La Sirena Ecohostel is located on a secluded beach outside Palomino, a village about an hour and a half by bus from Santa Marta. This is an excellent option for those who want to escape the crowds of Tayrona or Taganga and spend some quiet time on the Caribbean. Stepping out of your wooden beach cabin and onto the white sand, shaded by coconut palms and just metres from the rolling Caribbean waves, travellers can experience the rare treat of having the whole beach to themselves!

The EcoHostel is owned by Colombian/Canadian couple Marta and Christopher who have created a truly relaxing beach getaway while remaining sensitive to the surroundings, environmentally and culturally. The hostel has various recycling programmes and the whole place has been made to leave as little an impact as possible on the pristine surroundings.

La Sirena also works closely with Yamahana, a local organisation which works together with indigenous people from the local area to develop fairtrade tourism initiatives in a culturally responsible manner. For those interested in learning about the way of life in these communities, there are several excursions available through the Hostel.

La Sirena has one main, wooden building which comprises of three rooms and an area for hammocks. Rooms in the main cabin sleep from two to four people and cost 50,000 Pesos. To sleep in a hammock costs 20,000 Pesos. There is also a private cabin which can be booked privately for a couple or small group for 70,000 Pesos. All prices are per person and in effect from December 2010.

There is a toilet and shower block with cold water showers and efforts are made to use water conservatively in keeping with the ‘Eco’ theme of the hostel.

There are local crafts for sale at La Sirena, made by the staff and by the local community and this artistic flare can also be seen in the decoration of the rooms and gardens with paintings and wind chimes.

The Eco Hostel has a restaurant service offering home-cooked meals, snacks and drinks throughout the day.

Tours and activities such as visits to the Indigenous communities, inner tubing down the Palomino River, canoeing and guided hikes can all be arranged through the hostel. Alternatively, there are also some nice walks guests can do independently to the mouth of two nearby rivers where you can bathe in alternating waves of sea water and cool fresh river water. This a great way to see the areas abundance of birds and butterflies and watch the local indigenous people fishing and collecting shells along the shore.

From Santa Marta catch a bus from the central market area marked ‘Palomino’. The journey takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes to arrive in the village and costs 4,000 Pesos. From the village of Palomino you can walk to the beach in 20 minutes along a path towards ‘Finca Don Aires’ (ask in the village), turn right once you reach the sand and you’ll find ‘La Sirena within a few metres. You can also take a mototaxi from the village to La Sirena for 3,000 Pesos until around 6 or 7pm.

From Cartagena, Baranquilla or the main bus terminal in Santa Marta, take any bus with destination Maicao as this will pass through Palomino.