Casa Kiwi Hostel in Medellin

stevens says on Apr 4, 2005, 08:15:

I stayed there and never got a good night's sleep because the owner likes to party and then get up early and yap on the phone. It's not just me. Everyone else staying there felt the same way.

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peanutbutterconspiracy says on Apr 4, 2005, 08:22:

Casa Kiwi Hostel in Medellin Thanks for the info. Do you have another suggestion for lodging in Medellin? Do you know how I can rent a furnished apartment in Medellin?

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2montoyk says on Apr 4, 2005, 08:30:

? for how long are u going to be in medellin? dan carlton is a good idea ...

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peanutbutterconspiracy says on Apr 4, 2005, 08:43:

Hotel Dann Carlton in Medellin Thanks for the recommendation. I have been to Colombia many times, but this will be my first trip to Medellin. I will be in Medellin for one or two months. Hotels are also an option because most hotels in Colombia will offer a better rate for extended stays. If you have the contact info for someone at Hotel Dann Carlton that can offer a rate for an extended stay, then please provide it. I will use Google to try and find a web site for Hotel Dann Carlton. If anyone else has hotel (or apartment) recommendations in Medellin, then I appreciate it. Thanks again.

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2montoyk says on Apr 4, 2005, 08:48:

well if u are going to stay for one or two months i think the dan carlton will be high on price, u should look for an apt.. i will try to get more info and i'll get back to you
i am sure u will have tons of fun ...i'm also from medellin and i will be going in july ...

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peanutbutterconspiracy says on Apr 4, 2005, 09:38:

Furnished Apartment in Medellin Thank you very much. If you will be in Medellin in April or May, let me know. Thanks again.

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MotoAdventures says on Apr 4, 2005, 10:29:

Casa Kiwi Fiestas Well, it seems as though I'm getting a pretty bad reputation around here just from one unhappy BPH user (stevens/bonzi - whatever you want to call yourself), and one inaguration party. Steve, I'm sorry you didn't get a good night's sleep. I can assure everybody that the late night party was a one time event.

There were only four people staying here at the time, and I told all of them when they moved in that I was planning one (1) inaguration party with local foreign friends and students from a local private university (EAFIT) that coming weekend, and it would go pretty late. It did go rather late because everyone was having such a good time. As I remember, you yourself Steve were partying very late, seeming to thoroughly enjoy yourself with the women who were here. In english we call that hipocritical.

(BTW Steve, I also have friends here who saw you grab and almost hit a young boy in Parque Lleras who was bothering you. Please try to work on that temper a little bit. The last thing we need in Colombia are foreigners making a bad name for oursleves.)

Numerous guests have commented to me how well they have slept here, due to the quiet neighborhood, cement walls (which keep the house nice and cool), and very comfortable orthopedic beds - all 30 of them. Including an Israeli who stayed here with his 50 year old father, and a current 65 year old guest from Florida.

Please don't let one unhappy guest turn you away from a very nice, peaceful guest-house.

Gracias.

Paul Thoreson - Casa Kiwi Hostel - www.motoadventures.org

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peanutbutterconspiracy says on Apr 4, 2005, 11:30:

Casa Kiwi Hostel in Medellin Thanks for your response, Paul. Actually, I prefer a social atmosphere (within reason). Fiestas? No hay problema! Paul, I will send you an email to your Hotmail account. At a minimum, I will visit to say hello even if I stay elsewhere. Thanks again.

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goldengate says on Apr 4, 2005, 12:09:

Casa Kiwi I'm a woman from San Francisco, California, and I just stayed at Casa Kiwi for a week. It's a beautiful house, on (as Paul says) a quiet, tree-lined street. During my stay there I got plenty of sleep, and really appreciated the cool temperature of the house, excellent beds, and complete cleanliness of the place. I met numerous people who were return guests, staying at Casa Kiwi for a second or third time. I think that says a lot about a place. Everyone was friendly and I enjoyed getting to know the other guests. It's also in an ideal location, five blocks from Parque Lleras which is a great spot for restaurants and bars. Just close enough so I could walk to the action, but far enough so that I felt I could go home to a nice, calm place. Paul is a wonderful host. Even if you ultimately decide to get an apartment in Medellin, I would definitely recommend spending a few days at least at Casa Kiwi. There are private rooms there, and guests often stay for a month or more.

Enjoy Medellin!

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stevens says on Apr 4, 2005, 12:58:

Paul it wasn't just that one night, but since you brought it up you said the party would stop at 3. I'm sure you don't remember me coming down at 6.40 am to ask you to stop it because you were completely out of it, as were your three friends, all that remained. You stopped the music then, but not the voices, which kept on until 8. I'm sure you don't remember any of that, but the other guests do, I assure you. But that's not why I posted. I'd forgiven you for that. the problem is that you get up earlier than your guests and make noise, and your house isn't set up for that, at least not the room I was in or the other private rooms. Everyone who was their while Iwas there coplained about the noise,yournoise, every morning,and I have heard the same from another exguest.
I'm disappointed that you feel you have to try to smear my character because of one negative review. Look out everybody. Just criticize Paul and it could be you. If you were so concerned about what happened in the park, you would have at least asked me about it. I know where you got your info, from a street vendor who doesn't understand a word of English, and the conversation I had with that little punk was entirely in English. And I assure you, if I'd wanted to hit him, he'd still be hurting. Basically, he was laughing at me and all Americans because our country made his daddy rich, but he wouldn't say what his daddy does. He also went on the attack because it is easy for Americans to get visas to Colombia. He wouldn't give me the repect of listening tome at all. He was very insulting but I only lost my temper when he called me aggresive. Anyway, the PBH readers can make up their own minds but the Palm Tree is still the only real hostel in town.

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stevens says on Apr 4, 2005, 13:09:

Paul One other thing, you say I don't belong in Colombia but were obviouslydisappointed when I moved out, which makes you a liar.

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Hunter says on Apr 4, 2005, 13:21:

peanutbuttercon Below is a link to a thread I added to a couple of moths ago, that you might find usefull.

http://www.poorbuthappy.com/colombia/node/6807

I can't comment one way or the other about Casa Kiwi, but I would suggest that if you are going to stay at a hotel in Medellin for a month or two, aim for a 50% discount on their normal prices.

On my first two visits to Medellin I stayed for 4 months then 2 months in a suite at the Hotel Plaza Rosa at a 50% discount.

Hunter

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jan12 says on Apr 4, 2005, 13:28:

Not happy with Casa Kiwi )Medellin)either!!! I stayed in Casa Kiwi also. The hostal was quiet during the day but noisey at night. The place is on a main street where cars pass at all hours and dificult to sleep. Paul is a nice guy but had too many strangers in the house at all hours that weren´t staying there and too many parties and drugs. I was worried my things would be stolen. The post above by ¨Goldengate¨is Pauls sister, so of course she is going to say it was great.Its also expensive compare to other hostals, but has a nice TV. Just trying to be honest.

Jan from Belguim

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jan12 says on Apr 4, 2005, 13:34:

Apartments and other hostals There are other options I would recommend. The Palm Tree hostal ,which is cheaper and quieter, and the owner knows alot about Medellin and Colombia. He is Colombian. Also look for cheap hotels or look in the El Colombiano , the newspaper)classifieds) for places.

Jan from Belguim

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MotoAdventures says on Apr 4, 2005, 14:09:

How many accounts can we have on PBH? I'm just wonering because it seems at though Steve, i.e. stevens/bonzi/jan12 likes to open new accounts impersonating other people. Steve, what you don't know, is that after you left, Jan from Belguim was one of my repeat guests, and asked if he could take flyers with him to promote Casa Kiwi on the road. Nice try though. Would you like inventing another guest to bag on my hostal?

You know what Steve, life's too short to bother myself with your nonsense. Buena suerte.

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peanutbutterconspiracy says on Apr 4, 2005, 18:41:

Steve? Paul,

Steve? Is that his real name? There is an American named Steve S. that lives in Tampa, Florida. He has been disrupting other internet forums about Colombia for many years. Steve uses countless accounts, and he uses many of those accounts to impersonate other people. Is this the same jerk? Steve in Tampa? Or is it a different Steve?

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caligula says on Apr 4, 2005, 18:45:

STEVENS/BONZI/JAN12 Are all the same People(s) Have not yet been to Casa Kiwi.. I can only describe what I have experienced so far dealing with Paul
(The proprietor)

Prompt e-mail responses, Detailed answers to my DETAILED questions, etc. As well as a sense that this person who truly cares about his establishment.
I am empathetic to what Paul is trying to achieve in Medellin. Being a business owner myself,
One quickly learns what is/not acceptable in the way one packages their product/services.
1. When a business is ran improperly, The proprietor will incur short term gains/ long term losses. Failure
2. However if the proprietor puts heart and soul into his business, that business will thrive. Success

I did not get the sense that Paul is trying to fail.

With that being said, I have decided to stay at Casa Kiwi; While there,
I will use their Internet access and inform this board how my stay at the hostel is going.

And if it doesn’t go well, Then I will leave.. That’s why god gave us free will..

Which segue’s perfectly to my next point:

BOZO IF YOU DIDN’T LIKE THE HOSTEL WHY DID YOU STAY ?????
Post Script

There is someone on this site by the name(s) of STEVENS /BOZO /JAN12 did I say BOZO?…uh.. I mean BONZI.

I concur with Paul, That these are the SAME PEOPLE/PERSON based on a couple of observation I have made:

1. I have seen STEVENS BONZI JAN12 trash kiwi hostel on other posts.. And If you pay close attention to One little nuance

You will notice that on the messages posted by STEVENS BONZI JAN12

HE/THEY WILL ALWAYS POST TWO MESSAGES(s) BACK TO BACK



You don’t have to be a engineering a V-2 Rocket to notice a pattern.

Don’t hate the player Bozo… Hate the game!!! Stop bashing Kiwi Hostel
Go do something more productive with your time.. like read a book or something..

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Mr. Hollywood says on Apr 4, 2005, 19:02:

Get a room I know you guys have already tried this once, but how about getting a room and leaving the rest of us out of your spat.

Posting self-serving "statements" from multiple false IDs is really cheesy, whoever is doing it.

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JoFo says on Apr 4, 2005, 19:17:

My 2 Cents As I am living in Medellin, I heard about this discussion and so wanted to come by and put my two cents in.

I stayed at the Casa Kiwi for five nights and can recommend it without hesitation. I would still be there now, but I was coming to live in Medellin and so got a place of my own. For me it was a perfect transition spot, and Paul was super helpful and friendly. The first day I was there he was trying to lead me personally down to the park so that I wouldn't get lost. I had to turn him around and tell him to go back and take care of whatever he needed to take care of at the house.

I chose the Casa Kiwi because of the great location and the fact that I could get a private room for a good price (about $10 US ... shared rooms are, of course, cheaper). The room I stayed in was on the front side of the house and I never had a problem with the sound of the cars (it's not a major street, though it may get some neighborhood traffic). I'm neither a light nor a heavy sleeper. It was fine for me.

There are a number of things to recommend the hostel: it's location is probably number one. Although the website will tell you it's "5 blocks" from Parque Lleras, and that's true, it's really only about 2 blocks from the nightlife area itself. The other three blocks you walk to park are already inside the Zona Rosa (the nightlife area). The actual block the hostel sits on is very nice in and of itself. There is a small market directly across the street and a number of little cafes just four or five storefronts down from the house. As others have said, it's a shady, quiet block. If I could afford to buy house there myself, I would do it in a heartbeat. The house is airy, sunny, comfortable, and filled with mostly new furniture - new couches, new beds, a new pool table, a new 42" plasma TV, etc. - things you definitely won't find in most hostels.

As for the poster who had problems with noise, I can only assumue his luck was bad on that occasion. I arrived after that party, but heard about it. Personally, MY regret is that I wasn't there for it. When I stay in a hostel, I expect certain things: I expect some noise I wouldn't get in a regular hotel, I expect some lack of privacy, I expect a few inconveniences; but I also expect to meet intersting people, I expect a cheap price, and I expect to find a good party in the living room on occasion. There were no blow-out, all night parties when I was there. Everything was as a hostel usually is (only quieter actually, as it's still new).

Once again, I recommend this hostel without hesitation. The day is coming soon when the only problem travelers will have at the Casa Kiwi is finding a bed there.

Joe

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peanutbutterconspiracy says on Apr 5, 2005, 09:08:

Steve? Paul,

Steve? Is that his real name? There is an American named Steve S. that lives in Tampa, Florida. He has been disrupting other internet forums about Colombia for many years. Steve uses countless accounts, and he uses many of those accounts to impersonate other people. Is this the same jerk? Steve in Tampa? Or is it a different Steve?

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stevens says on Apr 5, 2005, 17:49:

PBH accounts Lionheart once posted that there are ways to trace PBH members if they get too out of line. I really hope one of the moderators does this to clear up this nonsense. Surely they can at least trace a post back to the originating country. All of my posts on this site came from Japan until January 26th this year, when I left for Colombia. Tomorrow night I'll be in Atlanta and the next day back in Tokyo, so Paul, please follow up on this. Insist that they trace my posts. Of course, they'll just find out that we are different people and you will be faced with the reality that not everybody oves the way you run your hostel. And I assure you that I don't have my sister post for me like you do. Talk about cheesy. I'm sure everybody is getting tired of this.
As I said, everybody at the hostel when I was there felt the same way about the constant noise so it's no surprise to me that more people have spoken up. I just did a search of the post for Bonzi and read his post and , surprise, he got fed up with the noise, too. I can see it now. Months from now when more people have complained you'll be claiming that I have 20 or 30 PBH accounts.
I don't know what transpired between you and Jan, but I know that he is a nice and honorable person, which is why you arroused his sense of decency with your lies about me. So nice try, but you're not going to get away with it. Jan, if you're reading this, why don't you post in your native language just to prove I couldn't be you? Thanks. Then everyone will know we are who we say we are. Or post something in your excellent Spanish, because everyone knows my Spanish isn't very good yet.

Caligula - "You don’t have to be a engineering a V-2 Rocket to notice a pattern." The only pattern I see is one liar, Paul, and some gullible readers like yourself. And you're not going to be doing any posting online from Casa Kiwi - that's just another lie.


Paul - You call me a hypocrite for coming to your party and dancing with some girls "very, very late" and then complaining about the noise? Of course I tried to enjoy myself - what the hell else could any of us do? I went up to my room at 3 in the morning. I agree that that's very very late. So how would you describe 8? BTW, I don't consider a ratio of two girls to every guy a great party. You flatter yourself.

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