reasonably priced food and shared meal times. I can see why people extend their stay!

Stayed in February 2025

The community vibe here is amazing. You pay for what you get but the staff here are all super nice, theres an event or session of some kind going on every day. Its totally chill. The beach is a 10min walk down a private path

Stayed in January 2025

:-)

A wonderful place to disconnect and connect with nature, yourself or others. River, jungle, wild beach. Activities and places for socialising. Staff and volunteers are kind and helpful. Good food. Very clean. I've seen people extend their stay! Howling monkeys wake you up. You cross the jungle for 20 minutes to arrive to a wild beach. One hour walk on the beach to Palomino. Kayaks. Yoga. A motorbike can take you to the village anytime for 6,000 pesos. Breakfast included (7.30-9.30h). There's a daily menu for lunch (13.00-15.00h) and for dinner (19.00-21.00h) with vegetarian option (falafel 20.000 pesos), chicken or beef (25.000 pesos) or fried fish (35.000). Unlimited water refill for 5000 per day.

Stayed in January 2025

It's a short moto ride from Palomino if you are wanting to be more in the village. Bad weather can limit the options of what to do there.

Great relaxed spot to chill for a bit. Near some beautiful quiet beaches. Friendly owner.

Stayed in January 2025

Maybe they should improve a bit the facilities (e.g. increase water pressure in the pipes, include a few chairs / tables in the private rooms, renovate and keep clean the common kitchen, etc.).

The staff Is friendly and helpful, the vibes very nice. Close to a small, isolated , beautiful beach. Nice food available.

Stayed in January 2025

Beautiful facilities away from the noise. Great for beach, yoga, music. 100% would recommend

Stayed in December 2024

A little far away from palomino, so u gotta take a motor taxi & the Moskitos

Beautiful secluded place with great community activities, good food & private beach/ river access!

Stayed in December 2024

The mosquitos

Great location. Super well run and friendly staff. Great kitchen providing breakfast lunch and dinner but without a doubt the best things about this hostel are the river and private beach. This place is super peaceful and fun you won’t want to leave

Stayed in October 2024

Loved this place so much we wished we could stay longer! Family meals and activities like salsa and a bonfire made for a lovely chilled social atmosphere. Staff were fab and had loads of advice, and we grateful for the expert spider removal :)

Stayed in September 2024

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It's hard to express how good is this place. You plan to go there for a few days and want to stay for months. The breakfast is different everyday, lunch and dinner are amazing and cheap. Has it's own private beach! If you are around please try this. It's just perfect.

Stayed in August 2024

Very easy to accidentally stay here for much longer than you planned!

Such a relaxing hostel in a beautiful location. All the staff are incredible and the food is amazing with great vegetarian options. Beautiful beaches a short walk away, along with a river next door and surrounded by ju gle where you can see animals like howler monkeys! Other guests are always the nicest people as this hostel attracts a great vibe of travellers. Also really good value for money.

Stayed in August 2024

If you like more rustic places, this may not be the hostel for you - the shower didn’t have a window and faced the main walk way to the beach, so everyone could see in. The rooms were hot, so it would have been good if each bed had a fan. Some of the volunteers weren’t that friendly. I also think the family dinners were expensive for the standard of food you were getting.

The thing that makes this hostel so special is the location, right by the jungle where there was howler monkeys and leaf-cutter ants, on the river and not too far from your own private beach. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially the lady who cooked lunch, she was so lovely. Just loved my time here.

Stayed in August 2024

Easily the best hostel of my life so far

Stayed in August 2024

There are a lot of mosquitoes and spiders, but you get used to it :) The rooms get quite hot, but you can sleep with the door open cause it’s pretty quiet at night.

This hostel is one of the best hostels we have been on our travels! The atmosphere is so relaxed and you can have a great time there. We loved the activities like movie night or mangrove tour, parties or pizza night. The location is perfect with the river and the sea very close by. The room and facilities were cleaned every day and the chill space was really chill 😃 Every day there is food at fixed time frames and it makes people come together and it’s easy to make connections. The staff and volunteers are super nice and it was a pleasure to hang out with everyone. It makes sense that people stay here for more than a few days.

Stayed in July 2024

Leaving :(

Amazing place set in a jungle on the bed of the San Salvador river that leads straight to the ocean! Incredible people, incredible food, and incredible vibes! Home away from home!

Stayed in March 2024

the location, the people, the food, the vibe… everything is perfect :)

Stayed in April 2024

It’s a bit far from the center of Palomino, so be careful if you go to the center from Monday to Wednesday, the tuktuks and motorbikes are not running after more or less 10pm.

The staff is super friendly and helpful They organise lots of activities during the week They cook delicious meals The private beach is super nice and quiet

Stayed in April 2024

The rooms were very hot! They have fans. But they still get very hot.

Honestly my favourite hostel I've stayed at in my 6 months of travelling. The place is a bit run down, but the atmosphere completely makes up for it. A really relaxing and chilled out place, where its easy to socialise. They have activities each day, that are actually really nice e.g. fire on the beach, mangrove walk, pizza making night. A world away from the 'beer pong' type vibe you might get at some other hostels. It seems to attract really nice people. We loved not having to choose from a menu and had set dinners and lunch (veggie and meat options) each day, that were reasonably priced. Food was either great or good each day. Good mosquito nets over the beds. Clean (but basic) rooms. Great locarion next to the river and a 15/20min walk to the beautiful beach. The sunset from the beach is something else 😍

Stayed in April 2024

The Jaba Jan Hotel is located 15 min outside of Palomino (or 30 min walking down the beach) close to the river, and a quiet beach area after a 15 min walk through the beachy forest. You can get all your food there, take yoga classes, play volleyball, or - as most people - just take a break and relax in one of the hammocks.

Stayed in March 2024

The place could use some work the kitchen situation was not so pleasant. Beds were alright but really love the nets over them. Restroom could use some space to place your belongings while you brush your teeth or take a shower.

I enjoyed yoga and salsa class while I was there. I like that their meals were not a fixed menu . As a solo female traveler I appreciated that the hostel would call a moto 🏍️ to pick me up at the hostel so I didn’t have to stand on a lonely road to wait for one. The bus from Santa Marta also drops you off right at the entrance of the hostel conveniently. I enjoyed the type of travelers that come through. Loved the walk to the desembocadura del río San Salvador. Beautiful place with sounds of monkeys and eagles .

Stayed in March 2024

It’s fairly basic, but that adds to the charm.

Amazing place, fabulous location. But most of all, totally extraordinary on a human level - the staff, the volunteers and, not in the least, the fellow travellers: the Jaba Jan family. A very warm gracias to everyone!

Stayed in February 2024

That I couldn’t stay longer

The vibes here were awesome. A whole bunch of travelers from around the world. Great people to connect to. Great beach, river, food and activities. I would highly recommend.

Stayed in January 2024