This is a very special place. The staff are wonderful and very accommodating. I really like that the owners found economical ways to build this hostel by reusing materials, instead of trying to add superficial beauty by buying new supplies (for the kitchen, pool seating, fan switch covers, bathroom tile, etc). The atmosphere is great and this hostel is in a very safe area of Cartagena that is heavily policed. Many areas in Cartagena are dangerous and not walkable by tourists or women but Hostal El Bando is in a very safe place where you can walk to get a nice meal or juice. It's also very convenient that the hostel is just a a minutes walk from the airport! Amazing. It's so quiet at the hostel, I actually had no idea we were right by the airport the whole time. Thank you to the owners for the wonderful experience! If we return to Cartagena someday, we will want to visit. If you ever visit the USA, you can stay with us for free in Colorado.

Excellent hostel. Every host is extremely welcoming, they're always attentive to your needs. The hostel offers tours around Cartagena and give you tips of the restaurants you should visit. Beds are comfy and they're pet friendly. Hostel is two blocks away from Cartagena Airport. And is easy to walk from it.

Amazing hostel right next to the airport, I stayed there in my last night in Colombia, they staff were nice and helpful, the kitchen was amazing, and the price is included breakfast! The shower and bathroom is inside the dorms ! Amazing

I had a great experience even though I only stayed for two nights. I got great recommendations and helpful tips on prices for day tours. Also I got an extra early breakfast and tried the resturant at night, the Shwarma was really tasty. For me the air conditioning was a bit to cold but after asking I got an extra blanket which served perfectly. Thank you very much. :)

I am so very happy and grateful for everyone here! The owners Jimena and her boyfriend (I can't remember his name), Mayra, John. My favorite feature by far is that it's small. It feels like home. It's personal and easy to talk to the others staying there. My spanish is definitely not perfect, and everyone here was understanding of that. The other features I appreciated the most were (1) 2 minute walk to Cartagena Airport which is amazing for early arrivals or late departures (2) Jimena accommodated my boyfriend and I into a shared room with others which was very gracious of her (3) I appreciate the fact that in the shared rooms the bunk beds have curtains, individual reading lamps, and outlets to charge phones (4) we spent two nights here. In our second night, we had a room to ourselves, and there was a painting in the room for sale! I appreciate the fact that Jimena was featuring art from someone in Cartagena. I did not have great confidence in my Spanish before arriving to Cartagena, so I feel the most gratitude to the staff for being kind. Dios Los bendiga! Dalton y yo quisiéramos tener un hostal juntos algún día, y ustedes nos inspiraron.

This place is fantastic if you have an early or late fight. You can beat the traffic and the vibe is great. Alfonzo and John are great. Next time I'm in Cartagena I know at least one place I'm staying. "Close" doesn't give justice to just how close this spot is to the airport. You could literally hit the taxi lanes in front of the arrivals with a good arm and a baseball.

Simple but nice, with a good location and a great price.

Early flight from Cartagena? Stay here! THis place is amazing if you have an early morning flight to catch or when you arrive in the middle of the night. It's a 1 minute walk away from the airport terminal an it's unbelievable that it is so quiet there, even with flights during the night I hardly heared them. The aircon is at a fixed temperature and it was completely fine. The swimmingpool was under construction while I was there (was mentioned on their page at booking, so I knew that), but the patio with the pool looks like a nice place to hangout. They let me store my heavy luggage there the day before I stayed with them, as I went off to Rosario Islands. Super kind and friendly, communication was fine too. The only downside was that they didn't accept payment by card which was not mentioned on the page. To get some cash I went out and 4 our of 5 ATM's didn't work, so it was a bit of a hassle (In the airport terminal there are a lot of cashamchines, but you can't get in there if you don't have a flight that day, so be smart and if you stay here upon arrival, get your cash in the terminal) A little note for the people responding to reviews: you don't have to be mean when people give feedback about their experience. If they don't like your cold shower, that's ok. ;)

Clean, big, pool, great service. 11/10

Very Nice place close to the airport. Clean rooms, very Nice owner and good food !

(Translated by Google) It is super excellent! The attention is very good and the rooms have air conditioning and a fan, that makes them super cool. the beds are very comfortable and the pool is an excellent detail. It is literally ONE BLOCK FROM THE AIRPORT 😱😱😱 It's cheap and very good, I loved it. (Original) ¡Es súper excelente! La atención es muy buena y las habitaciones tienen aire acondicionado y ventilador, eso hace que sean súper frescas. las camas son muy cómodas y la piscina es un excelente detalle. Está literalme A UNA CUADRA DEL AEROPUERTO 😱😱😱 Es barato y muy bueno, me encantó.

(Translated by Google) Amazing location, just steps from the airport. Excellent service, everything very clean and organized, comfortable and fair price. I loved the experience and would definitely go back (: (Original) Localização incrível, poucos passos do aeroporto. Excelente atendimento, tudo muito limpo e organizado, confortável e preço justo. Eu amei a experiência e com certeza voltaria (:

Excellent!

Relax

Very helpful staff!

Very confident! Host and clerks are just awesome. Five starts.

It is a really good place, the atmosphere, the pool and the recreation area makes you feel like on a hotel instead of a hostel. The rooms are all new and beds really comfortable. Also they have a restaurant with really nice Caribbean food just next to it, so you can eat besides the pool. Excellent service and the proximity to the airport and the old city makes it absolutely safe and perfect.