Medellin Reports

[TaxiBoy]

Hi guys,

I'm new here, my first post on ISG is a recent trip report to panama city and can be found in the Panama thread.

Unfortunately this time I have a question, is the best western in Poblado guest / Chica friendly?

I will post a report after my trip.

Thanks in advance.

[Balboa]

Thanks for all the interesting ATM info, just incredible!

Maybe we can all post our favorite ATM stories as well!

This is great! 𗀄

[TheBloke1]

First time to Colombia, though I have traveled many times to Thailand, the Philippines, China, and DR where I've always used the exchange kiosks. Have also been around Europe and Costa Rica, but as I said this is a new place for me and one constant in life is change; so it's always smart to check on current methods and procedures ahead of time. Also, ATM's can sometimes be a potential risk depending on the location, time of day, etc. , as thieves know any gringos will be leaving these places with a pocketful of cash. But thanks for all the pointers. Not exactly sure the best way to establish a particular banks maximum daily withdrawal limit as well as the maximum limit per transaction, seems like BS right there that you may not be able to make the maximum daily withdrawal in one transaction. But I will start with Davivienda and see how that goes. Also, I think a good idea to order some pesos from BOA prior to the trip, just to have something in your pocket for the taxi, etc. Anyway, thanks again for the advice. Federer's playing– have to run.

[Black Page]

Not correct. In Thailand and Philippines for two, it is better to exchange money than to use the ATM. Money exchange places are 3 on every corner. The Thai bank charges you $6 on their end alone, while most money exchange places give you about the same as the interbank exchange. In Philippines sometimes using the exchange will give you even more than the interbank exchange. In Peru as well it is better to use the money changers on the street.

Yes, I was thinking to add an annex to my post, even before reading yours.

As you say, it is TRUE that in SOME countries, yet not many (I don't know in TH and PH, but I am familiar with Indonesia), the kiosks (not the banks, not the Western Union, not Forex, etc.) MAY offer a better deal than ATMs. The reasons may be many, but I suspect that it must have something to do with the usefulness of having foreign cash from unrecorded sources to the benefit of local traders and business who don't want to pay taxes etc. There is no other plausible explanation, if someone offers you to buy USD at a better rate than the one posted on XE.COM! It's agains the current market.

Is it common in the world? I would not say that, since it all my travel experience I found this situation only in Batam, Indonesia (and you add the cases of TH and PH).

How can we make the comparison of exchange fees?

Maestro applies something like 1. 25% fee over the interbank exchange rates of the day (those we read on XE, for example). Over that interchange fee, we must add some fixed fees that there MAY be or MAY BE NOT (from the local ATM provider and from our bank).

+1. 25% plus some extra dollar fixed fee is a verey good deal. If you add that you don't have to travel with 1 k or 2 k USD cash in your wallet and store it in your room, you should have no doubt to prefer an ATM to get local cash.

About exchange fees at local kiosks, the situation can vary a lot. In Batam after negotiation and walking around I was able to change USD for IDR with nearly the same XE rate or even better, but that is an exception (you added the TH and PH kiosks). In Colombia, the fork (difference) betwen buy and sell at exchange offices, which I found when I looked for it, was always much higher than that. If you try to change at an international airport in Europe or USA, the difference between buy and sell can be even on the order of 20% or 30%! (a legalized robbery).

[Schwifty]

I've been coming to Medellin and Cartagena for the past five years or so and this will be my first post here.

Day Action:

New Life. I usually go after 1 pm but before 4-5 pm so I can miss the business locals going there on their lunch break. However, both times I went at 1 pm and 3 pm during the week was crowded with dudes. Also, since Dec 2016 there is a 2 k Pesos fee! I guess I can't blame them with all the people coming in and not taking a girl. I started to ask questions and they said I didn't have to pay that day, just do it next time. This place is usually a hit or miss for me, but I'm really picky and like spinners. So I will try and give unbiased details of the girls. The first day I went there were only about 5-6 available with the others occupied. Usually there is a line up of 10-20 girls of all sizes and looks. I didn't see any spinners this time around so if you like curves there here you go. There were more than a few tall girls also if you like that. Tall meaning 5'10" and above. I didn't see anything I liked the two times I went so I just stopped trying.

Aiffe. Usually, when I find nothing at New Life I head over one street and go here. There's usually about 5-8 girls, also hit and miss. It was a miss for me on spinners.

Energy: This place is over by the stadium and has been on streaks of good and bad. Right now they seem to have about 20 girls there. They seem younger than New Life and there were more with cuter faces IMO. There were still no spinners but I picked a woman that was fit with little curves. She was 29, spoke some English, and was really nice. Sorry, forgot her name. IMO I think this was the best out of the 3 places I visited so far.

I usually go to only 3 strip clubs. These are in order of cheap to the most expensive:

San Diego. The smallest of the 3, but there can be some gems. Also, depends on your taste. You can find spinners here. Most of course are curvy, but fit. It is Medellin after all. The problem with this place is that dances are few and far in between. So it gets boring if your just looking around and not talking with a girl.

Fase II. This has been hit and miss for me, but right now it's good overall. Maybe the best of the 3 IMO as far as quality, amount of girls, and price for what you get. The space is a nice size with lots of room and you can see every part of the room easily without straining your eyes. There were spinners there, curvy girls, and curvy fit girls. I got a number from one girl and when I whatsapp'd here she wanted 350 k pesos! What a joke. It's only like 180-200 k at the club with a room. Let's calculate. She only gets up to 200 k pesos for a client at the club minus house fees and it's in those hot rank rooms. You would think she would take 150-200 k, no subtraction of club fees, to come to my very clean apartment with a pool and drinks. Dumb girl and I blew her off. There are way to many here so don't be afraid to say no or ignore them. You can be nice about it and they will be nice too, but say no thanks.

La Isla. This is the most expensive and the largest club. Fase II and this one usually has a stream of girls going up to dance. I usually pay 2 k pesos when the girls come around, because getting 1 k pesos is a chore and a half and you need a lot of them. No, you cannot get 1 k pesos at the cash register at the club. Besides, 2 k pesos is like only 66 cents right now. You can have fun when you give the girls the tip. I see other guys touch them, dance with them, smack their ass a little. This place is also the nicest out of all the strip clubs in Medellin with the largest dance floor for the girls. I always go to La Isla, among other places, every time I'm in Medellin and I met a cool server named Alex there. He speaks fluent English so it makes things a lot smoother. My Spanish is way better than before, but it's nice to have him around. PM me if you want his number.

La Isla Horror Story. On this particular night I was chilling on a couch searching for girls that I wanted to meet and started to chat with this one hot girl. Here the girls cost about 200-300 k for 40 minutes from my last recollection. This girl, Yaliz (Pronounced Jaliz, remember this name if you go there), had long black hair, implants, and a bubble butt. She knew a few words in English and seemed nice. I got her a couple of drinks and she wanted 300 k pesos. She said it was for an hour and included the VIP room. I should have read the signs. I'm such and idiot. I tried to get her number to meet up with her later in the week, but she said her cell phone was stolen. Sign post number 2. This is a hot girl in Medellin that lives off of cell phones. Some girls don't want to give their numbers, but it's rare and they usually have two phones anyway. If they don't want to give you there number then they will tell you nicely, there's no reason to lie. I eventually said fuck it and went to pay. I spoke with Alex and he tells me it's still 40 minutes, but the price does include the room. Whatever, it's only a $100 US. We walk up to the room and it's a normal room. I ask Yaliz what's up and she tells me sorry the VIP room is occupied. Huh, okay. Oh, we had gone back and forth on me having sex with her at La Isla and my place. One of the final things she said was that she would kiss me. I mention this because once we were at the room she didn't kiss me and was moving her face away. Ugh. We both had drinks and she kept taking sips of her drink and throughout the entire time she not only finished her drink, but then got two glasses of water. She then had to [CodeWord134] 3 different times. Now this was all in a span of about 10-15 minutes. It was such a buzz kill that I couldn't even get hard. She kept facing away from me and eventually said times up. She touched her drink glass more than me. I was like it's not even close to 40 minutes, but she kept on getting dressed. I've had one bad experience like this when I was first mongering, but this time I was like fuck this. I got dressed and left. I told the cleaning ladies there was a problem and then went to find Alex. I told him everything and he got the manager. Yaliz eventually came over and tried to talk to me but I just ignored her. After about 15 minutes the manager refunded my money minus the room charge, 60 k. Then I spoke with Alex a bit more and took off. I was clam but stern when I made my complaint and I'm sure that helped in them believing me. In the end, they actually did something about it. So don't be afraid to speak up. I didn't care about the money, I just hate being lied too.

When I first was visiting Medellin I had also tried the Strip Clubs in the Center. I eventually, decided to stick with the 3 above. However, now I wanted to try them again and saw some updates from Wolf662.

Conejitas. It's over by the State Museum on a corner and you go downstairs. No cover. It was definitely crowded with all locals, but it was cheap. I'm Asian so sometimes I can blend in, but I'm also muscular so people stare at me for my size. I'm use to it and didn't feel scared or worried for my safety. I don't have any combat training, I'm just a normal dude and it was fine. Didn't see any spinners, all curvy girls. About 10-15 and I stayed only 20 minutes. Super dark down there. There were long breaks in between dancing girls.

Barre Ejecutiva. I decided to just walk over to this place from Conejitas since it was a couple of blocks. However, if you are not use to seeing poor people on dirty roads then you may get a little scared. It was fine, just walk like you know where you are going. This place was brighter and had lots of girls of all sizes and quality. Girls were dancing in a steady stream.

Maracaibo. I went to this place after Barre Ejecutiva. I was here many years ago and it's the same. It's smaller than the two places above and was empty with customers. There were about 8 girls there. I was talking to one girl and she said things get full at midnight. This seems to be the norm for all strip clubs I've been to in Medellin. The lighting was in the middle of these 3 clubs. There were long breaks in between dancing girls.

Daytime action is always hard to find and / or coordinate. That's why I try to get numbers at the strip clubs and see them during the day also. I hope this little piece of info helps others. Remember, don't be afraid to speak your mind or complain. You don't need to be mean about it or yell to get results. Just explain things in a normal way and you should get the best possible results.

[TravelPlanet17]

First off on that ATM discussion. Get the Schwab account they refund transaction fees all over the world. It does take 4 business days to transfer funds so plan accordingly. Especially when ATM's cap you at 600 k and you need to make multiple transactions a week those fee rebates are nice. It adds up.

Gusto - 4 for 4 pulling girls out of there. Cover is 15 K. The bouncer never hands me change he just puts it on his stand and I have to ask to take it which is douche move on both parts but whatever that's the game. Strategy is go in after 12, buy some girls you like an overpriced drink (she might have 3 in front of her and on her phone, but if she's not with a guy that means those were rejects and she will talk to you). Check your bill, I always call the liquors and the bartenders tend to put the most expensive one on the bill even if they pour in front of you. They fix it immediately. Again feels like a douche to correct them and douche for them to pull that shit. Then make small talk with the girl (in Spanish) and she will quote you a price pretty quick. The girls are not 100% for sale. I've seen them reject my wingmen before even when price wasn't an issue because she didn't like him.

Next point. The girls are often in packs. At minimum 2. If they reject your wingman the other girl is probably open to 3 way just need to give her some attention. 3/4 of the times I've pulled girls out of there its been me with 2 girls at their suggestion (1/4 was with my wingman, we took the 2 home and paired up there). The 3 way is not like the Pornhub movies. They switch condoms each blowjob and intercourse one set switched like every 4 minutes trying to run me out of condoms, but I was well stocked. The other girl moans and sits next to her friend while you fuck her. Switching condoms every few minutes can be a boner killer cause you wonder why she won't share a condom with her friend. Then hearing 2 girls moan "Papa leche" together is one of the most comical situations I've ever been. The girls don't like when you laugh at them while fucking. Three sets started at 500 k each and 2 sets settled on 300 k each, 1 set on 250 k each. Overall I would steer clear of 3-ways. The girls are in a rush and tag teaming you. One set high fived once I came then got dressed and left ASAP. Every time it was one hotter girl with her less hot friend that I ended up fucking because it was a 3 way opportunity. One girl whatsapp'd me the next day and apologized for making me fuck her friend. Literally laughed out loud for like 2 minutes when I got that message. A girl apologizing for "forcing" me into a 3 way. I love Medellin! Overall I'm going to avoid the 3 way offer its not gunna be what I think it will be and really is just a double the price but not double the pleasure. No regrets, but not gunna fall for that trap again.

Maybe you will have a different experience. Cheers!

[JjBee62]

Sorry but I don't believe you.

I'll pass that along to my bank and I'm sure they'll adjust the charges.

However, my numbers were wrong. I was looking at 2 different dates and I didn't have a Servibanca withdrawal on the day I used a Citibank ATM. On that day I used the Davivienda ATM at Jumbo Las Vegas and the Citibank ATM at CC Oviedo.

Daviv - 720,000 cop for $258.64 rate 2783.79 cop / usd.

Citi - 600,000 cop for $219.68 rate 2731.24 cop / USD.

Difference 52 cop / USD or 26,000 cop per $500 USD.

Not enough of a difference to lose sleep over, but the rate is not the same at every ATM. The larger factor is the current rate. I've had a range of $25 difference between identical withdrawals, depending on that days rate.

[Queens35]

The rate at Citibank was over 100 pesos less per dollar.

Sorry but I don't believe you.

[JjBee62]

3 pesos? That's 1/10th of of a penny. That qualifies under "exactly the same rate".

On the same day I withdrew from Servibanca, Davivienda and Citibank. Davivienda rate was the best, Citibank was the worst. Servibanca was in the middle but also had a 12 k service fee. The rate at Citibank was over 100 pesos less per dollar.

[Queens35]

3 pesos? That's 1/10th of of a penny. That qualifies under "exactly the same rate".

[Fun Luvr]

FYI- Another myth guys repeat is that some ATM's give better rates. Not true. Every ATM gives the exact same rate at any given times (not counting fees they tack on). This is because the bank that gives you the money does not calculate the exchange rate. YOUR bank does that. The foreign bank gives you pesos and YOUR bank decides how much that is worth in dollars.

That is not correct. I just returned from Medellin earlier this week. I withdrew money from Bancolombia, Davivienda, and BBVA. The rate at the ATM stays the same throughout the day and is tied to the previous day's exchange rate. I know this because I withdrew more than once on some days. The rates did not change Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On the same day, I withdrew from BBVA and from Bancolombia. BBVA gave a better rate. Davivienda gave a rate between BBVA and Bancolombia. None of those three banks charge a fee. I withdrew from Davivienda between withdrawals at Bancolombia. Since it was a weekend, the rates at Bancolombia were the same, and the rate at Davivienda was a little higher. Among the three banks, the difference was less than three pesos on the dollar. I used the Schwab card for all withdrawals.

[Knowledge]

Schwab is very popular on the monger boards. It works as described. There are many similar deals at other banks. No ATM fees worldwide. Some banks require a minimum balance in the $500 to $1000 range. I have a credit union account with no minimum balance requirement and no ATM fees worldwide. I would never consider traveling with a pile of cash but guys should do whatever feels comfortable.

Or make it simple and get a Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking account. You never have to go into a Schwab branch. You open it online and transfer funds electronically from another bank. There are no transfer fes and the best part is that you can withdraw money from an ATM anywhere in the world for free. No ATM fees at all. Yes, you will be charged ATM fees at the time of withdrawal. But on the first of each month, your account statement comes out and they refund all ATM fees. On February 1, I received a rebate of $22 after my January trip.

THIS ACCOUNT IS A NO-BRAINER!

Link to open an account: http://content.schwab.com/web/retail...rted/checking/.

For some reason, it doeasn't work at BancoColombia in Medellin for me. That's not a big deal because BancoColombia has the longest lines and the lowest daily withdrawal limit (600,000 which is only $200). I have used Citibank, Banco de Bogota, and Davidenda (sp) with no issues.

FYI- Another myth guys repeat is that some ATM's give better rates. Not true. Every ATM gives the exact same rate at any given times (not counting fees they tack on). This is because the bank that gives you the money does not calculate the exchange rate. YOUR bank does that. The foreign bank gives you pesos and YOUR bank decides how much that is worth in dollars.

[Queens35]

Or make it simple and get a Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking account. You never have to go into a Schwab branch. You open it online and transfer funds electronically from another bank. There are no transfer fes and the best part is that you can withdraw money from an ATM anywhere in the world for free. No ATM fees at all. Yes, you will be charged ATM fees at the time of withdrawal. But on the first of each month, your account statement comes out and they refund all ATM fees. On February 1, I received a rebate of $22 after my January trip.

THIS ACCOUNT IS A NO-BRAINER!

Link to open an account: http://content.schwab.com/web/retail...rted/checking/.

For some reason, it doeasn't work at BancoColombia in Medellin for me. That's not a big deal because BancoColombia has the longest lines and the lowest daily withdrawal limit (600,000 which is only $200). I have used Citibank, Banco de Bogota, and Davidenda (sp) with no issues.

FYI- Another myth guys repeat is that some ATM's give better rates. Not true. Every ATM gives the exact same rate at any given times (not counting fees they tack on). This is because the bank that gives you the money does not calculate the exchange rate. YOUR bank does that. The foreign bank gives you pesos and YOUR bank decides how much that is worth in dollars.

[Surfer500]

Not correct. In Thailand and Philippines for two, it is better to exchange money than to use the ATM. Money exchange places are 3 on every corner. The Thai bank charges you $6 on their end alone, while most money exchange places give you about the same as the interbank exchange. In Philippines sometimes using the exchange will give you even more than the interbank exchange. In Peru as well it is better to use the money changers on the street.

I always have both ATM cards and cash whenever I travel as sometimes the exchange rate for US dollars can be higher than the bank rate but I have found that to be true only in Thailand which I don't understand why but it is. As far as Colombia don't even think of exchanging dollars at a a casa de cambio you will easily get almost a 10 percent lower rate than using an ATM machine. Also Citibank offers a lower rate than Bancolombia as I have experienced so I avoid them. As far as money changers on the street well best to avoid them as invariably one of them will screw you over.

[Mr Enternational]

You seem to have not a long travel experience and not in many countries out of US. The situation is exactly the opposite as you depict. Wherever you go in the world, ATMs will be the simplest and cheapest way to get local currency, provided that you use a debit card (not the credit function).

Not correct. In Thailand and Philippines for two, it is better to exchange money than to use the ATM. Money exchange places are 3 on every corner. The Thai bank charges you $6 on their end alone, while most money exchange places give you about the same as the interbank exchange. In Philippines sometimes using the exchange will give you even more than the interbank exchange. In Peru as well it is better to use the money changers on the street.