Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [165]
Hotel Flaming Trees ( 514 8049; s/d COP$50,000/80,000; ) The best choice in this part of the island; offers nine spacious air-con rooms with fridge, TV and local art.
Restaurante Eneidy ( 514 8758; mains COP$8000-40,000; noon-3pm & 6-10pm) This open-air restaurant is certainly the best place to eat in town, though don’t expect any James Beard–nominated dishes.
BAHÍA SUROESTE
This is the second tourist destination after Aguadulce, but there aren’t as many facilities. Still, it’s the nicest beach and more convenient for hiking, horseback riding and beach drinking.
Cabañas Miss Mary ( 514 8454; www.missmaryhotel.com; s/d incl breakfast COP$96,000/132,000; ) Miss Mary provides nicely dressed up rooms right on the beach, each with large patios and hammocks. There’s cable TV and ever-elusive hot water.
Sirius Hotel ( 514 8213; www.siriushotel.net; s/d cabañas from COP$85,000/137,000, s/d from COP$103,000/168,000; ) You’ll find a little more character than in most spots on the island, as well as a dive shop on premises. The suites are large and comfortable (the cabañas less so) but both are on the beach.
Café Studio ( 514 9076; mains COP$15,000-40,000; 11am-10pm Mon-Sat) The island’s best restaurant is run by a Canadian woman and her Raizal husband, Wellington, who cooks the island dishes ‘she can’t get right.’ The results are both memorable and reasonably priced. Try Wellington’s conch, cooked in his own Creole sauce made with wild basil from their garden, or anything in garlic sauce. Save room for the cappuccino pie!
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Entertainment
Roland Roots Bar ( 514 8417; Bahía Manzanillo) This travelers’ icon encapsulates island life in one ridiculously atmospheric beach bar – booths fashioned from bamboo under ramshackle thatched roofs spread among the sands, all set to a booming reggae soundtrack. Roland is an island legend for his late-night parties and his coco locos – jazzed up piña coladas served in coconuts.
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Getting There & Away
Satena and Searca fly between San Andrés and Providencia (from COP$376,043 return) twice per day each in low season, several more in high. You are most likely to buy a return in San Andrés before arriving, but buy your ticket in advance in the high season and be sure to reconfirm the return trip at Providencia’s airport.
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Getting Around
Getting around the island isn’t the easiest thing to do without your own transportation. Colectivos and pickup trucks run along the road in both directions; it’s COP$2500 for a ride of any distance. There may be only one or two per hour, but locals will often stop and offer you a ride.
Pickup trucks congregate at the airport waiting for incoming flights and ask as much as COP$18,000 for any distance. To avoid overpaying, walk a bit further from the airport and wave down a colectivo or pickup truck passing along the road for the usual COP$2500 fare, though this might not be the best solution if you are carrying lots of bags.
Taxis are hard to come by and quite expensive compared to on the mainland. From the airport, count on COP$15,000 to Santa Isabel and COP$18,000 to Aguadulce. The bottom line is that if you call, you’ll pay for it; if you can spare the time to wait for a ride, you’ll get off much cheaper.
A pleasant way to get around is by bicycle, which can be rented from Paradise Tour Contact (see Tours, Click here). You can also rent a scooter (per day COP$40,000 to COP$50,000) from a few small operators in Aguadulce and Santa Isabel.
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Medellín & Zona Cafetera
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MEDELLÍN
AROUND MEDELLÍN
GUATAPÉ
EL PEñOL
SANTA FE DE ANTIOQUIA
RÍO CLARO
LA DANTA
ZONA CAFETERA
MANIZALES
AROUND MANIZALES
PARQUE NACIONAL NATURAL (PNN) LOS NEVADOS
PEREIRA
TERMALES DE SANTA ROSA
TERMALES SAN VICENTE
SANTUARIO OTÚN QUIMBAYA
PARQUE UCUMARÍ
ARMENIA
AROUND ARMENIA
SALENTO
VALLE DE COCORA
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Welcome to país paísa – paísa country.