Colombia

Botero Plaza

New Years Eve in Colombia is like nowhere I’ve been before

This past New Years we went to Colombia, we got to go to Medellin, Bogota, and my favorite, Cartagena, check out my guide below:

Medellin

Geography

• El centro city sites

• Comuna 13 – dangerous city now grafitti and escalators

• Envigado and Laurels – two residential neighborhoods with cafes and restaurants

Food

• Arepa de chocolat from street vendor

• Salted mango

• Bandeja paisa – plate with rice beans meats avo staple of medellin

• Tinto = type of coffee

Restaurants/Bars

• Hotel Charlee for drinks

• Hacienda – get bandeja paisa

• Andres Carne de Res – restaurant that turns into club/party

• Restaurante Los Toldos, bandeja paisa, tripe soup, folk music

• Carmen – restaurant with awards, $60 pre fix menu with win

• Gato – good drinks and food

• Casa Clandestino Comedor – culinary hotspot in poblado

• Tal Cual – unpretentious food casual arty

• Naan – for lunch

• Shanti – for lunch

• Ocio – dinner

• Burdo – really good food and drinks

• Querido – lovely brunch spot

Activities

• Comuna 13 walking tour – graffitis and escalators

• Guatape – day out of medillin to visit this cool rock, 700 steps up and amazing city right next to it

• Botero plaza 23 famous colombian artists,museo de antioquia for more botero work

• Jardin Botanico – botanic gardens with lake and butterfly enclosure and orchids

• Parque Explora – largest freshwater aquarium in south america

• Soccer Game!

• Bicitour – 4 hours starts and ends in poblado

• Paragliding – Zona de Vuelo, 20 minute tandem flight $40, launch point in San Felix

• MAMM – modern art museum

  • Bonuar – modern cuisine with live music inside the museum

• Parque Arvi – nature just a cable ride away from central Medellin, hike birdwatch, etc – go with guide, some robberies reported closest to city part

• Ride the metro

Nightlife

• Parque Lleras – bars, clubs, Discoteca Luxury reggaeton, bar hopping

  • 37 park bistro was one of the cooler ones

• Trilogia Bar – live music

• Salon Malaga – drinking hole

• Calle 9+1 electronic music bar, different than superficial discos a block away

• Rio Sur mall – inside has rooftop bars etc

• Eslabon Prendido – Salsa Bar

• El Social

• Son Havana

• Calle Nueve

• La Octava – see crazy street from porch of popular rock bar

Bogota

Types of food

• Empanada

• Arepa

• Tamale

• Aijaco Soup

• Chocolate con questo – traditional breakfast

• Porobon drink

• Palicon dessert

Geography

• La Candaleria – lots of food, lots of graffiti – calle del embudo

• Bolivar Square – main plaza,

• Monserrate mountain, go on cable car

• Chapinero – hipster neighborhood, Best coffee – tinto, poltically charged street art, bogota beer company

Restaurants

• Dinner: Chapinero Alto – hipster haven, highly regarded restaurants, capital of gastronomy

Activity

• Play Tejo at tejo de la 76, or other low key place

Cartagena

Geography

• Getsemani – hipster neighborhood to go out in

• La Boquilla – near beach

• Bocagrande – high rise filled neighborhood

• Plaza bolivar

Types of food

• Fritanga – fried chorizo, chicharron, potato

• Pandebono – cheese bread with fruit juice

• Arepa de huevo – fried arepa stuffed with egg

• Tinto

• Agua fresca – fruit smoothie with or without milk

• Fish – all fish here is good, ceviche, pargo frito – whole fried red snapper

Activities

• Bendita Beach – ask selina hostel to book, small island

• Sport Baru – have their own private boat pick you up at 8:30am

• Playa Blanca – good carribean beach Baru “island” can take a 40 min cab here and pay $50 for cab driver to stay for the day for you, take motorcycle $1 ride to end of beach, walk away from crowds, The Wizard bar – can rent hammocks or area to chill at

• Cooking class – ceviche

• Watch sunset from the walls

• 12 miles of beach, Bocagrande longest and most touristy beach, best beaches are on the islands offshore

• Renting a boat for the day and exploring the Rosario Islands and Baru. Head to Blue Apple Beach Club for lunch and Cholon for a local pull-up with your boats party vibe

  • Rosario Islands, where you can hike, dive, and snorkel.

  • Cholon – great lunch experience, best day to go saturday

  • Rosario beautiful waters

• We walked around the Old Town every day

• La Popa – monestary with great views

• Salsa Dancing class

• Plaza santo domingo – la gorda bronze sculpture by botero

Restaurants

• La Vitrola: amazing traditional upscale Colombian vibes (presidents kids go here for NYE)

  • Caribbean cobb, coconut cake

  • Most bougie place

  1. La Cevicheria: must-go-to for lunch!

     • Anthony bourdain favorite, langosta ceviche comes with crackers and spoon, mixed grill calamari crab mussels and more

     • El Boliche down the street, just as good

  2. Vera: upscale for lunch or dinner

  3. La casa de socorro – lot of cartegenos there

  4. Alma: romantic and late-night for dinner, classy

  5. Don Juan: cool vibes for dinner – a favorite of CN, mojito

  6. Juan Del Mar: pizza, amazing music – book a spot on the terrace, where president eats – 3 restaurants all next to each other in cute square

  7. Cafe Del Mar –  Good drinks/apps – sits between old and new and sun sets

  8. Cafe Havana – live music at 11

  9. Pata negra – good tapas spot

  10. Marea

  11. Demente – tapas and rocking chairs

  12. Di Silvios – roofless building near graffiti calle de la sierpe, alfresco pizza

  13. La paleteria – ice cream, tamarind gelato

Nightlife

• Champeta – afro-spanish caribbean music, find it playing at pico and outdoor fiesta

  1. Drinks at Hotel Sofitel at El Coro

  2. Sunset drinks/dinner/dancing at Baluarte San Francisco

  3. Alquímico: coolest 3-story bar

  4. Cafe Havana: for salsa dancing, not open mon or tues

  5. La Movida: club for dancing

  6. La Jugada: club for dancing (less intense than La Movida)

  7. Molivich rooftop view for drinks

  8. El Baron

  9. Mister Babilla

Shopping

• St. Dom – upscale amazing Colombian designers, Lawrence recommends

• Agua De Leon – also local designers / amazing accessories, MUST

• Casa Chiqui – home decor and accessories

• Lucy Jewelry

• Nuevo Milenio

• Cuartel de las bovedas

• El arcon