Coffee Tree Boutique Hostel — Hotel in Quindío

Despite all the lovely things about this hostel, I witnessed active bed bugs in 2 dorm rooms and was bitten multiple times during my stay, and I have not seen any evidence that they are dealing with this or protecting their guests.

I stayed here for 3 nights and got a lot of bug bites, which I thought were mosquitoes. On my 4th night, I noticed a small insect on my duvet. I examined my bedding and found several more bugs and some stains.

I caught one of the bugs and took it to reception. The immediate reaction of the staff member behind the desk was confirmation of "that's a bed bug". He was apologetic but didn't know the procedure in this situation. He said the manager was not around to help, but that he would message them. He offered to put a new sheet over my bed (!) or for me to move into another dorm room which was empty for the night. I accepted the offer to move rooms immediately.

After moving into the other room, I examined the bedding and found ANOTHER bed bug! I looked over some of the other beds in the dorm and found stains on the bedding which looked like bed bug fecal marks. It was around midnight at this point so there wasn't much I could do.

At 6am, I went to reception and spoke to the staff member (different from the previous night). He said he had no idea what I was talking about, which shocked me as I assumed the person from the night before would have left a message about the situation.

Even worse, this staff member offered no solution at all. All I got was a generic "sorry for the inconvenience". I assumed they would have a process to deal with this situation??

I asked for a trash bag to put all of my clothing into to be washed. I also asked if my laundry from the day before was ready, so that I could change into something clean, as all I had left now was the pyjamas I had slept in. I was told that my laundry would be done "some time in the afternoon". While I understand they couldn't guarantee me an exact time, there was zero urgency. I couldn't leave the hostel at all due to being stuck in pjs.

I asked if there was somewhere I could get my backpack cleaned, and I was given a half hearted answer of "this place nearby might do it but I'm not sure".

I asked for rubbing alcohol and a cloth so I could clean my non-washable items. At this point, the staff member was treating me like I was being a massive inconvenience.

From 6am to 3/4pm, there was zero communication from any of the staff, no solutions offered or reassurance on the action they were taking about the bed bugs.

By 3/4pm my laundry was ready. When the staff member dropped my laundry off at my room, after ignoring me all day, he came out with a massive spiel about how sorry he was for the inconvenience. He informed me that the laundry was free of charge (I would have assumed this was a given??). However I realised then that they had put the cleaned laundry back into the same bags which I had delivered it in, and he also put the bags of laundry right next to the bed in the dorm room, which I had told them had bed bugs!!

I was also told that I could have a free slice of cake, which was laughable.

He asked if I wanted to move again to another room (I had a final night left of my booking), and I said that I was moving to a new hostel as I wasn't comfortable staying there anymore. He seemed shocked by this and kept trying to convince me to stay for my final night?? I reiterated that I had seen bed bugs in BOTH rooms in multiple beds, and that I was not comfortable staying.

I was not offered a refund of any kind for the final night of my stay.

I never heard from the manager, and saw zero sign of the hostel taking action to deal with the bed bugs. There were still people staying in the original dorm room that I moved out of, with zero idea of what's occurred.

I'm distressed at how the hostel staff responded to the evidence of bed bugs in their rooms, and would strongly advise anyone to reconsider staying here. If you do stay, thoroughly check your bedding and be prepared to be treated like an inconvenience if you do...

This hostel is awful - if you can avoid it, do so. There were several issues that we had to deal with. We booked a private room for 3 nights.

Firstly, our room was infested with wasps. This isn't something you can fault the hostel staff for, but the hostel is poorly constructed and the rooms aren't sealed at all. After the first night we woke up to several wasps (not bees) flying around in our room.

When we complained, the grounds keeping staff attempted to solve the problem by spraying pesticide without any results.

When we requested another room, they said they didn't have any available (which is understandable) - the owner/manager (Edward) told us that we can book another hotel (at last minute prices). and he can give us a refund for just 2 nights (out of the 3 we were staying). He said that the issue will be fixed and to just give them a couple of hours. The next morning we wake up to an even bigger cluster of wasps around our room. Following this, they said they can move us to another room on the 3rd night. We had to repack all our belongings at 6am with wasps hovering in our room and then wait for the other room's guests to check out then, the room be cleaned and then move in - we weren't compensated for any of this in anyway.

Secondly, the staff - in particular, Kevin, will provide incorrect information about tours, pricing and the available payment facilities. Note that Kevin speaks English well - this will become relevant because the hostel will use language barrier as an excuse.

Downhill mountain biking: He told us that there are card payment facilities available for the downhill Mountain biking tour. When we got there the operator said only cash payments are accepted. Which left us in a stressful situation, requiring to convert currency last minute (roughly $100 USD). When we questioned why they told us that card payment were accepted - he said that he was referring to another tour and there may have been a 'misunderstanding'.

Taxi: When leaving the hostel to catch our flight from Periera, we booked a taxi and were told that it would be COP 100,000. We confirmed this multiple times. We get into the taxi and the driver locks the van doors with his keys from the outside. Which I thought was a bit odd. We get to the airport and the driver enters COP 200,000 on his phone. We tried to explain to him that we were told it would be COP 100,000. We called the hostel and they blamed it again on a "misunderstanding". Then they send us a picture of a price list that states COP 200,000. The driver simply looks away when you try to explain to him (using Google translate) that you were told COP 100,000. We eventually had to pay him COP 200,000. He then unlocks the van doors for you to get out. This is an unbelievable tactic - and this 'misunderstanding' has clearly happened before for the driver to lock the doors in this manner - there is absolutely no need to lock van doors particularly given that you cannot unlock it from the inside if there is a need for you to get out a vehicle in emergency or accident.

Jeep/willys: Kevin told us the price for the jeep to the coffee tours was 6000 each way per person - it was actually 3500.

Thirdly, it is located far from the main city square and shops - in the very corner of the town's boundary.

The hostel has high reviews for its "aesthetic" with pretty pictures online, which is why we booked with them. While walking around we quickly realised there are several other hostels around Salento that are well located. Misinformation on their part has cost in money, time and...

The most lovely hostel in Salento! I spent a week here, before and after hiking trips. The location is great because it’s not in the busy tourist streets, but just around the corner - with the sound of the horses, the beautiful garden and views. I was a female, alone, and felt safe walking home in the evenings from the main square. There are also shops and restaurant options in the same street as the hostel. ||The owner and staff at Coffee Tree are wonderful - incredibly friendly and welcoming, have lots of info on Salento and the surrounds, also if anything is not working or bothering you, please speak to them - especially to Eduardo - as they welcome feedback and want to ensure your stay is top notch. (For example our bathroom door lock was funny, I mentioned it and within 30 mins it was fixed). ||The dogs are a treat - so docile and calm but ever present welcoming you home. Coffee tree has lovely breakfast and all day there is tea, coffee and a filter tap available. You can also buy freshly baked cake and if you’re sat in the communal area around 6pm a cheeky popcorn is served. ||||The hostel has a professional yoga instructor, Laura, who does free classes 3x a week and more challenging classes for a small fee - ask the hostel for the schedule. ||||The hostel is a mix of dorms and private rooms. The dorms are comfortable and there are plenty of shared bathrooms and showers around if your dorm one is occupied. I stayed in a couple of different dorms and all were very spacious. They are busy redoing all their dorms so maintenance and upgrades are important to the hostel. ||Wifi was excellent. A kitchen is available. Plenty chill space (important as Salento gets a fair bit of rain), hammocks, co working space. They do have a freezer with some beers on site - you can buy wine down they street, they have glasses. Down the street is a massage boutique. They do on site laundry.||Honestly don’t deliberate - just book Coffee tree!!||I did also spend 2 nights at V down the street, and preferred coffee tree as a space and vibe (unless you want to party and get cocktails at a bar, then go to V).||Thanks team - coffee tree...