Viajero Guatapé Hostel — Hotel in Antioquia

Unfortunately we were disappointed by our stay at viajero Guatape. Please be aware that this is a party hostel and there is no escaping the noise. It is not appropriate for those who want a peaceful break/relax. The hostel has loud music blasting for most of the day, into the early hours of the morning. The hostel receptionist kindly provided us with earplugs but even these weren’t enough. We slept so poorly that we had to check out a day early as we were exhausted. As for the food… the hostel is very isolated and does not have a kitchen for guest use. Therefore you are obligated to buy from the hostel restaurant, which is pricey for the very average food they cook. The attitude towards people with food allergies is shockingly bad. The only gluten free alternatives on the menu are the pastas, so my partner informed the waitress that he was allergic to gluten and wanted to order the gluten free pesto pasta. After a half hour wait, the waitress returned and informed that the pesto pasta was in fact not gluten free because the pesto had gluten in. We explained that therefore my partner cannot eat it and would like to swap to a genuinely gluten free pasta dish. Despite it being a menu/staff error, she argued that it was already cooked so we have to eat it. I reiterated that my partner simply cannot eat this as he is allergic but she said we will still be charged for it and brought it to the table anyway. We also suggested that they should edit the menu so that it wasn’t inaccurate for allergies, but she did not care. In the end I spoke to the lady who was working on reception and she kindly instructed the waitress/kitchen to make a gluten free pomodoro instead. After this, the attitude of the waitress was very unpleasant and we were served a tiny portion of pomodoro without the toppings it was supposed to include, such as cheese. After dinner my partner became ill so we can assume that gluten had still made it into the meal. The whole experience was very unpleasant and made us realise we couldn’t risk eating there again, meaning we had to take the 25 minute drive to Guatape to eat any food.

The positives were that the receptionist was lovely and tried her best to resolve our issues. The views were also beautiful and bedrooms comfy but not...

Disappointing Stay — Please Read Before Booking||||There are some positives here, but overall, my experience was extremely frustrating. I left early and wouldn’t return. Here’s why:||||1. Remote location.||The hostel is far from Guatapé (30+ mins) with no reliable transport options (no Uber, InDrive, or consistent taxis). Once you're there, you're stuck. It feels isolating and inconvenient.||||2. No drinking water provided.||There are no refill stations, and bottled water is expensive (~9,000 COP). When I was unwell and asked to pay later (wallet was in another area), I was refused water—even though I’d been a paying guest for days. It felt cold and uncaring.||||3. Card payments don’t work.||Cash only, and they don’t allow room charges. If you forget your cash, you’ll need to trek back to your room—on very steep grounds. Wi-Fi only works well in the coworking space.||||4. Beds are noisy.||Metal frames squeak loudly with any movement. Not ideal for dorms or light sleepers.||||5. Uninformed front desk.||Staff were generally kind, but not helpful. I paid for a towel I later learned was free. Activities started later in the week, and no flexibility was shown when my friend arrived slightly late for the welcome event.||||6. Laundry service was too expensive. ||I was charged 65,000 COP for two small loads—far above local rates. Laundry wasn’t ready on time, and I was handed wet clothes with no refund or solution, causing me to miss a tour.||||7. Cold pool.||Not a major issue, but worth noting if you expect a swim.||||The good: The space is clean, quiet, and the coworking Wi-Fi...

When I arrived here, I thought, “What a paradise,” — and it truly is a paradise. But honestly, the service level is severely lacking.

First of all, the room itself is wonderful, the view is incredible. But I didn’t book a cheap hostel bed — I rented a full private room. So why on earth are the mattresses made with metal bars like in the cheapest hostels? They’re so uncomfortable that the bars press into your back and make it impossible to sleep — it’s a big problem.

Second, the restaurant. The prices are extremely high for the quality of the food, and the waiting time is just unbelievable. You will wait at least 40 minutes for your food. Even the drinks were brought after the meal — I really don’t understand that. The prices are basically the same as in the U.S.

Also, in the restaurant, the waiters add tips however much they want — only once did someone actually ask me if I wanted to leave a tip and how much. I’ve never had such a high bill even at a nice restaurant in El Poblado. And on top of all this, it would be nice if the knives and forks were actually clean instead of dirty.

I wouldn’t come here a second time, even though Viajero Medellín is a beautiful place and I...