TravelResortReview

This is a beautiful area called “Llano Grande” and it is located 1 hour far from Medellín, Colombia (South America). Llano Grande has become a much visited place for Colombians and foreign visitors as well. Plenty of life all the day and night long; this is a place that deserves to be visited by anyone.

Medellín is provided with 2 airports; but it is better to arrive to the Llano Grande’s Airport as this one is just 10 minutes far from Llano Grande.

Since the President of Colombia, Mr. Alvaro Uribe, owns a Finca in the surroundings, the zone is plenty of Army the whole year. This assures that the zone is much protected, which is a great guarantee for a safe vacation time.

There are hotels in the area, but my own experience refers to the “Fincas” (country houses) that can be rented for the amount of days you want. Prices vary from Finca to Finca, being the most expensive ones the biggest houses. The pictures I attach here are from the Finca that I rented with my family on the recently past December 2008. This house is beautiful, plenty of rooms (5 3-double-bed rooms) and wide spaces for the kids to play and for the adults to walk around and enjoy the landscapes.

Around this finca you can find lot of malls, restaurants, discos, markets, super-stores, service stations, and all facilities you can think of. And of course, there is a nice and big Hospital in case you get sick of happiness for being so joyful of this gorgeous place over there!  

Very near of Llano Grande is located the town “Rio Negro” where you can find a wide diversity of activities as well.

The weather is nice but cold (around 18 ºC) and sometimes rainy. So if you plan to go to Llano Grande some day keep in mind to take your coats with you!

There is a trip which is a most, consistent in going down to Medellín; one of the most important cities in Colombia. There is something I love always to see myself and is the “alumbrado” (Christmas lights) along the Medellín River.

We go always on December to Llano Grande since years now because this is such a beautiful place for vacationing. I highly recommend this place to anyone!

Greeting from Colombia,

JAS
March 26, 2009

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

While on the typically trip to Machu Pichu, we chose the Hotel Ruinas for first couple days of Altitude adjusting. We were welcomed by a nice warm coca tea and some pisco sous for afterwards just to get us in the happy spirit. Unfortunately for my friend, he couldn´t drink his pisco due to altitude sickness, leaving poor me with two!

Because the hotel was part of our package to see Machu Pichu, airport pickup and drop off were included as park of the price. Also the guide came to the hotel on the first night, had a talk to us about our 4 day hike and made sure we had all the necessary items. The was nice and in a very good spot in Cuzco. The only dilemma we had was when we returned from Machu Pichu, they didn´t have us booked. But they gave us a spare room and everything was fine.

The breakfasts were nice, and it was always a good start to each day to have some nice hot coca tea. The staff were friendly and the room was pleasant. The fridge was a bit noisy but overall a good quality stay.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading …

When we were coming back from Bolivia, we passed through Arequipa for a night. Unfortunately the overnight coach was quite late in getting to our destination and we ended up having to get a hostel at 1.30am. Luckily a friend from Brazil gave us the number for the Colonial House Inn.

The owners spoke English and he was very helpful to a pair tired gringos looking for a bed. In no time we had a large room with a huge comfortable bed, and a second medium bed that was also very comfortable. In the morning the owner and another of the staff help us with finding places of interest in Arequipa, and even gave us a rate of change for US$.

The shower was nice and hot, the only issue was there was only a curtain, so the toilet got covered in water after a shower. But otherwise everything was brilliant, and it only cost 20 Soles for the night. The next day we took in the sites of Arequipa, at a nice relaxed pace. A great relief to some tired travellers, and i would happily recommend it to anyone else.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

The name of the hotel comes from the famous comic book “Tin Tin”, due to the fact the owners are married couple, one from Peru and the other from Belgium. To further the theme, there are decorations from the books dotted about the hostel. The place was very nice and felt like a home rather than a hostel. The bedroom had a balcony with a good view of the river Chili and what was known as “The Iron Bridge”. This was designed by the same engineer that designed the famous Eiffel Tower – Gustave Eiffel.  

If you want a nice relaxing place where you can sleep well and listen to the river nearby, this is the place for you. Arequipa is one of the major cities in Peru, so staying away from the town centre has its benefits. The beds were very comfortable and the bathrooms wonderfully relaxing. The breakfast was scrumptious, with freshly baked bread, fresh milk and nice pure fruit juices.

Apart from the bedroom, the space is a bit limited but you will not find it uncomfortable. There is no internet connect in the hotel, but the hotel did let us use their computer, even when it was very late. The price was reasonable considering the quality, and we found it a wonderful stay.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

When we stayed at this hostel (located half a block from the center of Andamarca), the first thing we found out is – use all the blankets – as the temperature is freezing at night due to the high altitude. The hostel is near the town hall, the local church and the police station – just in case.  

The area is not really a tourist spot, but a good location if you are interested in adventure sports. The hostel was cosy, with a good family environment and a good cheap price. We stayed in a couple of single rooms for $2.70 USD with a medium bed , bath, table and chair and of course, those blankets. If you want to upgrade your room, you need to pay the big $5 USD instead, and with this you get a sofa and basic TV.

Andamarca only has about 200 people, and there are no banks or stores or even magazine stores. But you could get good reception on your mobile!  This was because of the construction of some new antennas, which was slowly bringing in new transport businesses. Restaurants lacked variety but there were all dirt cheap.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

Listed as a 3 star hotel, the location is only 5 minutes walk from the main square. Because of this you will rarely need a bus or taxi during your stay. The historical monuments in the city only take about 40 mins to see by simply walking around and taking photos (recommended at night due to the effect of the lights). Crossing the Chilean border did require an expensive taxi ($7 USD). The area is highly commercial and apart from the normal restaurants you can find plenty of goods from “questionable sources”. This includes some very well known brands in electronics and clothing.

The hotel has a typical restaurant and the bedrooms are comfortable but pretty standard for a 3 star hotel. Room service, café, bar, cable tv, internet (but usually occupied). But at least the noise from town was not audible in the room even though the location was very close to the town centre.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading …

Located in open area if the Peruvian tropical zone, the hotel is only 5 minutes by mototaxi (which are an event in themselves!) to Tingo Maria. Rather than rooms, we were supplied 3 cabins (more can be offered depending on the visitors needs). In each cabin was a terrace, rooms for eating and resting as well as a laundry and bathroom. Hot water was also available , even though the jungle heat generally leaves you wanted a cold shower instead.

The hotel has a good swimming pool, and a small area of access to the Tingo Maria Natural Reserve. Here you can see some endangered animals and a beautiful forest area where you are allowed to collect your own fruit! The hotel provides the usual cleaning, breakfast services and each bungalow has cable tv. The fittings are comfortable and good quality, but the restaurant is quite expensive. You can just take a short trip to nearby restaurants for cheaper food that is just as good. And they all offer typical fresh fruity tropical dishes.

As a last tip, take tons of insect repellent for the mozies and don`t attempt to travel after 6pm as there is almost no transport and can be quite dangerous in Tingo Maria.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

When we got to Iquitos, it was very late so our choice of hotel was limited to which still had rooms for the night. The placed we ended up staying at, the Safari Hotel, was just off the Main Square, and our bedroom had a view to Tarapaca Bay and a lake called a Amazonas ( because it is filled by the Amazon river).

The area around the hotel was very commercial and noisy. There were many bars, clubs, and casinos just on the doorstep. Regardless, we still sleep well through the night. The bedrooms were small, but the bed was comfortable enough, but the main thing which is essential in the jungle, the air condition unit was fully operational. The room for breakfast was quite large, while the breakfast itself was the standard continental breakfast to get in most hotels.

  (No Ratings Yet)

 Loading …

Huaraz is one of most beautiful places in Peru, and when we decided to finally make the trip their, a group of almost 50 friends also decided to stay at the same hotel. Obviously, we required several rooms, but the hotel had no problems hosting such a large party of people. The man benefit of the hotel, lucky for us, was the amount of space available. The rooms were much bigger than normal, the gardens were also large and beautiful. There was even a large area for sports as well.

We only stayed in the hotel during the evenings, but during these times we would organize the odd party or 4. We did get a little noisy, but due to the spaciousness of the hotel, and the fact the staff placed us away from the other guests, we didn’t have any problems from the other guests. The bedrooms were very nice with a rustic design and balconies made from “guayaquil”. The hotel is neither far or close to the town, as we could get to the edge of the commercial part of town after just 7 minutes walking. But the open air freshness and tranquility of Huaraz could be felt everywhere we went.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading …

Temuco is a province in the south of Chile, but due to the isolation, most things were quite expensive. The hotel itself was only 5 minutes by taxi from the city centre, but I would recommend taking a walk every now-and-then because of the cost of taxis in Chile. For 5 mins, you can pay $4 USD, a whopping great amount when you consider other areas in South America. And while things in Temuco were expensive, Santiago was even worse!

Tierra del Sur is a 3-star hotel, located in a quiet area of Temuco, maybe even a little too quiet. It can feel quiet spooky if you leave the hotel at night, and see and hear very little. Temuco is not much of a tourist area, and this very little to see or do, but the people are very friendly and keen to meet the new arrivals. But that could have been because we were there during the National Day of Chile.  

The room had all the comforts of a flat apartment, 2 good bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, bathroom, cable tv, telephone, wireless connection, and heating. Also the staff were very friendly and helpful. Although I don’t recommend the breakfast, as everyday it was exactly the same, so if you need to stay for there for a while, you will eventually grow to hate the food. The area around the hotel was nice, with a courtyard to relax, and a communal area for relaxing and watching the TV with the other visitors.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading …