Hostal Vistaguila Salento — Hotel in Quindío

My favourite hostel in 6 weeks travelling Colombia.

Pros:

The best part was it was nice and quiet, unlike most hostels here, it was easy to sleep, and work online during the days. It is a great 10 min stroll from downtown, just far enough out to have peace and quiet. Everything clean, and you can buy breakfast and lunch from their cook Marla. Views of Mount covered in snow from their very own mirador. Incredible yoga, gym and meditation space in a guadua pagoda. The hosts are amazing, Milagro, Juan, the owner John an old hippie who speaks perfect English, unfortunately he left before we could have a decent chat. Their kids are cute, friendly and I was invited to paint the incredible mural that Tatiana the yoga teacher is creating! They have 2 dogs and a cat, but they do not bark all the time like many dogs in Colombia, and are very very small and friendly. The dorm 7 only has 3 beds, and I had it to myself some nights, for just 55.000 COP. When something didn't work, the light in my room, the manager Juan actually fixed it the next day! Unheard of here. Laundry service was reasonably priced at 10.000/Kg, and 24 hour turn-around. WiFi worked fine, and power sockets in rooms.

Cons:

Hard to think of any, but I guess the lockers for the dorms are not ideal as they are not secured to the wall, but are just a big wooden box that could be carried out of the dorm, also you have to ask for one, and they are in limited supply so I had to wait 24 hours to get one. They have a great looking spa, and sauna, but it seems they are both broken down and not usable, also, they are 50.000 and 40.000 COP respectivly, per hour, to use, so you would need a group to make them affordable. This was a shame they were not functional, as this is very typical of hostals, and I think these guys can do better - I think John does not know that they are in dis-repair, as he offered their use, but the manager told a fellow guest they were not functioning...

Highly recommend if you like a chill and clean place, and would return asap...

Vistaguila so much more than just a hostel. I was supposed to stay at Vistaguila for only three nights. I enjoyed my time there so much that I extended for six more nights. The property was amazing. It was a place where you can relax, reflect, reconnect and enjoy the surronding nature. The hostel was a 10 minutes walk from center of town, which was a good thing because it can be very loud and busy close to the center. I was gratefult to be able to get a restful night of sleep every night.

Vistaguila was not just a place to sleep, there were a lot of cool amenities on the property. There was a kitchen for the guest to use. There was a hot tub and a Turkish bath room. There was even a mini gym with a few hammocks. During my 9 nights stay, I found myself spending a lot of time at the property.

My favorite thing about Vistaguila was the people taking care of the place, they really made me feel at home, they made me feel like family. I was supposed to checkout on new years eve without a place to stay. John (the owner of the hostel) and Audrey (the manager) went out of their way to find a place for me to stay. During my stay, Cori and Christian were always friendly and super helpful. The team created a very happy and comfortable environment.

My stay at Vistaguila was also very spiritual. Through conversations with John, I learned so much about plant based medicine. He was very knowledgeable about the subject matter. I was so interested in plant based medicine that I ended up doing two Kambo sessions that John helped set up for me. That experience was very special and life changing.

Thank you Vistaguila for a unique and...

We booked the "spa suite", but the jacuzzi wasn't (and I'm sure isn't) working. We didn't notify in the first place because we had a tight schedule and when we notified it at the check out, the owner said she couldn't offer any discount, and that we should have told her before!!! Excuse me, dear owner, you have to deliver what you specify on booking exactly as it is. You played the surprised person like "we didn't know it wasn't working". The electronic is completely broken, it doesn't even turn on and one part is like inside the tub. Anyway, I call this a lie and you just stole my money. Offering us the laundry cost, was the least you can do, even if I'm not sure you followed our request completely. Also the outside jacuzzi is nice but the water is disgusting. What else: when we arrived late, it was raining, and the first meter when you enter the room was full of water. You could have prepared it better. Also, dead bugs here and there. Big bed, quite comfy, nothing to say, this is OK. Sport/quiet zone is nice too. They put their music loud all day long in the main area so if you want to relax, you just can't, it's impossible. As well, the little kid from the owners was giving us fingers...so much fun. Except that, quiet location.

If you book here, please make SURE that the room fits the description. I'm extremely...