One Santuario Hotel y Reserva Natural

If The Modern Parents from Viz had won both the lottery and MasterChef this would be what they did next. Stunning location. Fantastic rooms. Outstanding food. The road to the hotel is worthy of a Top Gear special - impassible by most taxis, you’ll need to arrange to get picked up in Palomino but you’ll have to have done that BEFORE you set off because there is zero signal on the road through the jungle from Santa Marta (they should tell you that). There are a load of dogs on site, along with the usual accompaniments (they should tell you that). There are a range of ‘ritual’ treatments available but nothing effective to get rid of the bugs - they make their own repellent, which does the opposite, so you might want to bring your own (they should tell you that). Beautiful outdoor bathrooms are private but lack doors or hot water (they should tell you that). The staff are absolutely lovely, but ultimately useless at getting anything urgent done. We asked them (having been travelling for a week in less glamourous spots) to wash some clothes for us one day. We checked the next day if they were dry, and (obviously having forgotten about it) they said ‘they’d be dry in a couple of hours’ and delivered them back to us in bags just before we left. When we got the the next place we took the bags out of our luggage to discover everything beautifully folded, socks balled up in pairs, but still dripping wet! Nice. I’d probably go back but would be much better prepared.

I stayed for 5 nights in Jan 2022. A few practical points: - The location is a few km along a dirt track from Palomino town, alongside the Palomino river - not all cab drivers will be happy to take you up there, although it is possible to make the route without a 4x4 (in dry season at least). You can order a taxi via the property itself. - The property consists of a main dining and chill out area with a small library of novels and professional photographer albums, and the separate luxury cottage style accommodation hidden behind hedges and trees for privacy, all set in gardens which abound with bird-life and beautiful, colourful plants - There is access to a private pebble "beach" alongside the Palomino river. The current is quite strong, but possible to paddle around in the shallow water at the edge without getting swept downstream - If you want to enjoy the river, the best way is to get inflatable tubes (available at the property) and walk (mostly uphill) to one of two easy entry points to the water; you walk either 30 mins or 1 hr up-stream along a clearly marked path that starts just outside the property. You can then tube your way down the generally gentle rapids for 1 hr or 30 mins depending how far you walked. - All food is included in the price - and we are talking about a lot of food! Large breakfasts (things like Shakshuka or more traditional Colombian breakfast of arepas and eggs), 3 course lunches (we were served things like sashimi or fresh salads to start, roasted fish with quinoa and beetroot for mains, and honey cake for desert), and 3 course dinners (for example grilled prawns to start, steak au poivre for main with roasted potatoes, panna cotta for desert). - Apart from juices at mealtimes, water and coffee, drinks are extra, but they have reasonably priced beer (6,000 pesos for a can of Club, as I remember), and a delicious array of freshly pressed fruit juices - You can do day trips such as to see flamingos in a lake around 1 hour away, but.... ...for me this place is all about lazing around in your private hammock, cooling off in the river, and eating some of the very best, unfussy but absolutely delicious you are likely to try in Colombia. The staff are all super warm, the bird-life out of this world, and the setting so tranquil and relaxing, I found it hard to do anything much other than read, swim and eat. It's a full package of luxury, great food, amazing nature and pure blissful relaxation. It's not cheap, but worth every last peso.