Hello, Filipe … We are now back to our home i...
Colombia | Aug 26 - Sep 7, 2023

R
ROBERT M.
Evanston, IL | Reviewed on Sep 14, 2023

Hello, Filipe … We are now back to our home in the US and sorting through dirty laundry and backed up mail. After our own stops and starts on the trip planning, we are very pleased with the overall trip experience that you and your guides assembled.

· Guides. Each of your three assigned guides were excellent, with English language communication skills and insights into Columbia’s past drug lord issues. Guide Diago realized that Robert was not as nimble-footed as he once was, and suggested wheel chairs when necessary. Using such a vehicle, Diago pushed Robert up the very steep walkway in Medellin for a very interesting neighborhood visit. Quite a task!

· Hotels. We were pleased with our hotels in Bogota and Cartegena However, Patio del Mundi there needs some help. We were first booked into a back room that could only be accessed by a crazy quilt of patio and unlit steps. The following day, due to our complaints, we were changed to another smaller room, but with door keys that did not work. In addition, breakfast each morning offered only the same scrambled eggs plate, a couple of the pastries that did not seem that fresh, and coffee where it took forever to get a second cup and that tasted like instant. Patio del Mundi is a small pleasant hotel that really needs some work.

· Restaurant Meals. We planned the trip by asking you to book us in top restaurants in each city. You really achieved our expectations throughout! The lady at the front desk in Cartagena, when we asked each day for a cab to our designated restaurant, said that we were really going to the best restaurants in Cartagena. Our only comment regarding asl of these restaurant reservations was Medellin’s El Ciello, which was perhaps too much over the top for us. They featured a 17 -course tasting menu. That was just too much for our tastes. We skipped that and ordered a lesser selection from their menu.

Overall, we are very pleased with our trip to Columbia and your schedule adjustments, despite our own personal back and forth changes. We would be pleased to provide a favorable reference to others as you may wish.

If I have a grumble about your trip organization, it is your failure to communicate via standard MICROSOFT email. For example, you spent far too much time claiming I should us an application called "Whats App". I wasted too much time and never got the application to work.

Local specialist: Felipe Rico
Felipe
Felipe Rico
Local specialist in Bogota | Replied on Sep 14, 2023
Dear Robert and Lois, We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your time in Colombia! And it is wonderful to hear that you found our guides to be excellent and knowledgeable as we strive to provide the best possible service to our clients. Your kind words about Diego's assistance are greatly appreciated, and we will certainly pass on this positive feedback to him. Regarding the restaurant choices, it is great to hear that you enjoyed our recommendations. I am also glad you liked your... Read more

Dear Robert and Lois,

We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your time in Colombia! And it is wonderful to hear that you found our guides to be excellent and knowledgeable as we strive to provide the best possible service to our clients. Your kind words about Diego's assistance are greatly appreciated, and we will certainly pass on this positive feedback to him. Regarding the restaurant choices, it is great to hear that you enjoyed our recommendations.

I am also glad you liked your Hotel options and thank you for your feedback regarding Patio del Mundo. This is a very unique local boutique hotel in Medellin, located in a nice and safe neighborhood, and usually our travelers have a very good experience with them especially when they like boutique style hotels with an authentic nature and a garden. Very valuable for us to have your feedback though and thank you for taking the time to write your comments.

I understand that you expressed your frustration with the different communication methods used, especially with WhatsApp. We use Whatsapp as a service for our travelers to stay connected to our local agency in Colombia at all times, and to assist you at anytime and be there for you for anything you need, but it is an optional way of communication that most of our travelers appreciate, and not mandatory to use. Having said this, please know that we have certainly taken this feedback into account and are making efforts to be more adaptive and ensure that we only use the preferred communication channel of each of our travelers.

Should you require any further assistance or have additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us, and thank you once again for visiting Colombia!

Warmest regards,
Felipe