Beautiful place! 100% recommended.nWe came for lunch and the food was wonderful, along with the service, which was excellent.nWe were served by Romen, and we are very grateful for his helpfulness and friendliness.nThank you!
It was a pleasure to be in this beautiful place. The staff are very friendly. Romen served us, and he was very kind, gentle, and attentive. Visiting Pital is definitely a must-see and relaxing stop on Ometepe.
Great place with amazing vegan food and service! Berling is a really good waitress and took good care of me every time I visited! I tried the green detox juice, choco banana crunch smoothie, hummus and spinach crepes!
A very nice place especially to rest
They are very kind, I love the service.
If Google allowed 10 stars, I'd give it 11! The food was surreal (some of the best I've eaten in a long time), the location is beautiful, and the service is excellent. Thanks to Berilin, who took such good care of us!
Amazing place, amazing views, amazing service from Berlin and everyone, I'm not vegan and the food was amazing!!!!
Reading the reviews I was a bit worried however El Pital wasn’t actually too bad.nThe good:n- Reception staff were friendly, the girl who checked us in was lovely.n- Restaurant had tasty food. We only had the desserts but they were pretty amazing and not too badly priced when you consider they’re vegan (+10% tax however).n- Hot water in the shower big plus!n- Free spring water (but they don’t mention this so we bought 6L before seeing the tap )nThe bad:n- Rooms were pretty basic, basically a bed and a fan. One very small soap and some hand soap, no shampoo.n- The rooms aren’t sealed so you get a lot of bugs and the mosquito net (which ours had marks on) didn’t fully cover the sides of the bed. Therefore I woke up with fresh mozzie bites each morning.n- Our room door was very hard to lock as it was bowed and you had to manoeuvre it quite a bit.nOverall it’s not amazing but from seeing the island I think all accommodation here would be a bit basic. Just don’t have too high of an expectation and you’ll be fine!
Tasty plant-based food, kind staff and great atmosphere, will definitely come back!!
The staff are very nice and the location is great. Guests were sometimes inconsiderate of noise and smells in shared dorms. So please do better if you stay here! This spot is a gem and the cacao is the real deal.
This is indeed quite the paradise! Our room was the one on top of a tree (a treehouse!). It was lovely, with an absolutely gorgeous view and fantastic amenities. Expect some bugs though --the bug screen definitely does its job. The food is absolutely delicious. You can't really go wrong. The vegan shockshouka and its pita bread was some of the best I've ever had. Anything with cocoa is epic. The restaurant is located literally on top of the lake, with incredible views. Really good vibes and shows with loval artists (yay Tommy!). Mind that there's a bit of a walk from the parking, and if you have a rolly bag you will likely have to carry it. Highly recommended overall!
Already an influencer and hipster spot. But it's a great terrace, an appealing menu, and a nice atmosphere, although the restaurant is a bit more expensive. As for the hostel aspect: Beautiful grounds, poor (!) Wi-Fi, not-so-friendly service, and card payments only for an additional charge. After enjoying the lakefront for a day, we moved on. Nice cups.
The highlight of our stay at El Pital was the cacao tour, where Justin was fantastic and passionately told us all about cacao and showed us around the factory before we had as much cacao as we wanted, 100% worth it for only $15, we were expecting maybe 45 minutes and the tour was a whole 3 hours!nThe cafe is vegan, and food delicious although somewhat pricey.nThe accommodation though is very very overpriced. While you get the location, the rooms are double the price of very nice airbnbs with the same proximity to the water. Our room felt dated, there were holes in the mosquito nets and there was no safe for valuables as advertised. The small day bed was stained, and the roof leaked when it rained. Wifi was fine in the room, but went out when the power died, and we couldn’t connect any of our devices to the wifi at the cafe.nI would recommend staying somewhere nicer and cheaper and then coming here for the cacao tour and cafe.
Loved staying here, LOVED the cacao tour it’s a MUST on ometepe. My favourite activity i did on the island
Stunning location and kind local staff — but the owners care only about your money, not your safety.nI suffered a serious ankle injury due to a broken, unmarked step on their poorly maintained path. There was no lighting, no signage, and no warning. Even after reporting the issue, nothing was done to repair the step or mark it as dangerous. They ignored my messages entirely — no apology, no help, no accountability. The local team were supportive, but the owners remained silent. It is deeply disappointing to see a place that markets itself as ethical show such disregard for guest safety. Their lack of response shows that people’s wellbeing comes second to profit. I would not return, and I urge others to think carefully about supporting businesses that refuse to take responsibility when preventable injuries occur.
A quiet place with a relaxed atmosphere, with a superb view. A delightful place to have a snack or a more substantial meal. Excellent drinks and very friendly service. The bill is in line with the proposal, excellent.
The place has a wonderful view where you can see that crystal-clear lake, very good to spend an afternoon with family or friends, and also has great service provided by the waitress Berling, a very kind, helpful and charismatic young woman, who invites me to visit the place again.
Did not have a good time way too dark of s cholocate order milkshake got warm cacao. And was ill after eating
A must for chocolate lovers.nI have to say one of the best brownies I've ever had.nBanana and chooclate milkshake was also very nice but I think it was too rich for me to have it all together hahah!nBut nice place to sit as well overlooking the water.
I didn’t stay here but visited and ate here every day I was in Ometepe. Food is amazing- some of the best I’ve had in Central America (I’m not vegan or veggie so happy bonus for those who are). Beautiful setting on the lake. Perfect to spent a few hours swimming and eating your way through the menu
Beautiful place to clear your mind with a view of the CONSEPCION volcano
Justin did such a great job conveying the sacred message of chocolate and giving credit to all the local farmers
My mum and I had a wonderful stay at El Pital and would definitely come back!nnOur private room was peaceful, not overlooked, and felt very tranquil. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was lovely. The only downside was the lack of air conditioning in the private room — if it had that, I’d give it a full 10/10.nnThe service was excellent. We were warmly welcomed by Angel at reception, who was incredibly kind, helpful, and friendly throughout our entire stay. He really is a huge asset to El Pital — thank you, Angel!nnWe loved the daily 8am yoga classes. We did six in total and found all the teachers to be great. That said, it’s worth noting that while the yoga is advertised as “free,” it’s actually donation-based for the teachers, which should be made clearer.nnThe location couldn’t be better — absolutely beautiful, with the restaurant overlooking the lake. Being able to jump right in for a swim was such a treat! The food was fresh and delicious, and the cakes were to die for.nnAll in all, a magical place — peaceful, welcoming, and full of charm. Highly recommend, and we can’t wait to return!
We did a cacao tour with Justin which was amazing. We learnt so much about the process of producing chocolate, the history and the benefits of cacao and lost feeling about time because of all the interesting and inspiring input. The tour included a tasting of different chocolates as well and we were allowed to eat as many cacao beans and chocolate as we just wanted to. Thanks for this great experience, it gave us a great memory :)
A very beautiful place, it gives you peace, tranquility and a beautiful view
THANK YOU JUSTIN FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOUR!!nIt's truly THE highlight of this place. Justin is passionate and engaging, a timeless experience that I would like to repeat and share with those I love.nAs for the hotel and restaurant: the value for money in the dorms is decent, even quite good, although the drinks and food are a bit pricey. But the good thing is that all the staff are local employees and not backpackers volunteering for room and board, so personally, I'm happy to pay a little more for that. Not to mention the magical location.
Cheescake und chocolate drink amazing. The Yoga class was also very good - we went there twice .
Very tasty food! The portions were almost outrageously small for the money! If they were bigger then 5 stars!! I've only been to the restaurant here.
I think this place is overrated. It is so touristy. And the price of the drinks is expensive. Pizza is good but small. And there are a lot of insects in the night. Would not go there another time.
WHAT TO EXPECT? Lake side restaurant / hostel / swimspot with views over lake Concepción serving vegetarian menu of pizzas, hummus platters, cakes. Free place to park motorbikes 5 mins walk from pital. GnnPOSITIVES- Super chill laid back atmosphere with comfy sofas, laid back wooden seats/benches, music and fairy lights. Pizza was fresh. Chocolate cake was gorgeous. Direct access to swimming in the lake. Great view. Friendly staff and service.nnNEGATIVES- Loads of flies as the sun goes down.nnPAY / COST / PRICE- Can pay card (5% surcharge) or cash. Menu is a little pricey, more like European prices. Approximate prices - Pizza 370, Cake 270, Beers 180, Cocktails 250.nnTOP TIP- bring bug spray
Smoothies were 1000/10! Beautiful views, amazing staff! I wish they had AC in their private rooms, would love to stay here in the future! Will definitely be coming back!
We had a really enjoyable dinner at El Pital. The setting was lovely; I wish we'd made it there before sunset to see it in the light. They had several great vegetarian options. Unfortunately, they were sold out of their house-made pita (next time!), but we really enjoyed the pizza and the veggie burger. The brownie was so, so good as well. Service was wonderful and we were able to use a credit card. We'd love to go back.
Beautiful hotel and cafe- the vibes are great and seems like a great place to stay. We came a few times for cacao and hoped to do a ceremony but it didn’t line up with our schedule :/ but the deck is great to enjoy the sunset and every drink we tried was wonderful. Lots of friendly people hang out here too if you want to meet some other travelers
Food was very nice and view is amazing!
Nice hotel with great vegan food only on the menu but no soft drinks or snacks available. My dorm to the lake Front was super nice, but water pressure in the shower is very low, one day we had no water at all.nThey don’t provide shared shuttles, so taxi to ferry is $25. Lots of locals there in the evening but no real designated area for solo travelers. Chocolate tour is great, hike to Maderas is VERY challenging with 9 hours in total but worth it.
I liked this hostel, the nice rooms, there are dry bathrooms and others, the permaculture theme was very present and I liked it a lot.nThe bad thing is that it doesn't have a kitchen for guests, only a restaurant and it's expensive.nThe Internet does not reach the shared rooms.nNext to the lake where you can get in and enjoy having a cold chocolate!
Immaculate vibes. Chocolate cheesecake was a little strong with the slightly bitter cacao flavor but the brownie was delicious and perfectly made. The drinks are refreshing and not overwhelming to have with the deserts. That was one of my concerns. Definitely recommend visiting here at least once.
Beautiful food, lovely space to chill on the lake. Cool vibe. The jungle dorm was comfortable, and the staff were great.nnThe morning yoga was also a fantastic addition to the experience ☺️
One of the most beautiful places I’ve stayed during my visit. You’re really in the jungle, in between the cacao trees with an exceptional view on the lake. All the vegan food I ate in the restaurant was delicious. Also the service was great, I’ve met Engel, one of the receptionists. He was so friendly and always happy to help or give you some tips to discover the island. Very grateful to have met him!
Anything chocolate here was just incredible. Ceremonial cacao is absolutely amazing! Loved it!nAlso had a breakfast there, pancakes are little bit meh but crapes were delicious, so was matcha.nYoga class with Rebecca was lovely!
