A very high-end, self-contained and intelligently designed hostel, the Dreamer has rooms clustered around one of Santa Marta's best swimming pools. Even the dorms get air-con, a clean shared bathroom and good beds. It's hugely popular with discerning travelers. The Italian owners oversee the kitchen, so the food's great, too.
It's a little way out of town, but in fact it's well located for trips to Ciudad Perdida, PNN Tayrona, Minca and some of the area's better beaches, which means you don't have to face the crush of the city's traffic every time you head somewhere.