Colombia - one season for 375 days

Colombia | Feb 13 - Mar 5, 2025

The hotel looks beautiful and has lovely food...unfortunately we did not have a nice room...at the end of a long corridor on main level , dark and musty.

Enjoyed the cable car ride up the hill and learning about how it was developed. The site at the top was beautiful and we carefully maneuvered the slippery paths...rainy day ..

Felt our guide was inexperienced, not well organized and didn't seem to know how to relate to the client. As senior clients walking about in 41 degree weather for 5 hours is not OK....we ended our walking tour before seeing the market or taste testing. Our introduction to Cartagena was not a positive lasting impression. Our hotel room was not up to the standard of the other places we had enjoyed. The overall impression of the hotel is most positive, beautiful grounds, pool dining areas but our room was at the end of a long corridor on the main floor and it was dark, dingy and needed refurbishing...the picture over the bed was a frame only. Our dining experiences were all positive.

Many fruits are new to the tourists and it is nice to be able to try them. The arepas made by a special lady were the best I ate compared to the many I tasted through out Colombia. The flower market was colourful and nice to see .... wasn't too sure the vendors were too happy with us walking through as they were getting ready to close....might we worth considering talking with a vendor to learn more about the business and even receive one flower as token....

The museum was delightful...our guide told us about a few key issues and then we took whatever time we wanted to look at the various exhibits.

Colourful, insightful and fun...enjoyed the street art. Most fun for us was playing tejo accompanied by a mulatto local beer...chocolate pairing made us feel like we were in a lab doing a very detailed taste tasting...far too much technical stuff for regular tourist...this program needs to be delivered in a more relaxed fun manner.

Very generous manager and chef introduced us to your national drink. We had lots of laughs and can see why this is such a social beverage.

Many kind wishes were sent my way for my BD celebration....even the hotel dining staff had a lovely dessert for me and sang happy birthday. The meal was delicious, beautiful presented and we enjoyed. There seems to be the thought that if you remove a plate as soon as finished it is efficient...not so when you are eating with another person ... my question which never has been answered is why does Colombia mark up their price of wine so significantly? If tourism is the goal, expect wine drinking goes with that....we were able to find delicious wines in the local grocery for a reasonable amount.

Enjoyed my time with the chef learning about the different corns and how they are treated. With the help of his kitchen staff, the final presentation was delightful.

Amazing valley and seeing these magnificent palms was awesome....our guide was very knowledgeable about the area and shared this with us in an easy to understand discussion. He was happy to accommodate a request to show me an avocado tree and took the time to explain the growth etc. Both Salento and Filandia were colourful and easily walkable locations.

A very well spoken knowledgeable chef taught us lots about the cuisine and how to actual tackle some items that were new for us. We enjoyed all of the dishes that we made and have a much better understanding of the work and effort that goes into some of the Caribbean dishes. Loved the aprons that were easy for me to get home...great memory jogger of a fun time.

Well organized with an interpreter and set up efficient for us to easily manage the steps. Enjoyed the class, the chef, the gift of columbian pots and the experience.

Relaxed, fun and playful experience.

Enjoyed the exhibition of sculptures by Botero. Our guide shared comical information which kept the history fun and memorable.. the wonderful metro cable up to Santo Domingo was enjoyable and knowledgeable and an amazing method to move people through this massive city in a cost efficient manner.

One of the best activities and learning experiences in Colombia. From costume setting, to picking the beans and walking through the fields and learning about the many steps that are taken to produce this bean was amazing. The lady of the manor prepared drinks and snacks and then a sizeable lunch for all of us to enjoy. Language wasn't difficult with a fluent guide and gestures and smiles all added to the enjoy,ent.

We enjoyed taking the path with our guide at a leisurely pace to see the thermal waters. Quite a stunning area of natural beauty.

Other than the rain, we enjoyed getting to the area as well as learning about La Piedra rock. No pressure to climb and didn't.

Essential to experience this neighborhood in order to better understand the massive changes that have taken place by those living in very poor dangerous conditions.

A tour guide arrived at our VBRO, same young chap we had met before......he waited with us until the driver arrived...we were not aware a guide was to accompany us...and off we went to the airport where we were dropped off outside....every other guide that we had accompanied us inside the terminal to ensure a smooth transition, and that's when we tipped....without meaningful service, no tipping. The driver was new to us and the seat belts were non workable in the rear and when we pointed this out we were advised that the car had been cleaned and they hadn't pulled the clips back through....whatever the reason, the client should not be put in that position.

Cartagena takes a little time to get oriented ... our guide walked us to this event which was essential for us as it was an evening event. The owner and presenter of the event was friendly and fun and enjoyed his job. We enjoyed learning about the different flavour profiles and how they were created and the little tapas to aid with the palette were delicious. On our walk back to the hotel we were able to see the party buses and how night life lives in this city.