Surf Break at Paunch

David is truly rad. The space he has created is an epic experience to take advantage of. Despite booking this less than 12 hours in advance, he went above and beyond to ensure I had a nice check-in experience. The days and nights to follow were filled with jungle sounds and waves crashing in the distance. Taking advantage of the surf rental spot down the hill and scrumpcious food just a stone's throw away. I feel very lucky to have stumbled upon this place. He gave wonderful recommendations for food and adventure experiences. 10/10 will book here the next time I visit.

Recommend Great little spot right on the most consistent surf break in the area. It is walkable to many restaurants and other surf breaks in the area as well. David was a good host. He made himself available without being intrusive. Hot water, coffee, fresh coconut water, and clean tiled bathroom was a plus. Pretty rustic for a person who is used to the Hilton, but it has all the creature comforts situated right on the waves and main gathering spot. The road from the house that wanders down the hill is bit slippery after rain, but short. Overall I recommend for solo, or couple, or small family.

Do not stay here! I have never written a bad review for a “hotel” but it is only fair to warn other travelers. The room we stayed in at Surf Paunch was filthy. The bed had stains on it, pillows and towels dirty and the sheets had holes/stains on them too. Not to mention the sheets smelled disgusting and were not washed. None of us used the sheets/blankets. The host was shocked that we checked in 3 people even though the reservation stated three. Apparently the number of people correlates to why we could not have a curtain over the windows in the bathroom (you could then see into the bathroom/shower from outside our room). It should be stated that the sofa bed is an old couch. A sofa bed typically has a metal frame and thin mattress that can be unfolded or opened up to make a bed. In addition, there was no shampoo or conditioner. I wish I could say the room was inexpensive and that would make this experience slightly better but it was beyond expensive for what it was. Lastly, our host was unfriendly. He wasn’t welcoming and couldn’t be bothered mentioning anything about the area/hotel. He made us feel uncomfortable and ignored our complaints. It is concerning when locals would say what is going on there is not good. We were the only ones on the property... wonder why.