Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [55]
Cranky Croc (Map; 314 427 5299; www.crankycroc.com; Calle 15 No 3-46; dm COP$17,000-19,000, s/d with shared bathroom COP$30,000/42,000, with private bathroom COP$40,000/50,000; ) Opened in 2008, this Australian-run hostel has five dorms and five rooms around several communal areas, including a staff-run kitchen with made-to-order breakfasts and a computer room.
Platypus (Map; 341 2874, 341 3104; www.platypusbogota.com; Calle 16 No 2-43; dm COP$17,000, s/d with shared bathroom COP$30,000/40,000, with private bathroom COP$40,000/45,000; ) Run by a Bogotá legend, Germán Escobar, a friendly world-traveler who opened a hostel in La Candelaria when no one dared. The hostel fills three homes with simple, clean rooms. There’s a cozy kitchen area, and friendly staff (including Germán) offer great travel info. Reserve ahead.
Hotel Aragón (Map; 284 8325; fax 342 6387; Carrera 3 No 14-13; s/d with shared bathroom COP$20,000/35,000) A bit cheaper than hostels’ private rooms, and sporting a style seen nowhere else (less grooveburg and more woodsy art deco), the 24-room Aragón has classic dark-wood floor rooms with an antique or two. Shared kitchen, but no internet.
Anandamayi Hostel (Map; 341 7208; www.amandamayihostel.com; Calle 9 No 2-81; dm/s/d COP$23,000/70,000/80,000; ) South of most of the hostel zone, this lovely whitewashed colonial home has gorgeous rooms with wood-beam ceilings and plenty of wool blankets. Some serve as dorms, others as private rooms with desks overlooking the central courtyard with hammocks.
Hotel Dorantes (Map; 334 6640, 341 5365; www.hoteldorantes.com; Calle 13 No 5-07; s/d COP$40,000/60,000; ) For a little stately grandeur – albeit faded – the Dorantes has ornate rooms with worn-out floors and makeshift bathrooms put in the corner.
Midrange & Top End
Hotel Ambala (Map; 342 6384; www.hotelambala.net; Carrera 5 No 13-46; s/d/tr incl breakfast COP$65,000/98,000; ) Something like a Bogotá ‘capsule hotel,’ this friendly 22-room hotel has a trace of colonial style in its closet-sized rooms with tile floors, a single framed print, TV and telephone.
Hotel Quinta de Bolívar (Map; 337 6500; www.hotelquintadebolivar.com; Carrera 4 No 17-59; s/d incl breakfast COP$68,000/110,000; ) This new, bright 20-room makeover of a house gets points for trying to revitalize a slightly dodgy street in nearby City Center. The small rooms are colorful and clean, with telephone, TV and Botero prints on the walls.
Hotel Lido (Map; 341 2582; www.hotellidoplaza.com; Calle 11 No 9-45; s/d COP$70,000/120,000; ) On a block of tailors, a block-and-a-half south of the main square, this neat 20-room job has compact carpeted rooms, with TV, telephone and private bathrooms.
Casa Platypus (Map; 281 1801; www.platypusbogota.com; Carrera 3 No 16-28; s/d incl breakfast COP$100,000/130,000; ) Still unfinished when we dropped by, this new ‘boutique’ branch to the Platypus hostel nearby goes for the private-bathroom crowd, with small, rather simple, wood-floor rooms, plus a wee observation deck and a wonderful all-wood TV room overlooking nearby Av Jiménez.
Hotel Abadia Colonial (Map; 341 1884; www.abadiacolonial.com; Calle 11 No 2-32; s/d incl breakfast COP$120,000/180,000; ) More intimate than other higher-priced hotels in La Candelaria, this pleasant 12-room hotel has tidy white-walled rooms with colorful blankets, wall safes and a sense of colonial style, while adding floor heaters and TV. Breakfast is served in one of the pleasant courtyard seating areas.
Casa de la Botica (Map; 281 0811; www.hotelcasadelabotica.com; Calle 9 No 6-45; s/d COP$300,000/336,000, s/d incl breakfast COP$355,000/391,000; ) Near Congress commuters on a central lane dominated by the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé, this 10-room wonder pairs colonial style with a modern feel in its carpeted rooms. Opt up for the bigger suite – with fireplace and full windows overlooking a tiny rock garden. There’s wi-fi throughout and an upstairs restaurant.