Colombia's Casa En El Agua: A Hostel You'll Never Want to Leave

Before it was a hostel, the casa was a holiday home owned by a Colombian family. The structure itself is 23 years young and built on a concrete foundation under the water, which has since grown a collection of coral and attracted some pretty colorful sea life.

The hostel can only be reached by boat and is a 2-hour ride from Cartagena. Your stay includes a delicious breakfast, and for your other meals you’ll have some of the freshest fare in the islands. The on-site restaurant prepares dishes from fish caught daily by local fisherman.

Your days can be spent lounging in the sun, floating on the sea, or, for the more active, on one of their many tours of the surrounding area and activities. One of the best and rarest features is that there is NO wifi. Spend a couple days screen-free. Why not?

How to get there

The Casa is about a 2-hour boat ride from Cartagena. There are three ways to get there, but by far the easiest, quickest, and most reliable is to take the Tranq It Easy boat that is owned and operated by the Casa. You can check out the other options here.

What to consider

• Book more than 1 night; you’re never going to want to leave.
• The boat is organized and runs on time.
• You have lodging options from hammock (~$25/night) to dorm room (~$30/night) to single suite (~$80/night).
• The food is fresh, caught daily, and put on your plate within hours.
• No wifi or connectivity.
• There is limited space, so they recommend you leave your big bags in storage on the mainland and only bring what you need.
• They don’t take walk-ins. Reservations required.
• The Casa only takes reservations 60 days in advance.
• Half of your booking is paid upfront in USD and the other must be paid IN CASH in Colombian Pesos upon arrival.