Lake View Hostel — Hotel in Guatapé

I stayed in their superior lake view room, which is actually quite nice. The view is nice and there’s a balcony. So I would recommend this room. Nothing wrong with it. Old furniture but decent enough room. But it’s hot in Guatapé, so make sure to ask for a fan, as it gets hot in the room and the balcony doesn’t have a net.

I did notice a funky smell near the communal bathrooms. But I didn’t use them, so can’t comment further.

My main issue with this place was the lack of service. There were two people at the front, a taller Venezuelan guy who was great. But there was another guy with glasses who just seemed like he did not want to be there and we were a nuisance. I asked him for a fan, and he immediately said they didn’t have it. But I told him I saw fans in the dorms. And he later admitted he didn’t know what a fan was. So fair enough re language barrier, but even still he said they didn’t have enough fans and told me he couldn’t do anything. Mind you I was paying 4-6X the cost of a dorm and was surprised at his attitude of just not wanting to help at all, and resort to “no it can’t be done.” And I had to insist I wanted a fan and he begrudgingly got me one. They should have a fan to begin with. You’re paying a lot for the rooms.

Secondly, I was there around Christmas so it was slow. But there was just bad communication all around. I confirmed on my day of arrival that the restaurant would be open for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They said it would. And last minute without notifying anyone, they decided they wouldn’t operate the restaurant because “there weren’t that many people.” But they didn’t bother telling me, even though I had asked about it earlier. So just be mindful, that if you’re going and it’s slow, they can just decide to not offer breakfast / dinner. Which isn’t the end of the world, but it would be nice if they were clear in their communication.

Thirdly, it’s related to the guy with glasses attitude re not wanting to help. I asked about printing a bus ticket, and he said no. Although I could see they had a printer. All other hotels I stayed at, they were willing to print a bus ticket. As well, when I asked him about a bus from Guatapé to Medellín airport, he said it couldn’t be done. I told him I had head it could be done, and he later said it could be done but you need to switch buses. So I wasn’t sure why he just insisted on a “no” response when it was actually not a no. Just quite bizzare overall.

Anyways, the lake view room itself is nice. But hopefully they have fans...

Yes, I stayed in Guatape for TWO WEEKS!! Most people come for a day trip or maybe one night, but I was there to unwind, relax, and enjoy the cool night air. ||||I booked a private room and had my own bathroom, so keep that in mind when reading my review. The folks in the dorms seemed to like their rooms, but I can't give firsthand details on that. ||||Cleanliness is my #1 expectation when staying at a hostel. Lake View has fantastic cleaning ladies who seem to be endlessly mopping and scrubbing. It's much appreciated. There are a couple cute dogs that hang out at the front entrance, but you won't find dog hair laying about like at Enso Hostel in Medellin. ||||It's not an overly loud hostel either. Music isn't blaring from staff. There's a bar on the third floor, but it closes around 10ish and won't keep you up. Travelers seem to be fairly respectful and don't come back at all hours, because let's face it, Guatape doesn't have a ton of nightlife. ||||Staff are helpful, friendly, and speak great English. If you have a problem, they will bend over backwards to help you fix it. The place is often full for a reason. They have their act together at Lake View. ||||I also liked that the hostel is located on the far side of town, away from a lot of the touristy noise. But you can be back in the "action" within 3-5 minutes walk. Guatape isn't very big. ||||I used their laundry service for 20,000 COP and had my clothes back that afternoon. They offer a breakfast for 12,000 COP, but I never tried it. Prefer a few snacks in my room and then meals out for...

BED BUGS AND ROBBERY we stayed 4 nights in Lake View Hostel. when we got there, we were excited because it was very clean, the personal was sweet and we had a dorm just for ourselves. the two first night, everything was going well. the next day, more people check-in in the dorm. we went out for the day. when we got back, all our money and earphones (who were locked) was stolen. we asked to see the camera but they were very very bad and they wasn’t at a useful place. the next day, after being out for the day, we came back and we talked with the new people in our dorm. they also went out for the day, but when they came back, they got theirs lockers (who are also in the room) forced and theirs things stolen. we talked to the reception all together and someone told us that it was an old guy with no backpack and no passeport that they let him in the dorm. to finish our journey there, we woke up the next morning with many many stings on our body. we checked our beds and we found bed bugs. we told the guy at the reception but he didn’t do anything expect giving me an another bed with other bed bugs (i check this mattress too). for compassion, they didn’t make us pay for the nights after we told them that it was a serious problem and they make travellers in a situation very complicated. Great location, really calm and hot water with low...