Ecoresort Gran Azul — Hotel in Quindío

We started at 5 TripAdvisor stars, but then unfortunately had to count down…|-0.5: First we were in their family room, that was not a nice room, and the bunk bed was lousy. |Good thing is we changed the room, and the other two rooms we got instead were very nice with a good view of the beautiful but deforested Andean foothills. |-1: We ordered massage (for 3 people!) and jacuzzi for 4. When we came back from our tour, the jacuzzi was cold, and it took hours to heat it - so no jacuzzi for us.|Good thing is we went next day, and the jacuzzi was ok. However, there was nearly no water in the shower (by the jacuzzi), and certainly no hot water. |-0.5: We went on the trip to La Carbonera as it was heavily recommended by the staff over going to Valle de Cocora. The had warned that the trip would be tough in a Willy jeep, so we decided to go by car. This was a good decision, and the car & driver were great, but the trip took nearly 3 hours on very bad roads!!!!! And staff had told us 1 hour?? That is not ok!!!!!! So we went nearly 3 hours to go for a short walk by the wax palms, and then 3 hours back. Horrible drive! If this hotel wants to sell this trip, they should tell people exactly what they get, nothing more, nothing less.|In conclusion, this is a nice hotel with somewhat unprofessional staff, so room for...

You can look forward to very cool host if you choose to stay here. For one, she speaks perfect German, English and Spanish. Secondly, she can hook you up with interesting excursions, including same-day, for a better price and quality than what's on the big websites.

The rooms are spacious but simple. You get a great view across the valley from every room. The walk into Salento is easier and safer than expected because the road is wide, quiet and the poor surface means vehicles drive slowly. It is only partly lit at night though, so a good torch is essential - to see, be seen and avoid stepping in dung.

Breakfast consists of toast with Marmelade, cereal and milk, coffee, a bowl of fruit, a glass of juice and an omlette cooked to order. Guests eat together around two large, shared tables.

You do need to be OK with the usual quirks of being off-grid in a no-frills guesthouse: inconsistent wifi, patchy Claro coverage, sometimes cold showers, bugs, septic tanks... All luxury problems and am important part of the escapism this guesthouse offers. The bed is covered in a thick rubber sheet, which makes a lot of noise. If you're a light sleeper, you'll have to consider removing it. Similarly, there are no blackout curtains and it gets bright around 6am, so a mask is essential if you're...

I recently spent 3 nights in Gran Azul in one of the double twin rooms with my father, and I had a wonderful stay, and would come back without any reservations.

The place has a charming, rustic aesthetic, yet offers amenities I come to expect from more modern establishments like instant hot water. It's a brief, uphill walk (5-10 minutes) from the town, which is certainly an asset, with how quiet and serene the surroundings are. I did make a mistake of walking up with luggage (I hadn't learned about the Willys in the town square yet). After that first walk though, we never felt compelled to use the Willys service to return to the unit, day or night. And it always felt safe.

The host herself, Kristina, was delightful to work with, and it was a joy to begin our mornings with her and her dog Rocky at breakfast. Communication was excellent, and she not only willing to coordinate some of our activities and airport travel, but even helped mediate a pricing dispute we had with an...