The taxi dropped us at Tayrona Tented Lodge. I already knew from when I booked the room about a month previous that it was booked for the other nights but Hector and I thought we would just double check to see if they had a room available for the night. They didn’t. Tayrona Tented Lodge is down a very long dirt path and so quite a way from the main road. We set off towards the main road to search for other lodging, stopping at all of the hotels along the way to see if they had anything available. It was all booked! One place had hammocks available but we really didn’t feel like that.
One of the hotels along the way had Wi-Fi and I just decided it would be easier to check Expedia. Everywhere was booked apart from two places. The closest place was Villa Maria about 5km further down the road so the next problem we had was getting there. We were still on this dirt path and no taxis come by. Every so often you will see motorbike taxis go past, we actually saw two go by with a couple we had completed the Lost City Hike with!
We eventually flagged one down one of the motorbikes and he called another one and we were off. This was the only other time I got scared in Colombia. The driver was trying to play music while I was on the back with my huge backpack on! Hector was on the other bike with his backpack on and our extra backpack was across the handlebars! Thankfully, we made it to Villa Maria in one piece and without any music (he couldn’t get it to work)! We ended up with two story room at one of the nicest places we stayed on this trip!
We decided to wander over to the pool and have lunch before walking down to the beach. I remember their chicken nuggets being only so-so but their fruit juices were great! The beach is about a 10-15 minute walk from the hotel but it is on the small path so you avoid the main road. We had the beach to ourselves but since the water was a bit rough we just sat and watched the waves while relaxing.
Usually for dinner we like to venture out and find a local place to eat but since we didn’t know if a town was nearby we just thought we would try the hotel restaurant. Plus it was right beneath out room! This dinner was probably the nicest one of the trip. We started with the shrimp cocktail which was delicious! Hector had salmon for his main course (and discovered at the same time that he doesn’t like salmon – you live and learn), and I had risotto. We both had fruit juice (again) and then shared the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. There is always room for dessert!
*All my pictures (apart from 1) from Villa Maria and dinner somehow disappeared off my phone 🙁
The next morning we checked out and asked the hotel to order us a taxi. We ended up taking the hotel shuttle (which cost nearly as much as our entire taxi ride from Santa Marta and A LOT more than the motorcycle taxi) but we made it back to Tayrona Tented Lodge. At least this ride felt a bit safer! I had read great reviews about this place and I will say the location was great! Plus it includes all your meals (apart from lunch on the first day) but the actual rooms were just ok. And I don’t remember it having Wi-Fi.
We didn’t have anything planned for the day and therefore spent the entire day at the beach! We jumped in the water and we played in the sand and it was just such a fun day! The beach is beautiful and even with people around it didn’t feel crowded at all. We decided to grab lunch at the hotel next door and ended up sharing a meal because neither of us wanted very much. They had a cool hammock contraption thing I wanted to get in (see picture) but since we weren’t staying there (only having lunch) I didn’t climb up to test it out. I would definitely recommend at day at the beach here. The lodge provided a large basin/bucket outside your room to clean off your feet before entering. Each room is its own structure with a bed and a bathroom inside.
The price includes dinner which is on the rooftop of the small building where you check in. There is no menu, they just bring you what they cook that evening. We had chicken and rice with vegetables and fruit juice to drink. If you want something else to drink you must bring it yourself.
After dinner we walked along the beach one more time. It was full of crabs and these tiny blue dots (that Hector kept chasing after lol!). We were a bit panicked about the next morning because we had a flight to catch that morning to Cali but it also happened to be Daylight savings. We weren’t sure if Colombia had the same thing and did not want to miss the flight. When we asked the guy who runs the place about getting a taxi for the morning we also asked about the time change. It turns out they do not change time! Apparently most countries by the equator don’t fall back or jump ahead!
The next morning we had time to have breakfast at the hotel before heading to the airport. I didn’t eat much of the breakfast because I remember it being eggs and I don’t eat eggs plus I am not much of a breakfast person but Hector enjoyed it. We made it to the airport in plenty of time! We had Chinese food (random) for lunch before heading to the gate and then caught our flight to Cali!
I wish we had had time to go into Tayrona National Park. I’m not sure how they do tickets for that but I do remember passing the entrance and it being busy. I saw lots of tours offered and they all look great! Villa Maria had a whole book full of tours available and I even saw that a couple went to some of the other beaches. The water looked a lot more calm at those.
We should have taken two days from Santa Marta and spent them in the Tayrona National Park. One day we could have done a tour and the second we could have just visited the national park ourselves. I have heard you can stay in tents or hammocks in the national park but that it is first come first served. This is good to know for next time plus, it gives us a reason to go back!!
Colombia was a beautiful country and the people were so nice! I do hope that I get to plan a trip back soon! Medellin and Cartagena are both on my list (that never ends)!
Lots of Love,
Buffy xx
