Colombia trip report

[Gordon]

IB return flight LHR-MAD (Cash booking) stayed at airport hotel in Madrid (26/12/24).
Used a 2-4-1 in J MAD-BOG, return (27/12/24).

We used car transfers for trips 2 hours or less, and internal flights for anything longer, there are very cost effective flights available, if you don’t mind very early or late options.
But we paid a higher cost for convenient flight times, we are at that age now that we don’t bother with very early or late flights while on holiday.

4G available network was ok in most areas throughout Colombia on an O2 roaming bolt on, but I would not rely on it for sat nav purposes, if you choose to hire a car, as my 4G signal was patchy between cities, but Tbf, it was in areas with no sign of life, just isolated roads.

One funny situation occurred on our transfer from Barranquilla to Santa Marta, going along the coast, when we passed through the town of Ciénaga I received a text from O2 saying welcome to Guatemala! then another one a few minutes later saying welcome to Colombia! I missed out on passport stamp there, Haha.

We used a Currensea card for tap and go, it worked perfectly well in all areas, we used Amex for anything we thought we would need protection for, we also had USD notes, which were gladly accepted as tips, (when we order USD currency, we always request $500 in one dollar notes for tipping purposes, saves keep asking for change while on a trip) I must say I didn’t see much tipping going on! if you are using the local cabs or street food outlets, small shops etc, bring COP, saying that, the Uber app does include the option of a local yellow cab, and that shows as the cheapest choice.

We speak a little basic Spanish, which got us by, but for anyone not able to speak any Spanish, it could prove a little difficult, as there is a language barrier in Colombia, google translate is a wonderful tool.

All property stays were cash, to build up points.

There are literally thousands of small yellow cabs, in Colombia, (reminds me of New York) they sound their horns as they pass slowly, as you’re walking along, to encourage you to take a lift (more often in Cartagena) they also seem to sound their horns to let people out, so it is a little confusing.

I would also add, don’t expect vehicles to stop on the zebra crossings, there are designated areas with traffic lights to cross, as in the uk, but I’ve seen many vehicles running the red lights.

There are touts selling their wares, hats, wrist bands, cigars etc, but if you are not interested, a polite no gracias suffices, as they are not persistent, only the odd one or two.

Weather in all cities we visited said, sunny, rain, thunderstorms, but we rarely received any rain, just one storm in Santa Marta, and a mix of sun (intense in Cartagena) and cloud.
Colombian nationals and foreigners living in Colombia, have to pay a 19% Vat tax on hotel accommodation, foreign visitors, have to pay in certain cases, but we never had to pay on our trip.

Bogota,Temp 16c – 20c, Stay, 3 nights.
Used hotel linked transfers from airport to hotels, and from hotel to hotel just for peace of mind. Also Ubers and local taxis to tourist sites.
At the Grand Hyatt Bogota, pick up and drop off at BOG to hotel was seamless, apart from the 3 hour wait to get through immigration at BOG, our driver was attentive, and was there when we finally made it out, a tip was definitely deserved.

Stayed for 3 nights at the Grand Hyatt, Bogota, check in was around 5 mins, as it was quiet at 12am! booked an Andes view corner suite, floor to ceiling windows all around the suite, room 1221, with a great view of the Andes mountains, walk in wardrobe more than enough storage, iron, ironing board, safe. No noise intrusion in our room, on our stay.

Bathroom, large rain shower, large marble bath, separate toilet, with soft close seat, medium quality tork toilet tissue, We did not do much here, as adjusting to time difference, we ate at the hotel, took a walk to the local shopping centre, and the Simón Bolívar Park, a great expanse of open park area, with a big lake, you actually forget you are in a city when walking around the park.

We did make use of the excellent pool and spa facilities, including sauna, two section steam room, two cold plunge pools, and a jacuzzi, must say I was impressed by the size and cleanliness of this facility, also fairly large gym was in this area.

We are returning to Bogota for a few nights before our flight home, so will visit some restaurants we missed out on then,
Breakfast was very good with a great selection, all the usual choices one would come to expect in a 5 star hotel, including fresh salmon.

Club lounge was 17:30 to 19:30, a couple of hot selections, a fair amount of cold options, drinks were not self pour, the only Gin on offer was Beefeater, which was disappointing, I would have expected some offering of top shelf liquor, service was attentive though.

We flew BOG-CTG with Latem airlines, a short satisfactory flight.
Alondra Express which are based at Hyatt Regency Cartagena, picked us up from CTG airport to Hyatt Regency, cost was £14, Transfer from the Hyatt Regency Cartagena to Barranquilla, with Alondra Express, a 2 hour journey was £110.

Cartagena, Temp 30c – 32c, stay, 4 nights.
The Hyatt Regency was satisfactory, (but preferred the grand hyatt) check in was 3pm, but did not get our key until 4pm, we asked to use the lounge which we did until the room was was ready, the property was opposite the Playa De Bocagrande beach,
We had high floor sea view (31st floor, room 3120) wardrobe had 10 wooden stealable hangers, safe, iron and ironing board, coffee maker with pods, very large twin beds, A/C worked perfectly, even though, 20c was the lowest it could be set at, a large fan on the ceiling helped to circulate the cool air from the A/C, also a floor to ceiling large mirror at one end,

Bathroom, separate toilet with close toilet lid and seat, tork medium quality toilet paper, large rain shower, single marble sink, stand alone roll top bath.

The property had three pools, two adults infinity pools, and a small heated one, and one larger pool on the bottom deck, that had a bar and ice cream shop, and towel dispensary desk.

Club lounge, hours 16:00 to 18:00, the lounge was about 10 metres deep and about 60 metres long, with floor to ceiling windows along the entire length, and a small meeting room at the end with a large oval table in the middle, surrounded by chairs, only beer, red and white house wine available, no cocktails, a few selections of hot and cold food, a coffee machine,a fridge containing small bottles of water, bottles of coke, a juice selection, the wine was available in the fridge, self pour, on the first night, but after that, it was only available to order, as it was relocated into the kitchen fridge, probably a cost cutting measure, no noise intrusion in our room, on our stay.

@Pauldb – Thank you for the Club access award, it was much appreciated.

We decided to walk morning and evening to the walled city, a great place to explore, a 20 to 25 min walk each way, but we just about managed it, the temperature was 30c – 32c and very hot, humidity was around 80% to 90%, the buildings were fantastic within the city walls, the construction dates back to 1614.

We were approached once by someone offering to sell me some Cocaine, he showed me a picture on his phone bag containing what I believed to be rocks of the drug, no Gracias done the trick,
We saw APC’s on the city roads on several occasions, with army personal up on the turrets with sub machine guns, I guess this is a deterrent. Also a lot of American classic cars, usually in a formation, that were 50 plus years old and in mint condition.

There are large areas to explore within the city walls, Cafes, pubs, restaurants, jewelers, and churches, amongst others.

We stayed here over the new year, we had heard that the New Year’s Eve fireworks were best viewed by the old clock tower, one of the entrances to walled city, and they did not disappoint, on the stroke of midnight we were surrounded by fireworks, from the hotel roofs, and also from the local people, one of the best new years eves we have experienced.

We dined at a few restaurants in the city, but the best was Montesacro Resto Bar, a top restaurant in the city, we had to book well ahead for it though. You sit on the main balcony over looking the city, with a singer and guitarist playing throughout the evening.

We attended mass at the Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría, on New Year’s Day, and took communion, perfect start to 2025.

Barranquilla, Temp 27c – 30c, stay, 2 nights.
Check in at the Hilton garden inn was a matter of a few minutes. Hilton honors breakfast included (Room 408, 4th floor) walls are paper thin! Good sized room, safe, wardrobe with 8 stealable wooden hangers, iron and ironing board, coffee percolator, with one coffee bag, the end result was a light yellow liquid in the jug! I didn’t bother with it again, glad housekeeping didn’t leave a replacement coffee bag, Soft closing toilet seat, good shower pressure and water temp, but alas no rain shower.

Service at breakfast was not as efficient as the Hyatt properties, staff seem to be under pressure, forgetting things that were requested, but I guess that’s the price to pay, coming from a 5 star property to a 3 star property.

There is a large shopping centre a 10 min walk max from the hotel, with plenty of food outlets, and shopping opportunities.
We took an uber from the hotel to the Gran Malecón del Río, and walked along the paved path to the Aleta del Tiburón Junior de, stopping mid way for picture opportunities at the Shakira statue, around 1.5 hours, each way.

We tried the porthos steakhouse, which was ok for a quick dinner, service was attentive, steak and pasta dish with two sodas and two G&T’s, was 188,429 COP around £34.

If we were to return to Colombia, we would give Barranquilla a miss, we just didn’t find it as interesting, as the other cities, we had visited, I wished we had spent the two extra days at Cartagena or Santa Marta.

Rafael Chinchilla (+57 301 5983790) a very nice guy recommended by the Hilton in Barranquilla for a transfer to the Hilton Santa Marta, from Barranquilla, a 2 hour 20 min journey was £81, he kept in touch with us, and offered advise on our location, which was appreciated.

All transfers were faultless, re communication, and punctuality.

Santa Marta, temp 30c – 34c, Stay, 3 nights.
Check in at the Hilton garden inn, room 901, 9th floor sea view, we arrived around 1pm, check in was 3pm, so we left our cases in safe storage, and popped out for lunch.

Unfortunately we were caught in a heavy rain storm, when leaving a restaurant, so took shelter with hundreds of locals, for an hour, until the storm subsided, and the rain eased, the roads were all flooded, we had to take our footwear off, and walk back through around 6 inches of water everywhere, we finally arrived back at the hotel at 4:30pm, check in took approximately 5 mins, we encountered people that were checking back into the hotel, because taxis were refusing to take people anywhere due to the conditions.

We ventured back out later for dinner, by then the conditions were much better, and carefully walkable, as there was still excess water in places.
We spoke to a local Colombian woman, who said she had never experienced this before, and she has lived here for many years.

The next day the water had disappeared, and the weather was back to normal full sun and 32c.

There are many interesting sites to visit in Santa Marta, an example, Monumento A El Pibe Valderrama, Catedral Basílica de Santa Marta, at the Parque de los Novios, there is a Colombian 4 piece band that plays the Flute, drums, saxophone, guitar among other instruments, most days, great to indulge in, after dinner at one of the fine restaurants that surround the area.

we didn’t visit the beach as it was too hot, and we didn’t visit Minca as intended, due the the adverse weather, so 3 nights was more than enough for us.

One restaurant that stood out among others was Ouzu in the Parque de los Novios area, that was kindly recommended by @elguiri, very attentive service, coupled with excellent food, at a price 75% lower than a similar restaurant in London, what more could one want, the Surf and turf was one of the best I have tried, (Seared beef steak with sauteed shrimp in a creamy sauce over bed or house orzo with sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and butter) also the excellent pasta dishes were given the seal of approval by my wife.

We visited Ouzu on four separate occasions, it was so popular that there were long queues outside in the evenings, I had previously, on one of our visits, had a conversation with the restaurant manager that allocates the guests tables, he got to recognize us, on our second visit, my wife said we can’t book online, as it is so busy, I informed her not to worry, so we turned up and the manager saw us and waved us straight through, my gratitude in the way of several dollars was duly given, on the next two evenings, with my words on exiting “Hasta Mañasa” There are times that loyalty does pays off!

We were so impressed with this establishment, the food and the attentive service, that we actually visited Ouzo on four separate occasions, each time wanting to return, this is a rare occurrence for us as we never return more than twice to the same restaurant, while on holiday.

We also tried the Marley bar! In the same Parque de los Novios area, Yes the Bob Marley bar, but not for the obvious reason, it was Marley, sorry merely for lunch, great Marley classics playing while you dine, my wife had a chicken stir fried dish that was ok, but I would not recommend the pizzas, I’ve tasted much better, it was edible, I would definitely finish a good pizza, this time I ate half and gave half away to a Colombian couple sitting next to us drinking, and it was gratefully received, that made me feel better than complaining, it’s just not worth the hassle at this price point.

We were going to visit Minca for the day and take in a Lost city tour, and a coffee plantation tour but after the storms, and the stories we heard about the conditions there, we decided to cancel that
unfortunately.

Check out at the Hilton Santa Marta, was around one minute, Very smooth indeed.

Flight SMR-MDE, Avianca, 08/01/25.
Used Uber from Hilton hotel to SMR, 30 minute journey, 37,612 COP, £6.93p, the airport was fairly quiet, we didn’t bother checking in the day before, we used the self check in machines at the airport which worked perfectly, total check in and bag drop was around 10 minutes.

The bigger queues were at Jet smart, which is the budget airline, the reviews say it all, we avoided them.
JetSmart Flights and Reviews (with photos) – Tripadvisor

500ml Bottled water (Agua) at SMR 4,900 COP, 90p, approximately the same at all airports.
Boarding was smooth, and take off was just 10 minutes late, smooth flight of 1hr 15 minutes.
Arrival at MDE was good, small airport, luggage collected from the carousel in 15 minutes.

The route from the airport to Medellin was very scenic, as you drive down the winding roads into the city, and as you pass through the mountains by way of two tunnels, one around 10 minutes long.

medellín, Temp 25c to 29c, Stay, 6 nights,
York Luxury suites by Blue doors,(This property won the TripAdvisor travelers choice award 2023).
this was one of two bookings we made with this company (the other property is called, 100 Luxury suites, that we booked for our next stay in Bogota) luxury suites at reasonable prices, we also wanted to try something different, these are high rise buildings, containing luxury suites, and penthouses, amenities including a reception area, work areas, with seating and desks, rooftop pool, with bar, restaurant and gym.

Check in was 5 mins, we were showed to our room 2102 by the porter, accompanied with our luggage, we had one of the four larger suites, on the top floor, level 21, all open plan, floor to ceiling windows across the bedroom area, giving it a more open feel, everything is controlled by Google, lights, curtains, air conditioning etc, a large veranda, including wicker furniture, with soft cushions, also a sofa, table and chairs, a large twin door American fridge, with the standard ice maker and chilled water dispenser, coffee maker, microwave, electric stove, not that we cooked

Dining room, walk in wardrobe that leads into the bathroom, rain shower, good quality toilet paper, bath robes, second toilet, with WC and sink, L’Occitane toiletries. A tv that spins 180 degrees, between the bed and lounge area, large queen bed.

The views from the veranda by day and by night, are spectacular, the city in the Aburrá Valley, with the backdrop of the Andes mountains at 360 degrees around the city is a spectacle.

If I were to return to medellín, I would not hesitate to book this property again, if it were only for the spectacular views across the city from the room.

There is a supermarket, and a few small bars & restaurants, in under a 10 minute walk from the hotel,

We booked a few trips, and left a couple of spare days for relaxing, and wandering around, and shopping.

Trips booked, through TripAdvisor, and places visited were,
Guatapé Tour: Piedra del Peñol with Boat Tour, Breakfast, Lunch, full day (around 9 hours from pick up, to drop off) breakfast and lunch included, cost £30 per adult, we thought this was a particularly great trip, considering the price point.
We also visited Plaza Botero, which has some nice areas to visit.

We had lunch at the El Social, a nice popular Restaurant in the town.
We had two arepa paisa, two Cazuela de frijoles, which was a Colombian dish, consisting of,
Beans, pork belly, chorizo, potato fosforitos, corn, fried green bananas in pieces, avocado, rice and arepa, one G&T, and one Fruit drink and one ice cream desert, 124,556 COP, £22,

If you do decide you want to climb the El Peñón de Guatapé you need Colombia Pesos (COP) currency, (25,000 per person) as they do not take USD or any form of payment card, there is a QR code that you can scan when there to obtain a ticket, with a small booking fee.

We had around an hour and a half from leaving the Coach park to returning, and due to the amount of tourists, we done it just in time, there are 740 steps in total, and it is hard work, with stopping areas on the way up, also a medical booth half way up with a defibrillator, incase the worst happens, I would definitely recommend the climb to the top, the spectacular views are worth it, the many small limestone islands topped with vegetation, in the Embalse Peñol-Guatapé, reminded me of areas in Thailand.

We also visited Guatape town, it is very vibrant in colour, umbrella street, on Carrera 29, is also a picture, also in the town was Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Guatapé, which is beautiful, plenty of cafes, restaurants, sweet shops, and a bakery.
There are Tuk Tuks that you can take around the town for a 20 minute tour, around 25,000 Cop, (£4.50p) per couple.

As part of the days tour, we also took a boat ride on the Cruz en la cúpula Viejo Peñol, where we passed one of Pablo Escobars houses, that was bombed by a rival drug gang, the Colombian government are supposed to be building a tourist development on the site, in the way of a hotel etc, but no plans have been drawn up yet.

We also booked the Comuna 13 tour with cable car ride, half day, £22 per adult.
This tour was a couple of metro rides, a trip on line J, La aurora, one of the 6 cable car lines you can use, we were taken to the top, around a 20 minute journey, passing through a few stations where the community enter and exit, the views were spectacular, we stayed on and looped around the top, and descended down until we reached Comuna 13, this Comuna In the 1980s and 1990s, was considered the most dangerous place in Medellín, and indeed the world.

The Medellín Cartel, led by Pablo Escobar, ruled Comuna 13, the homicide rate in this area tripled to around 30%, between 1997 and 2002.

Comuna 13 has been transformed into a vibrant neighborhood with beautiful street art, The neighborhood has electrical escalators that allow people to quicker access to each level, the only option in the past was to climb steep hills, houses had to be demolished for their installation,
Our guide took us down small alleyways where there are domestic dwelling, just enough room for one to walk through, I could only imagine what it was like to walk around here when it was ruled by the drug cartels.

The main area of Comuna 13 were very busy, with restaurants, bars, street food and shops packed tightly in this small area, is was enjoyable to visit, and to see everyone enjoying themselves,
There were paintings on the walls depicting the troubles, but also the present good times.
The trip was around 3 to 4 hours in total, but after the Comuna 13 visit, we cut it short and took a cab back to our hotel, as my wife was feeling a little unwell, due to the cable car ride. I would recommend this trip for the price point.

Medellín has a metro system that runs North to south and also east to west, there are 6 cable car lines in total, the Line M, Trece de Noviembre, is no longer recommended for security reasons, as long as you stay within the metro system the cost is only the equivalent to one USD, the metro and cable car lifts are interlinked in the one station, so you don’t have to leave to take the cable car or visa versa.

We also visited, Parque de los pies descalzos, also Parque de la luces, both for sightseeing and lunch.

We had a couple of Issues with Uber, (but payment was not taken, on either occasion)
We decided to just hail one of the many small yellow cabs that are in the city, (and pay in Colombia Pesos) which Tbh was just as easy, as they are everywhere, and we found our to our surprise that they are around the same price, or even a little cheaper than an uber, but some yellow cabs are starting to join Uber now, we flagged one down, and he would not take COP, and just showed me his mobile phone with the uber app on it!
A 20 minute ride in one of the yellow cabs is around £3.

I noted at a fuel station that a gallon of Diesel was 12,390 COP, that equates to around 51ppl, so that’s part of the reason the cost of road transportation is so cheap.

It was great to join in the Sunday Ciclovia, that originated in Bogota, it’s a social walk/Dog walk/jog/Cycle along several miles of the Carrera 43A, in Medellín on every sunday morning, which funnily enough runs outside our hotel, singers, entertainment, and refreshments along the way, one side of the road is shut to all motorised traffic until lunchtime, the sun was shining, and a little too warm at 28c, but fun was had by all.

We met a young couple who live in west London, and have have been given a career break, they are on the fourth month of a South America tour, and they have whet our appetites with some really useful information and tips on various cities they have visited along the way.

If anyone offers you sweets from a bag or box, just politely decline, also if a group of young lads come up and ask your name, just also decline, they will just start rapping with your name included, and expect a financial reward. As long as you are sensible, you will be fine. People will always find trouble if they are looking for it!

Latem Flight MDE – BOG, departed 30 mins late, flight duration around 45 mins, the curtain was pulled across the few rows of premium seats up front for about 15 minutes, and then opened again, as we started our decent.

Bogota,Temp 17c – 20c, Stay, 3 nights.
100 Luxury suites Bogota, Emerald loft suite, check in took 10 minutes.
Same set up as the sister property, York luxury suites in Medellin, but without the wonderful views. Views here are like a standard NY city view, skyscrapers and low rise offices.
The Citi bank offices are actually opposite the hotel, as this is in the business district,

We certainly noticed the difference in the high altitude in Bogota, after nearly three weeks away, Bogota is 1,145 meters (3,760 ft) higher than where we flew in from in Medellín, we had one of the symptoms, which is weakness and tiredness, funnily enough we didn’t get any symptoms when we arrived into Bogota from Madrid.

I thought I would flag this to prepare anyone thinking of flying to Bogota, I guess it would be worse flying from Cartagena for example, as that is only 2 meters above sea level.

We also certainly noticed the difference in temperature from what we have been used to, in Bogota the daily high is 20c, and the night time temperature is around 10c to 14c, no surprise then that there was no air conditioning in the hotel, there is a ventilation system, centrally controlled via BMS, we certainly didn’t require Air conditioning.

This property is 30 minutes NE of of the Grand Hyatt we stayed at at the beginning of our trip,
But we wanted to try a different location.

Check in took 10 minutes, shown to our room by the porter following with our cases, I thought our pilot has followed us to the hotel to help with the luggage, but it was the porter dressed in a captains uniform, with stripes on the sleeves and epaulettes of his jacket.

We had some very good restaurants recommended to us by our driver, we had kept in touch with when we were previously in Bogota, they were,
Leo Bogota, Harry Sasson, El Chato Bogota & Osaka Bogota, all excellent value, and highly recommended, all 10 to 15 minutes from our hotel by uber/Taxi, that time can be doubled in rush hour.

We also found a great restaurant just round the corner from our hotel that is only open for lunch, 12:00-16:00, they only need to open for lunch, as the customers from the Citi bank alone keeps it profitable, it’s called La Mulera, on Calle 97, very rustic, metal frying pans with the meals, bought to your table, metal pots with cutlery in, wrapped in tissue and tied with a piece of string in a bow, a good restaurant is busy with locals and this was very busy.

Parque del Chicó – Mercedes Sierra de Pérez, is a nice park to visit, with a small museum, and picnic areas, also a children’s play area, with swings etc. It’s a nice break from the bustling city that can be heard outside.

So we got talking to an American guy in his 60’s that was on the same flight as us and turned up at the same hotel funnily enough, he travels extensively on his own, he said to me bringing your wife to Colombia is like bringing a sandwich to a wedding! The next morning we were sitting in reception waiting for an uber, and he walked in and got in the lift with a young Colombian woman!
Now I know what he meant by the sandwich to a wedding quote, enough said!

I really am at a loss, how these men can do this, using a cliche, these women are young enough to be their daughters, I guess they do not have a conscience.

Anyone who is interested in cigars, I managed to find an outlet in Bogota called La Cava Del Puro, where I bought 20 corona red label 150mm cigars, approximately 50 saving on uk prices, I’ve seen prices for King Edward are more cost effective in Brazil, so I’ll wait until I am there in a couple of months time.

Check out was smooth, it took just a few minutes, paid for the hotel return transfer from BOG, which worked out £10 each way for around a 35 min trip each way, it was actually cheaper than an uber booking.

Arrived at BOG, a tad early, after a 30 min wait until the IB desks opened, first to the business check in desk, we were shown to the automated immigration gates, and thought this was a mistake, not being Colombia nationals, as there were big queues at the manned desks, but passport in place, picture taken, and flight number tapped in to the display we were on our way to security, we opted for Latem lounge, at Gate A1, I’ve seen reports of this lounge being the better option, and i am glad we did, as it was very satisfying.

Zumex machine for freshly squeezed orange juice, the usual hot beverage options via a Necta machine, self pour spirits, self pour Alta vista Champagne on ice, unlike Galleries at LHR/LGW where the champagne needs to be requested, also beer and water.
A selection of hot and cold food, Beef brisket, coconut rice, pasta and sauces, tomato soup, potato skins, with fillings, cheese, ham etc, fruit, biscuits, very large bowl of mixed nut selection, a nice selection of ice creams, chocolate, vanilla and fruit, in small tubs, similar to häagen-dazs, but called popsy.

I must say I was impressed with the continuous cleaning that happens in this lounge, I witnessed the glass mirror on the reception desk being polished, along with the mirrors in the main part of the lounge, also dry mopping is frequently carried out, you use the toilets, and the cleaner enters,(one time the cleaner was waiting outside, and entered as soon a I left) cleans and folds the toilet tissue into the usual point, and bleaches the toilet, not good for the environment, but its spotlessly clean, I’m not sure how this would stand up when the lounge was busy.

The lounge was very quiet, 20 people at most, very relaxing, you can sit in the inside area, or outside on soft sofas, also rocking chairs with a view of the runway, with planes taking off and landing & gates A1 to A4, A4 being the gate for our 18:20 IB flight to MAD.

Boarding was fine, we arrived at the gate 10 mins after boarding had been announced on the lounge information monitors, and sailed through the Group 1 lane no problem.

15 minute wait on the air bridge, then shown to our seats 2A (I really wished Iberia would adapt that piece of wood that’s an extension of the arm rest in the A seats, I had that on the outbound and this inbound flight) & 1C (my wife pointed out that she has a large storage locker in her 2A seat area, I did point out that women needed more storage space) I must add that on the walkway to and on the air bridge a staff member came through and checked tickets and segregated passengers left for business and right for economy, we did gel back together on the air bridge again due to wheelchairs being bought back to the gate, and us having to move to one side.

Apart from all this, we were the first few in the J cabin, and it was a full flight throughout all cabins.
Flight and service was good, on arrival, the air bridge was connected to the front of the aircraft, so sitting in 1C & 2A, we were one of the first off, but the good luck was not to last, as we were waiting at Carousel No 7 for 45 minutes before it sprang into action, then only a few pieces of luggage appeared, some non priority, 3 out of out pieces of luggage arrived in Just over an hour, and the display said last luggage at 11:18, but after a bit of worrying, more luggage started to appear, finally at 11:40 our last piece arrived, but it had been opened, probably because it contained cigars, that I had purchased in Bogota, on checking they were still in the case.

To put in perspective our wait time at the carousel, the air bridge was connected at 9:40, and our last remaining item of luggage appeared at 11:40!
We are glad we left 5 hours for our connecting flight to LHR.

At least we could use the Iberia Velázquez
departures lounge, as there is no arrivals lounge, the lounge was as quiet as it was on our departure 3 weeks ago.

No musical chairs on either of our return flights, like we suffered on the outbound flights!

18/1/25.
Flight on IB MAD-LHR was smooth.
Arrival at LHR T5 immigration was literally empty, straight to the eGates (nothing like the 3 hour queue we had at BOG) my wife sailed through, but I had one of those dreaded seek assistance symbols, so straight to the empty manned desks, following comments on Hfp about asking the officer what the problem was, I did ask, and he said, there’s no fault codes, it’s nothing to worry about, the gates get used thousands of times a day, and sometimes they don’t work correctly, so I’m none the wiser what the error was, which is frustrating!

The officer did ask where I flew from, I replied Bogota via Madrid, he said in a surprised voice Colombia! I said yes, I saved a bundle flying ex eu, to which he replied, oh yes good point!

We booked a night at premier inn, bath road, to recharge, as I didn’t fancy a 2 hour drive home, after 23 hours of traveling.

We cheekily hopped on the purple parking bus, at stop 30, T5, as their site is next door to the premier inn, we are staying in (It’s not as if we don’t give purple parking lots of business) we picked our car up from the Moxy hotel the following morning, after paying for an extra days parking.

NOTE – I have seen comments airing concerns about parking capacity at Moxy Hotel Bath Road, through “Your parking space” when we entered on the 27/12/24, the car park was approximately 80% to capacity, when we returned to collect the car on 19/01/25, it was around 30% to capacity.

I will add, that I made a point of looking for an ANPR camera on the exit barrier, or any form of exit device, to show you have exited the car park at the allotted time, but there was nothing, just the standard induction loop that raises the barrier on the vehicles arrival,

The reason for my curiosity was, I was interested in how they maintained the parking capacity, as the hotel has allocated parking for Moxy guests, and your parking space customers also,
I guess there is a manual daily check of car registration numbers to see if there are any overstaying vehicles.
They obviously have a system where they can see bookings from both companies, and merge them, to prevent an excess of 100% capacity.

This trip was intended to be a relaxing, one, so apologies if this report is a bit thin, I may have missed areas, so if anyone is interested please feel free to ask any question’s and I will try and answer them the best i can.

View day and night from the veranda, York luxury suites Medellín.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/043R61sBehko0_1-RD68LTJZw

https://share.icloud.com/photos/04cHvYsvwRsomAeh_t_-sQxjg

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a6wGioSUKo-_RTPdF0BHKA0Q

Piedra del Peñol Guatapé & Guatapé town.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f0-FSfLnlHBJUXbaOx2iDcXQ

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0aalVC4CoiKTZ9mwV9_qwA4_A

https://share.icloud.com/photos/03fc0NNTMGn80JlxaIp_dOoYw

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f1KnFdOzGrkkG6tkkh1S9fhQ

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e2bBQJ3xWYLoEnLjWiSxPB7A

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0b0YQBxJopze6bvEe1klGcX9A

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0eaoRGj-xKu-N8tSgxC7yeEWw

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0a2HUEbYvRqVOAnIzXsQq6UtA

Comuna 13.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/019OYH3LzodRVoM7MKjx9WgtQ

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0c55XbJ5X48HBPKv8wtXyi-8g

[davefl]

Great report @Gordon, and thanks for the tip on the Latam lounge at BOG. I’ve got a 10.30pm flight out of there to Paraguay and my ticket should get me in there.

[Gordon]

@davefl – Thank you, yes, you should enjoy the Latem lounge, it’s nice, it’s basically between A1 & A2 gates, but nearer A1, you will see the lounge above, the lifts are just past it on the right.
Let me know what you think!

Talking of Latem, I’ve just contacted them via email, about claiming the Avios for the internal flights, and I received a reply to my two emails within 1 hour, very impressed.

[Biki]

Thanks for the report @Gordon this will come in handy for our trip later in the year!

[Gordon]

@Biki – Thank you, Great choice, I hope you like the country as much as we did, please feel free to ask any questions as you plan.

[LD27]

Really useful info @Gordon as currently putting together trip for later this year. Also in the middle of writing my trip report for our travels late last year. Hopefully will have it ready to post it soon.

[Gordon]

@LD27 – Thanks, I tried to fit as much basic info in as I could, while I was traveling, without making it too boring or over complicated, there are always things that are going to be missed or slip your mind, but I hope I’ve captured a broad spectrum of the important aspects to make others trips a little easier.

[ABA]

@Gordon Thank you very much for the detailed report, thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Sounds like you had a great trip.

[elguiri]

@Gordon thanks for the write-up. Definitely a few spots in Bogota I’ll try and visit later this year when there again. Normally spend as much time on the coast as possible but a day or two in Bogota between flights allows us to see new things since our last visit.

[Gordon]

@ABA – No problem, yes it was a great trip, I will return at some point.

[Gordon]

@elguiri – Your welcome, thank you for the tips while I was on my trip, yes I agree the coast and city is a good mix. I want to hire a car, and visit more rural areas, off the beaten track, on my next trip there.

[cin3]

I think you mean Bandeja paisa not arepa.

I’d encourage people to go off the beaten path a but in Colombia – it’s such a diverse and wonderful country and there’s so much more than the beach and Medellin/Bogotá (having said that, Bogota is one of my favourite cities in the world with an amazing cultural scene).