Hotel Campestre Gulupa Ecolodge — Hotel in La Selva

The Road to Paradise…

Sometimes the road to paradise is not an easy one, but nothing worthwhile is. Once you get there, you’ll realize it was all worth it.

Our journey started from Medillin. It was a beautiful scenic 3.5 hour drive. We took an Uber. You can also take a bus from the north bus station, but we decided to go the Uber route. Once we arrived into Jardin’s El Centro, we took a motor taxi to Gulupa Ecolodge. The road up to Gulupa is a bumpy one, with the road mostly unpaved (20-30 mins). However, trust me, once you go through their gates, you wouldn’t want to stay anywhere else. It’s also convenient to go into town for meals or just wandering. We did every day. Our stay was 5 days/4nights.

The pictures on their webpage were beautiful, but nothing prepares you for the actual beauty of the place and its surroundings. As soon as our motor taxi arrived, he rang the doorbell, and the door slowly rolled opened. My jaw dropped and my eyes grew big. I took a deep breath and in that moment confirmed it was going to be an amazing stay.

Gulupa is both small and intimate. Yet, the expanse and openness of the grounds made you feel as if Gulupa was huge. They are perched on a cliff, giving you a panoramic view of the whole city of Jardin. It overlooks the gorgeous cathedral and the statue of Cristó Rey.

The landscape is impeccably designed with every nook and cranny thought out - yet maintaining the natural feel of the area.

We took the room on the second floor. It has its own big private balcony overlooking the front of the property. Directly in front of the room, you will have access to four other common spaces. One of those spaces is a balcony overlooking Jardin, Gulupa’s private garden, and surrounding mountains and hills. The other two common spaces, one viewing the hills to the left and road up to Gulupa, and their zip line platform. The other is viewing the city, mountains, and restaurant. These two areas have netted spaces and platforms where you can lie down and relax. This is where I admired sunrise, meditated, and practiced yoga every morning. In the center of all these platforms and netted areas is an indoor common area with huge bean bags and pillows. You can chill, take a nap or whatever you please here. These common spaces are perfect for just about anything that relaxes you. Every morning, we woke up just before sunrise to hear the chorus of birds giving us a concert. The sounds were so beautiful and shouldn’t be missed.

The rooms and every area of the hotel was spotless. Gustavo, lovely wife, and staff were so responsive, caring, and kind. They were always on hand, either in person or via WhatsApp to attend to our needs and requests. The staff worked together like a tight knit family.

The breakfast was beautifully prepared, presented, and of course, delicious. Cocktails and drinks were prepared with fresh, off the vine fruits and herbs. Try their Gulupa Gin & Tonic! Delish!!

There are views from any and all angels of the hotel. Make sure to take advantage and admire the beauty of Gulupa’s surroundings. Also, they offer a zip line to a nearby coffee finca. Plus, you can climb up to their “treehouse” set up with hammocks. There are local hikes. I suggest bringing hiking attire and a walking stick. You will be close to Cristó Rey hiking trail.

By the end of our stay, we were sad to leave, but we hope to get back soon to this paradise close to heaven.

Thank you to Gustavo and his staff for a fantastic and...

My family (wife, 10yo boy, and me) spent a few nights at Gulupa and it was the highlight of our 12 day Colombian adventure. From the moment we arrived, we were met by Gustavo, his staff, and Tesla the dog. Each made us feel perfectly at home. Everyone remembered our names and the team stopped whatever they were doing to answer questions and/or help meet any needs that we had. This included letting our son hit the zipline😊

The rooms were a good size for our needs and the views were stunning and ever changing with the weather and time of day. We particularly enjoyed hitting the hot tub in the late afternoon and watching the town and valley below. I also enjoyed making my coffee as the sun rose over the valley. A bonus was that the coffee is grown on the property and each room has a French press and electric kettle.

Summary: Gulupa Ecolodge is a good value for money; is positioned in a stunning setting; and it is run by friendly and caring people. I couldn't imagine booking at any other accommodation.

Things to know: It is not right in town and requires either a 15ish min TukTuk ride or a 30ish minute walk. We always walked to town and got a ride back. As a side note, I've not traveled anywhere in latin america that has felt as safe as Jardin. If you walk to/from, don't do what we did the first night and take the steep path by the statue (you'll know it if you see it!). It is the path of adventure and stories but not of sanity and risk minimization. Instead, make sure you take the left at the gate and walk through the little farm. We tried a number of restaurants in the city. Bon Appetite was ok, but Mambrú by far gets our vote for food quality and experience. Rain can hit fast and hard, but often not for long based on our short stay. Take a rain coat or umbrella if you're going to be out for long. Don't miss the relatively short/easy hike to Cascada La Escalera. It is so much better than the crowded Cascada del Amor I know you're on vacation but get up early and make coffee and watch the day break over the valley. The breakfast is fresh and...

Beautiful but zero peace, privacy and tranquility - not aligned with what they promote and sell (expensively)

Hermoso pero con ninguna privacidad, tranquilidad y silencio para que se pueda escuchar los pájaros - muy disonante con lo que promocionan y venden (bastante caro)

They have potencial, the room is comfortable -althought small with no aircon and fridge which is something that for their price could be easily expected...there's a nice view, good bathroom amenities... And there's a shared jacuzzi, outside the room, which was great. But the day I arrived they were doing construction of 2 new rooms right next to my room - stone breakers doing their best at maximum sound level ... I made a complaint and they stopped the machines, althought the men continued to work... Which meant not really peace, quiet and privacy - as they passed in front of the room from time to time... In the breakfast, the girl who prepares it was listening to a sitcom podcast (those ones that have loud laughter in the background - she was not wearing earplugs, just listening with her phone at high volume). And then at 10h sharp (right after breakfast) the machines started again, for an hour!!!! I developed a headache and became very angry. They offered me a free adventure activity!!!! 😒😒😒 For me, who just wanted to be laying around for two days in a hammock listening to birds... I said I didnt want activity but tranquility and so they returned my money. But the thing is that I needed to complain 2 times about something that should be obvious! It was a complete lack of respect and professionality. The people who work in this place are not aligned at all with what they promote and sell. They told me that in the second day they had an unexpected problem that had to be fixed - it can be true, but it just sounds too casual (and even lucky) that they had a problem in the exact day they already had 4 or 5 workers building two whole rooms... I would no return and I would not indicate to anyone.

Hay potencial para ser un buen espacio. Pero estan haciendo construcciones y suenan todo el día las perforadoras. En el primer día llegue y contesté la buya. La pediran para frenar las máquinas, pero siguió el sonido de los hombres trabajando al lado de mí habitación. O sea, ninguna tranquilidad. También la habitación Magnolia en las fotos tiene 3 ventanas, pero solo hay la puerta amplia, no hay más ventanas, ya las cerraron con pared, pero todavía siguen las fotos, no las cambiaron. En el día siguiente 10h ya empezaron de nuevo las máquinas, por una hora!!!! yo me quedé con dolor de cabeza y mucha rabia y los dije que esto es una falta de respecto y profisionalismo inmensa. Pararon de nuevo las máquinas y dijeron que fue una contingencia que necesitaba ser arreglada - que casualidad (y suerte!) que se pasó un problema cuando ya tenían allá los 4 o 5 trabajadores que están haciendo dos casa enteras. Podría ser algo pontual pero la realidad es que vender un hotel de relajación -por un alto costo- y entregar una buya enorme donde no se tiene privacidad ni tranquilidad es algo que demuestra el carácter de la gestión del espacio. Porque no cerraron el espacio por una semana para los arreglos, ya que eso es totalmente disonante con la propuesta?

Había mucha paz cuando no estaban ninguna de las personas que trabajan allá, pero llegaban y empezaba la buya. En el desayuno la chica que prepara la comida se quedó escuchando un podcast de estes de comedia que tienen risas ruidosas al fondo, sin auriculares!!! En el volumen máximo del teléfono. Me oferecieron hacer una actividad de deporte gratis!!! A mí, que quería que quedar todo el día acostada en la hamaca escuchando los pájaros 😒😒😒😒 les dije que quería tranquilidad y no actividad... Por fin me devolvieron el dinero de la noche... Pero, que papelón de ellos!!!! Tuve que pedir dos veces para tener el silencio que cobraron muy caro para que yo pudiera tener... Y no tuve ni cerca de esto. No vuelvo y no...