Socialtel Bocas Del Toro

I came there with high expectations but it was just a bad experience. I stayed in a 6 bed dorm. Cons: There was black mold under the beds - literally unsuitable for people to sleep there. Not enough lockers for everyone in the room. Not a single hanger in the room to hang a towel or your clothes. The beds ceiling is so low that you can’t sit in the bed. Overall a very bad experience in the room. Pros: The staff were very friendly and helped me out with questions and things I needed. The location is also good and close to many restaurants. Overall I highly suggest not to stay in the 6 people dorm there, at least until they renovate it. You can find a decent private hotel room in this island for the same price per night, and without risking your health with the mold

The cowork is the best thing about this place! A lot of space, rooms to take calls, and a nice view! I would have stayed longer if they had a kitchen so I could cook too.

This is an ideal place to stay for Filthy Friday. The ticketing office is just across the street, and the party starts and ends at Selina. It gets pretty quiet on weekdays though, so this might not be the best place to stay if you're looking to party all week. There are cheaper places to stay in Bocas Town, but you do get what you pay for. Dorms have AC, and they keep em on all day. Beds were real comfy. The location is great, everything you'll ever need is nearby. Tours can easily be booked onsite, though there are cheaper options right outside. Wi-Fi was fast and reliable, perfect for those who are working remotely. The onsite restaurant serves good food. I loved the cinema room-- it's a great place to chill. I'd stay here again if I ever go back to Bocas.

An honest review about a hostel 9/10. location; amazing. staff attitude; trying. general atmosphere; alive. room conditions; Needs improvement. I would have been happy to give a complete 10, but an unfortunate incident in the beer-pong competition that the hostel organized prevented me from giving the score wholeheartedly. I will explain. The tournament included almost 20 talented couples from all over the island who competed for a prize of 50 dollars, but most of all, for the honor and glory. So we started. The first two games were close to a humiliating loss, and we only won thanks to the time limit. As we advanced to the semi-finals, you could feel the tension in the air. We arrived as an underdog. Against us is a determined Jewish-Uruguayan team. The state of the cups was 4 on their side and 3 on our side. Then in their turn the two balls were put into separate cups - one last cup stands for us. The situation was bleak, and became bleaker when a new rule was floated saying that if both balls go in, the scoring pair gets another turn. In the dubious turn both balls were already in the cup, but with our quick blow we got them out. Staying sharp: All my training in the Israeli Olympic squad came to my aid when we scored both balls in the same cup, causing the other side to go from 4 cups to a single cup! Suddenly the dubious law was in our favor, and with the extra shot we hit the lone cup! We remained cool, because the final is still ahead of us. We arrived at the final already really drunk, 2 liters of beer in half an hour. But so is the other team, so let's not focus on the negative. The final game started shockingly, very quickly we reached the situation of 6 cups with them, and only one cup with us! I looked at Tal with a look that said "all is lost". Then he said to me: "Ben, imagine how it would feel if they lost feom here." The words of the American team captain in the 2013 America's Cup competition echoed in my head, the greatest comeback in sports history. We stayed sharp. We put a pair of balls in the same cup - 3 cups remained. In the additional turn we received, 2 balls for 2 different cups - a single cup on the table on the hostile side. With an impressive arcing shot, Tal scored the ball into the last cup. silence. I lost my sense of hearing for a few seconds. Excitement floods every fiber of my body. A feeling of elevation hard to describe, something between nirvana and divine revelation. But it wasn't a dream, we really won. We are the Bocas del Toro beer-pong champions for today's date. We ran to claim the prize, because fuck the title, bring me money. It turns out that the money is not cash, but a balance to be used in the hostel's bar. "Are you serious? I'm already after a bucket of beer and a few shots, do you think I'm spending 50 dollars on a drink now??". Then Tal came up with the noble solution: buy 20 beers and distribute to the losers. I was not impressed. I follow my heart, and the heart wants money.

The dorms are horrible. Stayed at the 6 bedroom dorm for a couple of days. The top bunk beds are so close under the ceiling you can not even try to sit up! No curtains and they have the lockers sometimes where the head is. So you have to move down that you can lay down to sleep. No storage possibilities. Bathroom not cleaned & sometimes no toilet paper. Pretty noisy, wich i was expecting when i go to a party hotel, but it was actually less noisy then expected. The kitchen to use is also not clean, the pans are disgusting and for example the toaster is not working. The only really good thing is the location and the yoga class is really nice! The tour price is okay, cheaper then in some other hostels.

Do not stay here. The place is a dump. It’s mouldy everywhere… The staff were rude and belittled us, treating us like children, after we found a USED CONDOM!!!!! in our nightstand. It’s a party hostel, so expect music to blast from the DJ downstairs until 4am on the weekends… oh, and we didn’t have any water or power for extended periods during our stay without any notion of when it would be replenished. Imagine a 197-bed party hostel with no water… no way to shit, shower or wash your hands 🤢 No kitchen facility, and the place only accepts cash (and the ATMs in the town charge you $6.80USD extra each time and only let you take out $250USD per transaction 🙄). There are way better places to stay for way less money, and then you can still come here to party if you want to (honestly don’t even bother). I’d give less than 1 star if I could. Oh, and don’t expect any group activities. The photos show some yoga? Nothing was ever organized throughout our one week stay here. All the tours that we were offered as a bonus for our used condom fiasco were cancelled at the last minute two days in a row. The place is a joke. Take your money elsewhere.

Let me start by saying I know hostels aren’t luxurious. I’m used to hostels and was not expecting anything fancy. I was just expecting basic clean hostel with good/chill vibes. Boy was I wrong. Terrible hostel. Way overpriced. Selina prides itself in being a good digital nomad spot but they make you pay for the coworking space. Wifi in the common area / rooms is extremely slow. The room smelled disgusting during the whole stay. No mattress cover, not even a top sheet 😂 The headboard of the bed was broken. The sheets were awful and itchy. The shower wasn’t draining. There was mold everywhere even on the mattress. I’m trying really hard to find something positive to say here 😂 Staff was really nice tho. Location is good. Very central, close to bars and restaurants. Nice AC in the room. Fun swings and hammocks in the common area.

Great hostel, very comfortable, good breakfast options, right in town in a very good location and really helpful staff as well (shout out Nicole). Only downside is no laundry service (although there's one nearby) and it is quite expensive