Black Sheep Hostel, Medellín, Colombia.

Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 4, 2008, 03:23:

Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 23, 2008, 13:36:

viajero123 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 18, 2008, 07:52:

gorgonabob says on Feb 25, 2009, 05:01:

The Black Sheep is currently undergoing some renovations which will add a whole new floor with a dozen new double rooms, half with private bathrooms. We will also be increasing the number of shared bathrooms and putting in another common room and increasing the size of the BBQ area. The problem of too few bathrooms will be solved for good. If anything we are going to have too many. Should be all up and running by mid-May.. si dios quiere, as they say here in Colombia with all too much frequency

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apwhite says on Aug 24, 2009, 16:48:

Usual hostel vibe, quite crowded at times. Cool BBQ on Sunday. TV room is usually busy. Helpful staff.
The new floor is very nice. Stayed in a big room with a double bed for 40k COP.

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muffiemae says on Nov 19, 2009, 14:47:

In my opinion and with one experience, the Black Sheep is a TERRIBLE hostel. I recently made my third trip to Medellin, arriving at Rio Negro airport. The first two times I stayed at Hostal Tamarindo, which was great, but I just thought I'd try something different this time. First of all, the Black Sheep is in a residential area pretty far away from everything. Even though I showed the taxi driver the address, he had to stop several times to ask directions from other taxi drivers. I arrived at around 9:00 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and when I got out of the taxi I could smell the cigarette smoke from the street! When I walked inside, the smoke was overpowering. (There are definite laws about smoking, and I wish the health department would drop by the Black Sheep around 9:00 p.m. some night.)

I'm not a party person, and I had asked for a private room in a quiet location....cost 40,000 COP. Their renovations/additions have been completed and I was assured I'd be in a quiet place. My room was down at the end of a hall. Well, I couldn't hear people, but traffic from the street outside my room sounded like the INDY 500 all night. When I went outside my room at night, the smell was like the bottom of a full ashtray. (I quit smoking 15 years ago and now I'm very allergic to the smell.) Guests evidently smoke in their rooms, and the owners don't object, despite the law.

I don't know about the upstairs renovations, but the entire "new" addition downstairs is stark white...walls, ceilings, tile. Even with all the white, it still manages to look dirty. There are no pictures on the walls. In my room, there was not a closet, chest of drawers, or any place to hang clothes; there was not a waste basket, and not even a place to hang my wet towel after a shower (other than the bed post). During the night I went to the bathroom; the waste basket of used toilet paper was overflowing and there was no toilet paper. When I took a shower, I was concerned enough about the cleanliness (and the possible diseases) that I wore rubber shower shoes.

Right outside my room were two shower stalls. By that I mean one could take a shower in a small stall, but there was no lavatory or toilet in there. One door was always locked. The other one, which was probably identical, had no hangers for clothes or a towel....and of course, no mirror, which was not a big deal. But under these conditions, where do you put your clothes and your towel??? On the wet floor where water is standing?

In the kitchen, guests had to put their refrigerator items in their own plastic BAGS - and the same with non-refrigerated items. Imagine what a mess all these plastic bags create in refrigerator and cabinets, plus a hassle even to find your own foods...if someone else has not taken them, that is. The kitchen didn't look very clean either. The night I arrived the sink was full of dirty dishes.

I found the guests unfriendly. Not a one of them spoke to me when I checked in. A little later I found the "video room" and looked in. All of about 10 heads looked my way, but no one said "hi" or spoke to me at all. I immediately exited and went to my room to read. The next morning when I went to the desk (where the computers were located - all in use ) no one spoke to me either. Several people were wandering around, having breakfast, etc., but no one responded to my eye contact or spoke to me.

There were four or five computers, which during my SHORT stay at Black Sheep always seemed to be busy except for very early in the morning...accompanied with the prevailing smell of cigarette smoke.

The following morning after I checked in, I said enough of this! I tried following their map to walk to Hostal Tamarindo, which is within about three blocks of Parque Lleras. Even with their "map" I got hopelessly lost and grabbed a taxi. (To get to Hostal Tamarindo, all you have to tell the taxi driver is "arriba de Clinica Medellin.") When I arrived, Natalie, the owner of Hostal Tamarindo, fortunately had a private room for me. I moved to Hostal Tamarindo the next day. Natalie, the owner, is always helpful and generous. She's also fully bi-lingual, having grown up in New York

Hostal Tamarindo is a place where...how can I say this...there's a different class of people. They are friendly, and this third time there I met people from Ireland, Colombia, Mexico, and of course, the US. I paid a bit more for a private room than Black Sheep charges (55,000 COP) but it was well worth it. The entire place is CLEAN!...and the rooms and bathrooms are cleaned every day. The walls are painted in various interesting colors and there are beautiful pictures on the walls. There's only one computer but there is never a problem getting access to it...people are more interested in "living the life" in Colombia than sitting on the internet. For the foods of guests you are given plastic bins with your name written on the side. You have one bin for refrigerated items, and one for non-refrigerated items. There's also a "free" section for foods that guests have left after they've moved on.

Right around the corner from Hostal Tamarindo are pastry shops, a deli, a shoe repair shop, and a Proximo. A two-block walk takes you to the bus to get to the Poblado metro. Despite all the nearby businesses, the street in front of Hostal Tamarindo is not a busy street....which means quiet at night. There's also a river that runs along the other side of the street which offers a soothing sound at night when your window is open.

So, to sum up, to hell with the Black Sheep Hostel. Please email me privately for more information about the Hostal Tamarindo - viajar2566 at yahoo.com (remove spaces). I can also send you pictures of the beautiful inside of Hostal Tamarindo. (No, I don't get any kick backs for referring and recommending Hostal Tamarindo.)

muffiemae

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