The best accommodations Colombia

Budget & Tips

In general, accommodation rates in Colombia are affordable compared to other destinations in the region. For those on a budget, a hammock or a dormitory bed is the best option (between $25,000 and $75,000). For a comfortable double room with private bathroom, you can expect to pay between $100,000 and $300,000. For luxury, there is no limit. Prices also vary greatly depending on the location. There are big differences between accommodations in the historic centers of Cartagena and Popayán, for example

In the classic hotels, the rates are given per room (single, double, triple, quadruple...) except for the all-inclusive establishments (full board, drinks, activities...), which are mostly found in San Andrés, or on the islands off Cartagena

Inhostels, prices are indicated either per room, when it is private (with or without private bathroom), or per person when you sleep in a dormitory. Breakfast is often included for private rooms, more rarely for dormitories, where you have to pay an extra $10-15,000

Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere, but sometimes incur additional fees (around 5%). Prices are quoted in Colombian pesos, and less frequently in US dollars (except for the most expensive establishments, or some hostels). It is best to pay in pesos, as the exchange rate is rarely favorable when paying in dollars

To be booked

Hotels are very busy most of the year. It is therefore important to book your nights in advance, especially during the high season: Christmas and New Year's Eve (mid-December to mid-January), Holy Week (variable, between late March and mid-April) and during the many public holidays throughout the year. There are also local school vacations in June, and European tourists arrive in July and August. Also take into account the dates of major religious, cultural, or sporting events. For the Carnival in Barranquilla, book your hotel room several months in advance!

Be aware that some reservation platforms, such as Booking or Expedia, may indicate that an establishment is full, while rooms are available if you contact the hotel directly. The rates are generally the same or even cheaper if you contact the hotel directly.

What's very local

Hotels offering heating in the rooms are rare, even in Bogotá where the nights are cool. For hot water, you often have to wait a few seconds. On the other hand, in the hot lands, if air conditioning is common, many establishments do not have hot water in the showers. After a few days, we are convinced that it's not so bad! Another precision, not very glamorous but important: as everywhere in Latin America, in the great majority of the toilets of the hotels (but also restaurants, at the private individuals, etc.), it is necessary to throw the used paper in the dustbin envisaged for this purpose, and not in the basin, at the risk of blocking the drains. You'll get used to it pretty quickly, you'll see!

Finally, to avoid surprises, you should know that in Latin America, the motel does not mean a roadside hotel, as it is in the United States for example, but a place where discretion is required. You arrive by private car (or cab), directly in a box that gives access to a room, without having to go through a reception. Whirlpool, mirrors, mini bars... Everything is provided to spend a pleasant moment with your partner, official or not, and especially not to sleep! The motels are often located at the entrance of the city, or in certain districts known for that. In case of doubt, the romantic name of the establishment and its flashing red kitsch sign should tell you what it is!

For food lovers

Breakfast is usually included in the price of the room, but it is sometimes extra, so check carefully. It is served as a buffet (don't arrive too late, otherwise you will only have the leftovers!), or at your table. There is often a choice between the classic continental breakfast, with cereals, toast, butter and jam, orange juice, coffee or chocolate, or the more Colombian breakfast, with the indispensable eggs, which are offered(huevos fritos), scrambled(huevos revueltos), or pericos if tomato and onion are added to the scrambled eggs. Arepas and bread rolls are served with hot chocolate or coffee (with or without milk, respectively coffee or tinto). A fruit salad, with papaya, banana or pineapple, is also part of the combo, sometimes with a freshly squeezed juice (mandarin, tomato de arból, etc.). More traditional regional breakfasts are rarely offered in hotels. For a changua (milk and egg soup with onion and cilantro) typical of Bogotá and the central Andes, a calentao paisa (old-fashioned red beans mixed with rice, fried meat and eggs, and a plantain) in Antioquia, or a tamal, which is found just about everywhere (with regional variations), go to the panaderías (bakeries) that serve as cafeterias

Smokers

It is forbidden to smoke inside the hotels, including in the gardens, by the swimming pools, on the terraces of bars and restaurants, and of course in the rooms, even on the balconies.

Tourist traps

The big hotels often offer excursions at much higher prices than by contacting the agencies directly. The same goes for cab services, more or less VIP. This is less the case with youth hostels and small hotels, where the prices advertised are generally the same as with a direct agency.