Hotel Cuellars — Hotel in Pasto

Pasto is not on most people's itinerary... unless you are coming for the big annual Blacks & Whites Carnaval. Picture Mardi Gras but a lot messier. And a lot of fun. Anyway, we came to Pasto. There are no Marriotts or Hiltons here. So we researched and my wife picked this one. ||||The hotel actually does look like the photos, and appears to be brand new. They are almost fanatical about cleaning. The rooms are large and spacious, as are the bathrooms. And everything is new. Including, so it seems, the staff who seem to be learning as they go how to run a hotel and a restaurant. The day we arrived it was cold outside and in the room ... and the entire building has no HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) -- no vents, no heat, no nothing. We immediately called for a room heater and they had none. They sounded surprised we asked for one, but we insisted it was cold and they said they'd get us one. Nothing that day. Next morning, they said we'd have it by afternoon and we did. We also had an issue that since the restaurant closed at about 9:15 (right after our group finished dinner and as there seemed to be no one else in the hotel - with everyone coming Jan 2 for the start of the Carnaval), we couldn't get a cup of coffee or anything... and the next day a table with a 2 top warmer and pots of hot water for tea, one for coffee, cups and compliments were in our rooms. ||||The point is that this hotel was not being run perfectly, but they tried to satisfy us each time... and they did a good job.||||The food in the restaurant is pretty good (not fine dining, but good) - keeping in mind that the cuts of meat may not be USDA Choice or Prime, but local produce and fruits are very good as is the fish. Room service is prompt. People are friendly.||||Beds are comfortable. Reasonable selection of English language TV. Wi-fi is adequate. And surprisingly good and large conference facilities.||||Still it's strange to come back at 2 am after dancing and the door is locked and the security guard has to let you in ... which he does very promptly.||||Only bad thing that might be hard to fix is that the water takes a long time to get hot in the bathroom, water pressure in shower is not great, and if lots of people are using it, the shower may not get as hot as you'd like.||||Carnaval is something different to do. The airport is small - about 40 minutes from the center of town - but the mountains and countryside are amazingly beautiful. Cabs are in good condition, but drivers and most people here don't speak English - not like Bogota. Traffic is interesting down here - stop signs seem to be more of a suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule.||||If you have family in Pasto or you want to come see and do something you'll probably never do again - the Carnaval - I would recommend this hotel. I'd also recommend bringing a few days' worth of clothes you can get really messy and still have something to wear.||||My ratings are based on what this hotel does well, not in comparison to a Marriott or Ritz Carlton. But for this market and this type of hotel, I was very pleased and would, if coming back to Pasto, stay here again.||||PS They have a fitness room with showers and sauna, but the equipment is limited to a few cardio machines....

During my recent South American adventure motorcycle ride I stayed for one night on my journey south to Ecuador and on the return trip I decided to stay a second time even though I had promised myself to sample different hotels on the return trip. Hotel Cuellar's is a hidden gem, do not be fooled by the surroundings as you approach the hotel, it is a fantastic older hotel with very clean accommodations. The wifi was exceptionally fast allowing me to FaceTime family back in the US with no issues. The restaurant is small but the meals are fresh and well prepared. My room was just huge considering how little I paid per night. I am heading to Ecuador again this October and Hotel Cuellar's is going to be my overnight spot definitely. ||||The city of Pasto is at very high altitude so the night time temperatures can be very very cold, imagine my surprise when I crawled into bed after 15 hours on a motorcycle to find a nice hot water bottle had been placed under the blanket...

The rooms and bathroom are clean, modern, bright and large. The bed was very comfortable as were the pillows. Good shower. TV. The restaurant food is good - service was polite, when I could find the staff. Location is 2-3 blocks from Plaza Narino, the central square.||||They were doing works in the lobby when I was there so it was noisy - if you are staying soon, it would be good to check if that is still going on. It is maybe the only place in town with a conference or venue center - there was a party on the Saturday night and music went on until 1.30am so I couldn't get to sleep. So consider that when requesting a room and a type of room. (Small thing - I was very tired and sleepy and was in Pasto to rest. During the day, trolleys move down the corridors and sound like a plane taking off... - I told you it wasn't...