Hotel Torre del Bosque Pasto — Hotel in Pasto

Summary: very regular food, bad internet coverage, no smoker rooms and a sore back combined all together to make this the hotel of hell for me.||||My story: The flight was delayed as usual (one hour if you take the 8:30 am flight) because of weather (the landing strip is on a mountaintop, one of the strangest airports you will see in Colombia: at each end of the strip there is a 1000 feet vertical cliff).||||The taxi driver recommended the place (I bet he gets a share). The girl at the reception told me the price was around 50 dollars ($80.000 col) but for my pretty face I was going to receive the "corporate rate" of 40 dollars ($70.000 pesos) because why not. This out of the blue offer looked really fishy and it was the first clue about the service I was going to receive. I thought, well, at least is 20 dollars less than La Maison del Ejecutivo (which is the hotel you should use if you have the money).||||I'm a smoker but there is no smoker rooms, so I sighed and resigned myself to a healthy day (not bad after all: who smokes these days?).||||Then I took a shower, but there was no shower head (just a spout). That wasn't so terrible and the force of water wasn't that bad for my sore back.||||I ordered lunch. There is no restaurant so they offer you a choice of four external sites. I picked one and ordered my lunch around 12:45.||||When I called again at 1:30 pm to find what happened to my lunch I was informed that the dish I asked was not available. Apparently the front desk had forgot to inform me of this little detail. I sighed again and ordered again.||||Then I asked for the WiFi password: first the guy at the front desk answered he will bring it to my room. I wondered how long was that password if he couldn't inform me over the phone, so I asked to bring it with the lunch.||||After another half hour (around 2 pm) I called the front desk again. The girl that answered this time gave me the simple seven letter password that the guy could not spell: no luck, the WiFi network signal was terrible.||||So, at 2:15 pm I was offered another room. Cold lunch arrived: stale french fries, after the trip from the restaurant and a barely warm rice greeted me. I dragged my back and organized my luggage again for a room closer to the WiFi sweet spot.||||Again, no WiFi. This time I did not sigh: I rolled my eyes and left.||||Without Internet, a lukewarm lunch and a forgettable front desk I ran away from the hotel as fast as I could (limping, to say the truth). I stayed for four hours and the girl at the front desk was nice enough not to charge me....

Hmmm. I was in Pasto for two nights and was looking forward to a stay at La Maison, which my colleagues in Bogota raved about. Unfortunately, it was full so I ended up here.||I think it is trying to be a boutique hotel; the decor suggests this. However, it needs a few tweaks.||I'm not exactly sure where in Pasto the hotel is, as I was driven there and told not to walk outside on my own! The staff were lovely and helpful, despite my poor Spanish.||The bed was comfortable enough, but the bathroom was small and dark. There was a hot spout of water, it wasn't really a shower. There was a fridge and selection of water, drinks and chocolate in the room which was a nice touch.||There is no restaurant in the hotel: I'm told if you want dinner, they will order it from a nearby restaurant. Breakfast was not great: stale bread and very milky coffee brought to you on a tray - no buffet or choice. I guess it's the thought that counts. The room including breakfast was COP110,000 for two nights. There is no chain on the inside room door or room safe. Overall, a mixed report.||||A quick note about Pasto: despite the rain, I really liked Pasto: it's stunningly beautiful, with a big lake and national park. However, be warned that the airport regularly fogs in and flights get cancelled. Take this into account...

I had a pleasant stay at Torre del Bosque in Pasto for about 10 days on a business trip.||- The staff are professional and helpful.|- Facility was secure -- I did not have any worries as a solo female traveler.|- The beds are comfortable and the area is generally quiet at night, so I slept well.|- Rooms are very clean. When the staff noticed that I was sometimes working in my room, they brought a small desk and chair.|- They offer a light, tasty freshly-made to order breakfast (scrambled eggs with add-ins, bread/arepa, fresh juice and/or fruit, hot drink). Excellent coffee!||(I did not try the wi-fi, which other reviews mention, because I had my...