Art Hotel Medellín

The photos of Art Hotel Medellin didn’t lie.

Whenever I look at the images for a hotel where I’ll be staying on vacation, I am always skeptical. Are the rooms always this clean? Did they use an angle that makes the rooms look bigger? And what about the staff?

At Art Hotel Medellin in El Poblado neighborhood, there are no surprises. At least none that fosters any regrets.

The Art Deco style captures you when you first walk through the front doors, and then the staff hurries to help you get settled. They are friendly, like most paísas are.

Edison, one of the staff members there, refused to let me carry my bag to my room. I got the impression that they do not expect tips, but I gave him one anyway.

When I saw the deluxe suite at Art Hotel Medellin, I could not believe it cost only $126 for the first night and $116 for the other nights.

In New York, my favorite city in the United States, a room like this would cost at least $400 to $500 a night.

A menu in my room tempted me with plates from steak to sushi, but I immediately headed to Parque Lleras, the park that serves as the centerpiece in the Zona Rosa, Medellín’s popular nightlife spot. The park is only a block from the hotel.

I sat in the park for a while, then walked around the neighborhood, scanning the shops and restaurants, stopping at a couple, once for an arepa, another for an empanada. Then I headed back to the hotel. I needed a nap.

The thick walls promise a quiet room, something I always appreciate when I’m on vacation because a good sleep gives you the fuel you need for sightseeing and partying. My room was so quiet that my naps stretched to two hours instead of one, and I slept through the night without waking up once, something I struggle to do here in Washington, D.C.

After almost a week in Medellín, I got back to the States on Sunday. I have told my friends all these great stories about La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera (the City of Eternal Spring): the people, the weather, the scenery, the nightlife, the food. And, of course, the Art Hotel.

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