Selina Red Frog

Nice helpful stuff. Perfect location in the jungle. We saw sloth, red frogs and Kapuziner monkeys near by. Beach is just 5min. walk through the nice jungle. Food is okay, little pricy. But don’t forget that it’s a remote island! Movieroom is very nice!

Me and my wife stayed here for a few days just after Xmas. Is it perfect? No, did I love every single minute? More than a review can say…. We had a private bungalow, it was exactly that, private. It looks like something straight off an Instagram post, but the reality is just as good. You get a good space, with air con and your own bathroom that overlooks the jungle! Amazing! The water pressure was good, and water was lovely and warm! During dry season you can only use the water at certain times… was this a problem? Hell no! It’s a remote island and you’re in a jungle, just having running water is a miracle! There’s LOADS of wildlife to see, from sloths, to hummingbirds, to monkeys.. it’s perfect for nature lovers! Tomer, is so knowledgeable about all the creatures, and does a night walk around the hotel and shows you al sorts of creatures! The hotel provides loads of tours at really good prices, the staff will recommend the best ones! The path to the beach is amazing, me and the wife must have walked it over 20 times day and night! Water taxis are plentiful and have great drivers. Food was good but they do run out of certain items fairly regularly but don’t let that spoil anything, go for a walk to the other bars etc! Loved it! So much!

Crazy that so few people in Isla Colon know about this place. Initially, I thought I'd visit Red Frog for a day or two-- and i ended up staying at the Selina there for 6 months! The volunteers working there were super helpful to accomodate guests and they organize activities EVERY day. Nature walks, coconut workshops, live music, game tournaments, etc.... and a lot of different tours to explore the islands around. Amazingly, you can see slothes, monkeys and big iguanas all around the island, and the beaches are absolutely fantastic. Surf is seasonal, but snorkeling is always a valid way to spend the day. Ideal destination for nature lovers, free-spirited travelers, or anyone working remotely who needs a break from the constant nagging of civilization. People who stay at Red Frog Selina are usually super friendly, interesting, fun, and often open to spirituality. It's a great place to reconnect with oneself or with the Earth, and to make new friends. Watch out for low/high and dry/rainy seasons - they will impact your stay depending on what you're looking for. Keep in mind the island is prety remote, it's wild! I fell in love with the place within the first two hours I stayed there.

We have stayed in Selina before, and we chose the Selina Red Frod because we thought it was going to be a nice experience but unfortunately it wasn’t the case, for the following reasons: 1) We paid for a bungalow with private shower and we ended up having to take a shower in the common area because there was no water pressure - unacceptable when we paid 100$ more for privacy. 2) Half of the menu wasn’t available due to lack of supplies, we had 3 limited options. Funny enough when we went to Isla Colon the supermarket was fully stacked. 3) The environment at night is almost dead all 4days we stayed, so one night we went to Isla Colon. In the reception they have a boat schedule where we bought tickets. This is not only expensive because you to go Isla Colon for 28$ (round trip) to have dinner but in the return the pickup boat was supposed to pickup at 11:30 and he ended up arriving at 12:45am. The walk from the boat deck to the hotel is really scary, not many lights. We don’t suggest staying in Selina Red Frog if you’re a couple looking for fun activities.

Room I stayed in a private room with shared bathroom. The room had the bed, of course, some shelves and a rack with hangers. Everything I needed to make myself comformtable. There is a powerful A/C unit in addition to a ceiling fan. The room includes linens and two towels. There is also maid service. Bathroom My shared bathroom had two shower stalls and two commode stalls. There are also double sinks. Showers had very hot water so showers were a joy. The commode stalls were a little too small though. When sitting on the commode, I was unable to close the door because it would hit my knees. I had to spread my knees fairly wide to be able to close and lock the stall. This was very annoying. Kitchen The common kitchen has two oven ranges, two refrigerators, and two sinks. There is plenty of counter space. Guest are given labels to mark their food with their name and departure date. The fridges are cleaned out by staff once a week, I believe. Dishes, utensils, pots and pans are all usable but a bit beat up. Food/drinks I had four meals here, two burgers, one curry chicken, and one pizza. The food is mediocre and the price is fairly high. One burger was absolutely rancid. Pizza night was super bland. Chicken curry was just OK but had no curry flavor. I only ordered beer from Selina bar. $2.50 each or $2.00 during happy hour for national beers. Instead, I suggest eating at Palmar on Red Frog Beach, 10 minutes away. Also, Palmar has a 2-for-1 happy hour. If you're drinking beer, just purchase from the market and store in the refrigerator. Even the expensive store at Red Frog Resort sells national beers for about $1 each. Beaches Selina is walking distance to two beaches. Red Frog beach is a 10 minute walk through the jungle. Its a little less than a mile wide (this is where I did my runs) and has restaurants and bars. There is a wide area of sand. Polo Beach is a 45 minute walk from Selina. The sole resident, Polo, offers drinks and food he cooks and serves himself from his rustic shed. There is a thin area of sand between the water and the jungle. But, the water is shallow for maybe 50 meters. I do not include other beaches because those are excursions that require a water taxi.

All in all a weird experience. During our one week stay they had roughly any of the free evening activities, which they nonetheless advertise every morning and during the day. I believe we had 2, which is a bummer cause free activities was key part on our booking decision as backpackers! Waiting times in the reception were needlessly long, on our first day we got our room 3 hours after check in and the house restaurant messes up orders all the time. Also have to mention about the cleanliness: showers are terrible (get new curtains pls), kitchen is not exactly what you call ’inviting’, common area floor is just disgusting never walk there barefooted. Also a friendly reminder to all who dont like bugs, location is in the middle of jungle, theres plenty! Everything else is ok, nothing glamorous but nothing wrong with it either.

Selina’s Red Frog is amazing! The staff were the best of any hostel I’ve stayed in. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and well organized. From the welcome drinks to the yoga classes to the outings and activities, this place was great! The vibe was welcoming and low key, lots of cool people with interesting stories coming together to spend time and enjoy paradise. Speaking of paradise, Red Frog beach may just be the most pristine beach ever. It’s hard to describe how beautiful the short jungle walk to the incredibly clear waters actually is. It’s just spectacular! And if you do visit, walk to Polo Beach. It’s worth it. In terms to the actual lodging, I stayed in a 4 person dorm. It’s clean. The beds are on the more comfortable side. Two good pillows, sheets, and blanket were provided. I rented a towel for $1. The showers had water and rooms had air conditioning, so the stay was comfortable. They provide filtered drinking water, an open air kitchen for personal use, and a restaurant on site. The Israeli dishes are quite good, but I can’t speak to the other dishes. Overall, our stay was fantastic, and we were sad to leave!