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Colombia (and the Hostals thereof)

Colombia (and the Hostals thereof)

I am from just outside of London. I have been traveling South America the past 2 years and by far my favourite country is Colombia. I have learnt that in order to enjoy your stay in whichever part of the world you choose to explore, it’s essential that you choose your accommodation wisely. I’d like to start off by saying that Medellin is a fabulous city. The people are wonderful and friendly, and if you are planning to stay a long time, try to find an apartment to do so and absorb the culture. Anyway, here’s a list of cities and hostals I recommend (or don’t, as the case may be)

MEDELLIN: When I first went there, I thought that hostals didn’t get any better than Casa Kiwi, but after a disgraceful display that I was unfortunate enough to witness there, I refused to give the place any more business and I hope that the reader here refuses to as well. Terrible... Suffice to say, there’s a wonderful alternative in Black Sheep hostal. It’s a hostal extremely close to the main partylife of Medellin, as well as being a comfortable safe place to stay in the centre of town. I had a good experience with this well-kept hostal before leaving to find an aparatment of my own.

BOGOTA: The Platypus is adequate, usually quite busy but has a friendly and enjoyable atmosphere.

CALI: I can’t remember exactly the name of the place, but I think it was called Hostal Britannica, in any case, it had a british theme. There’s a huge dog that wanders the place, but it’s friendly. You can watch a catalogue of movies there in a relaxed and chilled out atmosphere. They don’t negotiate discounts which is the only drawback, but it’s in a GREAT location of Cali.

POPAYAN: Casa Familiar is a nice hostal with a huge scary dog! It has good rates, and the owners are friendly and reliable. Plain but large rooms.

PASTO: Honestly, don’t spend too much time here unless you are free to stay in Colombia awhile. In my opinion there are many more interesting places in Colombia. If you decide to stay here, stay in Hostal Koala.

By manu1999 on Jan 20, 2007, 12:00 in Friendly Talkzone.

chester says on Jan 20, 2007, 13:41:

c'mon now tell us the story about Hostal Casa Kiwi, the disgraceful display and all that.

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manu1999 says on Jan 20, 2007, 15:46:

Well, I don't know, that's not the purpose of my thread. To be honest, what happened at Casa Kiwi was distasteful in every sense of the word, and speaks volumes not only about the hostal, but about the establishment and management itself. I don't know whether it's appropriate on this forum to go into what went on there.

Why don't we focus on the good hostals/places to stay/experiences. Let's face it, there are plenty in Colombia!

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Jebediah says on Jan 20, 2007, 19:51:

Hmmmm Ive stayed at Casa Kiwi, and i didnt have any problems - apart from a few annoying travellers!

But if you are going to advise why a hostel is no good and why people should not stay there, then you need to let the people know why.

Im all ears.............

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manu1999 says on Jan 21, 2007, 21:07:

Cartagena and the coast I haven't mentioned my experiences in Cartagena. I never stayed in a hostal there. I had the good fortuneto meet a kind colombian living in Bucaramanga on the bus. He was a young bloke and we talked the whole bus ride, from Medellin to Cartagena, and he got me a place in Bocagrande through his uncle who owned a hotel, at half-price for 20,000 pesos a night!!!

That's what I love about many Colombians, they are so friendly. The guy also introduced me to his family, and saved me 'expensive' cab fair by showing me the collectivo way of getting into town. The name of the hotel I cannot remember, but it was on the street behind a McDonalds.

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miamimike says on Jan 21, 2007, 23:08:

I stayed at this Hostel in the 90s and if I recall correctly a , Night's Lodging cost in the area of $2-$3 nighly at the exchange rate back then! Nice Inexpensive Place in Bogota and very secure. Last I heard the rates were around $5-$6 nightly. No problems! Such is inflation,,,

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.

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manu1999 says on Jan 22, 2007, 09:27:

wow 2-3$? Well, you can still find those prices. A Swedish mate of mine stayed at this place called Hotel London in el centro historico. Sounds fancy BUT IT ISN'T, avoid that place like the plague! It's only 7,000 pesos (3$)but the rooms are like jail cells. My mate went inside and as soon as he settled down to his bleak surroundings, the Colombian police knocked on his door, and searched him from head to toe, including looking INSIDE his camera! Poor guy had never done drugs before in his life and was clean as a whistle!

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