Staying at Selina Cartagena: Upscale Hostel Life in Colombia

I’ve never been one to stay at hostels while traveling since I need a safe, quiet place to unwind after a hectic day of sightseeing and traveling. It wasn’t until last year that I discovered I could have the best of both worlds with private rooms at a hostels—all the fun and interaction with other travelers looking to meet new friends *and* a quiet, clean room for me to recharge my introvert batteries. After my first experience staying at a hostel in Cambodia, I was eager to give hostel life another shot in Cartagena, this time trying out the popular Selina Hostel.

A well known chain of trendy hostels all over the globe, Selina has a reputation of being an upscale hostel targeting digital nomads with great amenities and activities. With over 110 locations globally, Selina has a pretty large network of “4 star” hostels to choose from. And these aren’t your average, dingy hostels that are reminiscent of the 2004 movie EuroTrip. Selina’s locations are bright, airy, and welcoming and ideally located.

I happened to find myself booking the largest private suite at their Cartagena, Colombia location. According to The Broke Backpacker, this Selina is amongst the 11 Best Selinas in the world! I can see why too. For me personally, it beat out hotels in the same price range when I was trying to decide where to stay in Cartagena thanks to what I saw online. But did its online presence live up in-person?  

Selina Cartagena Location

Selina Cartagena is located in the Getsemani neighborhood of Cartagena just a 9 minute walk from the Walled City, meaning it’s centrally located to everything. There are technically two buildings across from each other that makeup Selina Cartagena. They appear to be historical buildings that were gutted and repurposed since from the outside they blend perfectly with Cartagena’s iconic colorful colonial buildings.

The Hotel

Our flight arrived early in the day from Medellin, so we were hoping to be able to check in early, but had no such luck. The front desk was less friendly than the hotel we were coming from, but it was probably because of the rush of backpackers trying to check out and check in, as their mood perked up at other times we needed the front desk’s assistance.

As with most hostels and hotels, Selina has a secure luggage closet where you can store your luggage.  We left our luggage there until check-in at 3pm. When we returned, we were informed of all the activities and amenities during check-in. There is a 24-hour mini-mart (essentially a fridge with beverages and a dry pantry of snacks) in the lobby and a little boutique with gifts and stylish clothes.

As you walk past the small lobby area to the back, you’ll find a large co-working area, and stairs leading to a small library. There are three levels of rooms in Building A and then a rooftop where you can find one of the two pools, and a restaurant/bar with incredible views! I only entered Building B for the welcome drink experience and noticed they have a kitchen space for guests to use. If you go all the way to the top, you’ll discover Building B’s rooftop which has a much better pool and another bar.

The rooftop bars were my favorite part of the hotel thanks to the incredible views and tasty drinks. I wish I had time to take a dip in the pool, but unfortunately our jam packed schedule didn’t allow it.

Selina Rooms

Selina Cartagena has a mix of bunk dormitories as you would find in a hostel, private rooms with shared bathrooms, private rooms with private bathrooms, and suites. We splurged for the private suite with balcony because why not? The private suite with balcony was massive. And by massive, I mean probably the largest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. It was so large that it had two separate doors leading to the private balcony!

The suite consists of one king bed (unfortunately they don’t have double bed suites, so my godsister that I was traveling with and me had to share like it was a sleepover), a futon, a coffee table, a closet, a huge 70 inch TV on a swivel mount, a desk, a mini fridge, a balcony with a seating area, and a private bathroom with a large shower. There was also enough floor space to do cartwheels. If they only had double beds, this would have been the most perfect hotel room layout I’ve ever seen.

The bathroom, although appealing to the eye, had a few issues unfortunately. Not sure if it was an issue with our room in particular or the entire hostel, but there was never any hot water, only lukewarm at best. The design of the sink, as cute as it was, was not practical for face washing, leaving water splashed all over the countertop. And most frustratingly, the plumbing is weak. Even though we followed the signs that said not to throw toilet paper in the toilet (that’s a think everywhere in Colombia), I managed to clog the toilet and had to get maintenance to save the day with his magic plunger.

Oh and did I mention there is no hairdryer? I thought they hid the hairdryer so I went to the front lobby to ask where it is and apparently there is a single hairdryer for the entire hostel. Yes, you have to check out the hairdryer for one hour whenever you need it. Clearly, a man in is charge of Selina because no woman would allow for this. I’m not sure if this is the case with Selina Cartagena or all Selina, but if you can’t live without a hairdryer, look into bringing a travel one in your luggage.

Aside from those bathroom-related issues, the room was comfortable, clean, and spacious.

Who Stays at a Selina Hostel?

Like mentioned above, Selina targets digital nomads and travelers who are looking to meet people. It was clear by checking out the other guests that most people where in their 20s and 30s. I was honestly hoping for more of a party vibe like when I stayed at Lub d in Siem Reap, but Selina Cartagena felt far more chill and quiet. It might have been just during my stay, but it wasn’t a party hostel in my opinion. Despite participating in the free Welcome Drink activity and spending some time at the hostel’s rooftops throughout my stay, I didn’t make any new friends. Again, it might have been just my experience and not the usual.

Security

As two female travelers, we were impressed by the hotel’s security, especially at night. You receive a wrist band during check-in that you need to wear on the property. Without it, you won’t be allowed to enter past the security guard in the evening. There was never a time when we felt unsafe during our stay thanks to all the security measures.

Selina Cartagena was overall a great experience! Despite a few bathroom issues, I would definitely consider staying with them again. It was esthetically pleasing, safe, clean, and spacious with a perfect location. Can’t wait to explore other Selina locations across the globe!