www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I arrive in MDE on 12/14 and will be celebrating Christmas and the New Year with my favorite paisita in Medellin. We will be making a road trip to Covenas (on the north coast) soon after my arrival, and then a 4-day trip to a finca in San Jeronimo (near Santa Fe de Antioquia) between Christmas and New Years. I am renting a 1 BR apartment on La Setenta (70th Street) in Laureles... this will be my "home away from home" for 5 weeks. I plan to return to the US on 1/19.

La Setenta is a great little district to meet sweet non-pros and is home to a number of small, comfortable hotels; lively bars and discos; and outstanding cafes and restaurants. Estadio Metro Station (Linea B) is conveniently located near the main entertainment area on La Setenta...a few blocks away from my apartment.

Although, I will be spending most of my time with the girlfriend, I wouldn't mind getting out. So, if a couple of CRT happen to be in the city, and would like to hook-up, let me know.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

BD,

I hope you jave a nice trip. Be careful though ! When you spend alot of extended time with a sweet Paisa it has a way of making you think irrationally and the next thing you know you are in Bogota filing for a K1 fiancee visa.

Im sure you will have a great time and Medellin should be a blast at Xmas.

FYI, myself and my wingman hit Cali on Xmas night just in time for the cabalgata on the 26th.

God, I can't wait to get there !

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Rainman3

BD i just got back from Mde.(last night) and the city should be beautiful with all the Chrismas decorations that they were putting up in every barrio.My next trip there is at the end of January and i think next year i will make 10-12 trips there. Have fun....

Rainman,

"Rational thinking" is on my trip checklist...thanks, for the reminder. When do you depart for Colombia? Have fun in Cali, but keep safe, amigo!

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Dr.,

The girlfriend told me about about the "polvado" early Monday morning. Did you sleep through all the revelry that greeted the holiday season?

Wow, 10-12 trips next year ...I'm content with just 5 trips to Colombia this year!

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

No i did not sleep much because December is one big fiesta in Mde! .....And your 5 trips are for weeks at a time(wish i had the time you do) so you beat me by a mile there.Again have a great time in Colombia for the holidays!I think it's impossible to have a bad time with the great attitude of the Paisas!

Please recommend a good hotel in Medellin. I plan to visit in the near future.

There are a number of good hotels (small - medium - large) in Medellin. One of the most posh I've stayed at is the Hotel Intercontental http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/interconti ... w/medellin . A five star hotel out in the Las Palmas area of Poblado with rooms starting out at $200 per night. (I stayed there one night courtesy of AA...and it was memorable experience). Of course there are the Medellin Mansion ( www.medellinmansion.com ) and El Castillo, both places catering to the discriminate mongering crowd. Never stayed at MM, but visited it once when a buddy of mine was staying there. I liked it very much. I've never seen El Castillo, but a number of my friends raved about...and I have tastes similar to theirs. I also recommend La Casa Medellin in Poblado www.lacasamedellin.com ...a small 10-room B&B in the Las Lomas section. It has Nice rooms starting out at COP $ 170K and topping off with an SL-type suite for COP $220,000 . The staff is excellent...friendly and service-oriented. All of these places have Internet and serve breakfast.

I've stayed at Hotel Florida http://www.hotelfloridamedellin.com/somos.html and Hotel Lukas www.lukashotel.com . Both very nice accommodations with rooms starting out at $50 per night. Both places also have Internet and offer breakfast as part of the room rate.

If you check out the Colombia section of the Insearchofchicas website ( news.insearchofchicas.org ) there is a whole list with reviews of hotels in the "Medellin- Hotels and condos" sub-forum . Probably more info than you care to digest in one sitting .

Unless you are doing an extended stay, hotels seem to be the way to go in Medellin. Furnished apartments are available, but difficult to book for short periods in most non-Poblado neighborhoods. Apartments are pricier in Poblado than most other sections of Medellin, but there is greater availability of short-term rentals.

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...

Blue Devil, Thanks a bunch. More information than I expected. Thanks Again. V/R, Ron

I am staying in my Medellin apartment right now, but scoping out cost-effective accommodations for short-term stays. Here is one that I checked out on Wednesday:

Imperio 70 is a 40-unit hotel on La Setenta for COP $55,000 (about $25 US per night). The rooms are small, but clean and comfortable with free Internet and local calls. No AC...just ceiling fans. Imperio is about a block away from Estacion Estadio and next to a couple of bars and discos.

Hotel Imperio 70
Cra 70 No. 45E-107
Tel: 250-4525
www.hotelimperio70.com

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Blue Devil

Pura Vida...enjoying life to the fullest...