Thanks for the good recon on Sites Hotel!
[QUOTE=Quagmire1974;1801478]Hotel Sites is indeed chica friendly. Direct from my review on TripAdvisor:
"Single gentlemen, you might be wondering, Is Hotel Sites chica friendly? The answer is yes, but remember that when you make your reservation, make it for two people and not one. If you make a reservation for two people and then bring your chica back to your room, the additional cost is only 7,500 COP. However, if you make your reservation for one person and then bring your chica back to your room, the additional cost is a much-higher 100,000 COP".
According to the receptionist, the 7,500 COP charge is simply insurance you are buying in case your guest breaks something or runs off with hotel property.
And yes, Hotel Sites is in a very quiet area. You may hear an occasional motorcycle tearing-ass up the street, but you won't hear any highway or Parque Lleras noise at all, even though those things are only a few-minutes walk away from the hotel.[/QUOTE]Thank you, Quagmire1974. Based on your good research and report, I just booked a couple of weeks at this place. Appears to be a optimal blend of location, comfort, cost and quiet with a "guest friendly" environment.
My first trip to MDE last July I stayed at an AirBnB place which was cheaper but just not up to my vacation / business travel standards. It was in Laureles and close to La 70 which was cool, but that was about it. Many have good experiences with AirBnb (as well as bad ones) and I will only say for me personally, I will never again do business with AirBnb. There are many other and better alternatives for all kinds of accommodations and I simply place too high a value on customer service to be jacked around by any company with such poor customer relations people in decision making positions. Peace out on that!
Since I have business in Poblado to attend to on this trip, I think Sites Hotel will work out great. Proximity to all the festivities and restaurants around Lleras w / o having to deal with the noise when I want to rest is a huge plus. Loving to walk makes the 10 or 15 minutes to get to Parque Lleras or the Metro an easy and welcomed pleasure.
BTW. On my MDE maiden voyage last Summer, I found Fase Dos by night and Energy by day to be consistently good. Never paid more than 10 k entry to Fase Dos. And the lady at Energy as well as some other casa adventures in my case, always collected after service was rendered. Using the Metro was fun and really easy. I found the taxis cheap and just fine. If one is new to MDE, I highly recommend the "free" Walking Tour. Just google "free walking tour Medellin" and it's there. It's quite informative about the history of Medellin and will get you close to the downtown casas too sans commentary; LOL!
RE: Thanks for the good recon on Sites Hotel!
[QUOTE=jdit;1801994]Thank you, Quagmire1974. Based on your good research and report, I just booked a couple of weeks at this place. Appears to be a optimal blend of location, comfort, cost and quiet with a "guest friendly" environment.
My first trip to MDE last July I stayed at an AirBnB place which was cheaper but just not up to my vacation / business travel standards. It was in Laureles and close to La 70 which was cool, but that was about it. Many have good experiences with AirBnb (as well as bad ones) and I will only say for me personally, I will never again do business with AirBnb. There are many other and better alternatives for all kinds of accommodations and I simply place too high a value on customer service to be jacked around by any company with such poor customer relations people in decision making positions. Peace out on that!..[/QUOTE]You are welcome, Jdit. If I can help even one person have a more comfortable, safer, or more enjoyable trip to a destination from which I have just returned or have visited in the past, then I've done my job.
The receptionist at Hotel Sites that you will want to become friends with is a guy named Julian. He speaks great English and was able to answer any and all of my questions that I had. We even joked a couple of nights about heading over to Barra Ejecutiva together, but apparently Hotel Sites has a "no fraternization with the guest" policy and he wasn't able to go. He usually works the 2 pm to 10 pm shift at the front desk.
The only decent restaurant (thanks to Julian) that I discovered in Parque Lleras was a place called Angel's Steak House and Lounge. I had a steak (of course) and baked potato and they were delicious. Another great steakhouse just down the street (1 minute walk) from Hotel Sites is Cambalache Parrilla Argentina. Also, try Ocio, La Cantine, Tal Cual, La Provincia, and El Correo Carne and Vino. Most of those are located at the intersection of Calle 10 and Carrera 33 and you will need a taxi. Most entrees at those restaurants start at around 30,000 COP but WOW the food is great at each location. And they'll be packed with well-dressed Colombians enjoying dinner together in suits and ties or dresses, but I had no problems dining at those locations just wearing travel pants and a t-shirt. Keep in mind, too, that if you don't feel like going out to eat on some nights, you'll have a kitchenette in your room at Hotel Sites and the great Exito supermarket just down the street. If you're a coffee drinker, try to bring back some Juan Valdez ground coffee. I bought a bag of the Juan Valdez "Cumbre" (about 15,000 COP at Exito, I think) and just finished it today. Probably some of the best Colombian coffee I've ever had!
Yes, Real City Tours does the free walking tour in Medellin. I tried to book with them but saw that I would have been on the waiting list each time I tried, so it didn't work out. I also tried to get in on their Exotic Fruit Tour but they were booked solid on the one day that I had planned to go with them. Apparently, word has gotten out that they're a popular outfit.
Again, thanks for the kudos. Have a great trip and let us know how things worked out when you get back.