Rancheria Utta

This place is basic yet has all you need to relax a few days. Yes, the rooms and bathrooms are dusty from the constant blowing of desert sand. Yes, electricity is rationed to nighttime hours only. The menu is okay by any objective measure, and the staff are friendly. All in all, I’d stay for two night max, and be sure to walk around and hit the beach as much as possible.

Attention!!!! We slept in the hammocks on the beach for two days as we wanted to sleep cheaply. We also thought that the accommodation was a good project. Unfortunately there were probably communication problems. We thought we had paid for two hammocks for two nights when we checked in. On the last evening, two employees came and wanted the same amount from us again. So now we have paid twice. If we had known that the hammocks cost $80 for two nights, we would have gone to a different accommodation. We also find it extremely strange to be charged twice. So be careful and get a receipt, or simply choose another accommodation in the village. It wasn't worth it for us.

I spent 4 nights at Utta in early August 2023 with my husband and 2 kids. It was an experience like no other! The room was clean and pleasant, the staff very helpful (Ana, Will, I can't remember the other names), the hammocks wonderful, and the meals were tasty and generous. As we hadn't organised a tour beforehand (possibly a mistake) Ana gave us tips on where to go, including an amazing beach an hour's walk away that we had entirely to ourselves - unless you count the pelicans diving for fish! Yes it's hot, yes it's sandy, it's not luxurious, but it has everything you need and it was so quiet and peaceful. We enjoyed our afternoons in the hammocks or playing Parques on the table by the "bar", and evenings after dinner gazing at the stars on the beach. Lovely place.

Horrible! We asked the person at the reception information about transport to Punta Gallinas. He said it would be a drive of 4 hours. The next day we leave at 7 in the morning. Suddenly we were on a tour all the day that forces us on many stops and long pauses in expensive restaurants. We arrive in the dark to our hostel we wanted to stay (they had first booked us withour our knowledge in another one). We didn’t get to see the beautiful places we had planned to see. The next day we had to be ready at 5 in the morning, again leaving us no time there. All of a sudden we realize that the jeep in dropping us in Uribia?? Which is more than 1 hours away from Cabo de la vela. No one at the Rancheria told us about any of this. It was a lot of money and too much money for us to go back to Cabo. They gave us little to no information, and the information that they gave were just lies. We were not the only persons on the tour that didn’t know it was going to be a tour. It took us a lot of time and effort to go to Cabo and now we barely got to spend time there or see anything. All thanks to the rancheria utta.

This place is evidently well managed, the staff is great, the food is good, everything is clean, the cabins are nice, they have a fan, just in case, but you don’t really need it. The bathroom has water all day, electricity is limited but through the night. It has a nice view, and you can rest and relax there.

Stayed here because another hotel canceled our reservation. Typical but nicest 'rancheria' style cabin. Room with 5 comfy beds There is water 24/7 and there is energy through the night. They cut the energy a few hours a day for recharging but didn't feel it. Good food, very clean under guajira standards. Doesnt habe A/C, but didnt really need it, very fresh rooms. This is by far the best place to stay. Negatives: 1. store inside is way over priced. 2. It is a little farther than most hotels so you would have to walk 10-15 minutes to main hotel and restaurant areas or where the kite action is at. But you can take a motorcycle ride for 1-2 USD per person. Remember walking in this heat or in the dark is not that cool! Still awesome place and highly recommended!!!

We stayed here with expotur expecting an enclosed cabin. This is even listed on their own website but we received a cabin that was open at the top. At night there were tons of mosquitoes. The room was poorly cleaned and we found old underwear on the door. The sheets had stains on them as well. For breakfast and lunch be prepared to fight the flies for your meals. We walked through the neighboring small town and other places did not have the same amount of flies. This is an easy fix and staff told our tour operator that they were on the middle of fumigation. I think they are just being cheap. The beach they have is rocky in comparison to the town. Our tour operator works with them because "they are away from noise." However through the night you can hear loud music playing and other conversation as the cabin was open the air without mosquito net. There is a lot of staff employed but many hang around with their phones out. Our driver told us that we should pre order our dinner at 5:30 so we would get it at 7:30. We pre ordered our dinner to be ready at 6:30 and it was ready at 7:20. Furthermore we saw staff hanging outside of someone else's room while they were not they were not there. Within the small town there are many accomodations and some with wifi. I am not entirely sure what benefits they provide. Do not trust the positive reviews because things have definitely changed after the pandemic.

Wonderfull experience! Despite being in the desert Utta has great facilities, the atmosphere is astonishing and all the staff is helpful and kind! Amazing!