Not the fault of El Jaguar but not a heap to do in Old Bank for a solo traveller, I would only recommend one day to go I wizard beach/ do tours

Lovely simple rustic vibe, the hammocks and tables in the common deck were lovely, kitchen was clean and well stocked, staff were helpful

Stayed in May 2024

Directly at the water, nice view! Good vibes

Stayed in February 2024

The price of the “deluxe room” the room 10 and 11 I think, they were really expensive for what if offers, it’s a common room with common blankets, a common bathroom like the others, at least I would have liked better blankets for the bed, so I wouldn’t recommend paying so much for theses rooms

It was a nice place, with nice staff, a good location good AC

Stayed in January 2024

No hot water but they have ac! It was a win win!

Great staff!

Stayed in September 2023

The room is very small and the shower is very cold (not a problem). The kitchen is fully equipped but the pans are all old and in need of replacement. The owner and his son were only friendly when they still thought they could sell us a tour. A soon as they heard we went with someone else the friendliness was over. We didn’t like Bastimentos very much, weird atmosphere and lots of drunk locals.

Although we were not a big fan of Bastimentos we did like the hostal being right on the water. Good working AC.

Stayed in September 2023

The location is perfect, above the sea overlooking the bay. We loved staying in the little village comparing to Bocas Town. The rooms are basic but it really does not matter given the great atmosphere. Great kitchen open to sea view.

Stayed in August 2023

Not much to do on the island, no place to go to the beach near the hostel

Private room

Stayed in June 2023

Great staff, basic accomodation but great value for money.

Stayed in May 2023

The bedroom was nice, but the sea view they promised on booking was actually facing the exact spot where the sewage is dumped on the sea water. You notice that there's no sewage system in the island, that's why it is not safe to drink or cook with the water from the tap. We bought bottled water for everything, which made the stay more expensive than it already was. The staff was mostly nice but some of them didn't seem very keen to help. Also, wifi only works in the main living room which is next to the kitchen and where the boats arrive/leave. It doesn't work in the bedrooms. Boat Taxis are mandatory to go absolutely anywhere it costs $6, which it seems pricey for the distances they cover. El Jaguar is close to the Wizard Beach, you may go on foot (20min walk) but if you want to go to Red Frog, then you might need to get a boat taxi.

The hostel El Jaguar is a great place to stay. My husband and I had a great time there. The view from the hostel deck is stunning, sometimes at night you can spot some manta rays swimming next to the hostel.

Stayed in March 2023

The typical things that you would see in a hostel like people not cleaning their dishes and leaving it in the sink.

beautiful surroundings. Hamocks on the pier, bar area including kitchen for own cooking. Great value.

Stayed in April 2023

Kitchen wasn't great or consistently cleaned

Location was great! Definitely recommend staying here for a few nights over a bocas town hostel. The hammocks and deck was also lovely to relax

Stayed in March 2023

Can be a bit noisy in the mornings

Amazing location and friendly price

Stayed in March 2023

None of the tours start from there (if you book tours in bocas town, you always have to pay forr a water taxi to go there - this is not hostal's fault, though. Just have in mind that you will need to plan your tours in advance. The hostal does offer some tours and i guess they do pick you up from there). The other annoying thing for me were sand flies (or some other insects) that were biting me for two nights in a row. It was fine the first night and I am not sure what happened the other two nights, but in the morning I woke up full of bites from bugs that itch like crazy.

It was calm and at night it was nice to fall asleep to the sound of the waves. The staff was nice and very helpful, there are two kitchen's in the common area whefe you can prepare food or store it in one of the fridges. The common area was nice too, right on the water and there's a nice view to other islands from there. The room is simple, but clean and enough to spend the night as I was out during the day. It's also easy to get a water taxi from there as they know that guests need to get a ride to bocas town and always pass by and check if anyone needs a ride. They pass by on a regular basis (especily in the morning or during the day) all you need to do is wait for a few minutes. The town is very small, not much to do there. You need to take water taxis to get to places. You can walk to Wizzard beach which is very nice, but the road was very muddy when I was there and the beach was not the best for swimming as there were lots of vawes. It would be suitable for surfing though.

Stayed in March 2023

Beautiful spot, met my expectations for the cost. Would go back again.

Stayed in March 2023

I think the no outside liquor policy is a little weird if it is outside of the hours where the bar is open, but other than that, the stay was great!

Prices and location were great, I did an amazing tour of bioluminescent algae (which was 50% the price of places I found online).

Stayed in February 2023

A bit difficult to find the entrance.

On the water

Stayed in January 2023

There was no hot shower, and there was no internet connection. The place itself was rustic and not quite neat or well organized. The walls in the room had holes in them and they were poorly maintained. I saw a couple of big cockroaches in the room, which was unsettling. You are dependant on water taxies to move around. Overall, it was an average location, but it was cheap. At that price you cannot have very high expectations. The terrace was its biggest asset in my opinion, as it was relaxing

An interesting location with the entire building situated above the sea. They had a nice spacious terrace out the back, where you could eat, or sit in a hammock. They also have a bar where you could get drinks at decent prices, especially during happy hours. The owner was a nice, friendly host with a good sense of humour. He also spoke English. The location was very quiet after 22:00 PM. You could only hear the small waves underneath the rooms, which was quite terrapeutical.  There are lots of water taxies around to take you where you want. The host can also call one for you.

Stayed in January 2023

Nice place, very calm, small market close :)

Stayed in December 2022

Ants in the kitchen and needing a water taxi every time you need to go somewhere off the island (a lot) as the island is very quiet. It would have been good if someone told us the walk to Wizard beach would be so hard when we asked!

Quiet hostal away from the busy Bocas town. Good, comfortable bed with a fan in the room. Bathroom was comfortable and clean.

Stayed in September 2022

You could hear a lot of the noises from the corridor and outside due to the thin wooden walls.

Beautiful communal deck with hammocks overlooking the water, comfortable and clean double room. Access to kitchen was great as the restaurants on the island are expensive!

Stayed in September 2022

I think that the kitchen could be more clean and tidy, although it does not depend directly on the property efforts could be made.

I really liked the setting, it was very cozy to spend time in the hammocks enjoying the views. The room was fine and the staff was always willing to help.

Stayed in May 2022

kitchen got quite messy. Even though it’s usually the guest responsibility to clean after yourselves not everyone is doing it and staff from the hostel wasn’t either so there were dirty dishes in the sink and half eaten food in the kitchen counter for a few days which is isn’t cool or fair for those who are trying to do things right.

waking up and walking along the deck every morning was pretty special. Isla Bastimentos is a beautiful location. The hostel is located right on the center of the “main town” and I was pleasantly surprised there is a lot more “life” than I had anticipated. i was prepared for nothingness and there were a few restaurants to choose from and a couple of small supermarkets/convenience stores. Isla Colon is only 10 min ride, however, it’s 5$ each way so if you’re planning on going there often perhaps you’d be better off just staying in the main island. However I’m still happy we stayed there!

Stayed in May 2022

Hard to find, no signs from the walking path.

Nice, simple hostal on the water in Old Banks. Comfortable hammocks and sitting area just by the sea. Very nice and helpful staff!

Stayed in April 2022

Rooms a touch small, kitchen could have been cleaner, but definitely not the worst hostel kitchen I've seen!

Really nice location, right on the Old Bank dock. We were able to get water taxis within 20 metres of our bedroom. The staff were really nice and very accommodating. Rooms were what you would expect for the price, a touch on the small side but with a window that opens over the ocean, what's not to love?

Stayed in April 2022