Hotel Ayenda Habana Vieja 1221

“Loved this place”

I just completed an 11 night stay at Hotel La Habana Vieja. In a nutshell, I loved it. In fact, I was sad to leave. The staff is so friendly, the rooms are very clean, and the building has a great charm to it. Lots of character, which I like. Some friends of mine stayed at a much more expensive pla… more

I just completed an 11 night stay at Hotel La Habana Vieja. In a nutshell, I loved it. In fact, I was sad to leave. The staff is so friendly, the rooms are very clean, and the building has a great charm to it. Lots of character, which I like. Some friends of mine stayed at a much more expensive place about 5 minutes away. Whereas their place was nice (high rise apartments with balconies, elevators, bilingual staff), it seemed very sterile compared to mine. I stayed in both places and much preferred Hotel La Habana Vieja. My Spanish isn't very good at all so the staff and I would simply type what we wanted to say into Google Translate and that seemed to work well. Breakfast was simple but tasty: coffee, juice or fruit, arepa with cheese, scrambled eggs, toast (as an example). I enjoyed it and it was included with the room. The Aguacatala metro station is very close and easy to walk to. Maybe a 10 minute walk. And the neighborhood is fine as well. I was a single, middle-aged woman traveling alone...obviously a tourist...knew about 10 words in Spanish...and I had absolutely zero problems. The Ovieda and Santa Fe malls are less than a 10 minute walk away. The very nice 24 hour grocery store (Carullo) is also less than 10 minutes away (on foot). Everyone at Hotel La Habana Vieja was so gracious. The staff and I even exchanged hugs and kisses on the cheek when I left. They said (via Google Translate) that they hoped I return. And I certainly will :) I can't imagine staying anywhere but Hotel El Habana Vieja. It's my home away from home. I've included a few pics of the hotel and my room, in case it helps.

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“Very good choice in Medellin”

We spent 3 nights here and it was a great choice, even though a little out of the way. Quaint, clean hotel with tasty, basic breakfast and very friendly staff. Close to a shopping centre and 24 hour supermarket and a short taxi ride or 20 minute walk to El Poblado district which was full of bars an… more

We spent 3 nights here and it was a great choice, even though a little out of the way. Quaint, clean hotel with tasty, basic breakfast and very friendly staff. Close to a shopping centre and 24 hour supermarket and a short taxi ride or 20 minute walk to El Poblado district which was full of bars and restaurants. Good value for money.

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“Quaint Hotel with Character”

If you are looking for a hotel that is modern and has lots of accommodations this is not the hotel for you. But, if you want a place that is closer to having some character, affordable and has a local feel to it, then this might be to your liking. The purpose of this review is to help other trave… more

If you are looking for a hotel that is modern and has lots of accommodations this is not the hotel for you. But, if you want a place that is closer to having some character, affordable and has a local feel to it, then this might be to your liking. The purpose of this review is to help other travelers in their attempt to find a place to stay that is to their comfort level. I booked a five day stay here, not knowing what to expect. It is my first time in Medellin, Colombia. I booked the "Hotel Habana Vieja" because it looked like it had some local character and was affordable. When I travel abroad, I typically don't like to stay in a modern hotel that could be anywhere in the world or remind me of being at home in the United States with all of the comforts. I enjoy staying at local hotels because they are different and give me more access to the local people, one of the main reason I do travel. In this regard, the "Hotel Habana Vieja" did not disappoint. It is an old colonial home that is situated in "Poblano" or the "Touristica Area" and is close to everything. It seems this little hotel is one of the few remaining original buildings in this area, as it is in the shadows of several skyscrapers that have been built up, or being built up around it. It is also next to a major road, so between traffic and construction, it wasn't exactly a quite retreat setting, but that added to the character for me. I also saved a lot of money in being able to walk to most everything I wanted to see. The "Centro Commercial de Santa Fe", which is a large modern shopping mall with everything you need or want, if you are missing something. For example, I was able to use my bank card to retrieve extra funds, or purchase food or extra clothing. The hotel has a full time staff that was very helpful. I speak Spanish, so it was easy for me, but if you don't, it may be an immersion opportunity for you. I didn't see any parking, but most people arrive via taxi and then use taxis to get around during their stay. Renting a car I would not recommend your first time here. It is a high density area and gridlock during certain hours is clearly a problem, not to mention how crazy the population drives around here compared to the United States. Motorcycles and scooters zip in and out of traffic with no clear signals and reminds me of my experiences in Italy, but I have to say, I never saw a single accident, compared with the United States, where accidents are a daily occurrence, in the Bay Area. The hotel seems to have three or four floors in classical satilla flooring, with bars on all doors and windows. You ring the door bell and the attendant unlocks the gate that allows you to access. You leave your room key when you leave and they return it to you when you return. It seems they have a variety of rooms for couples and singles, with rooms that have shared bathrooms and showers and others with dedicated ones. I had a room on the second floor with a dedicated bathroom. Each day maid service cleaned the room. The room I had was funky, in that it had three locks on it and only one worked, part way.....I could unlock it with a key, but not lock it from outside. I had to push the button on the inside to secure it. It was functional. The room was not perfect but it was again "functional". It felt more like a bed and breakfast than a hotel, which was fine for me. The room had a safe, but it didn't work. It had a television set with remote and some stations were in English. The best part was the shower that had lots of hot water and great pressure. The bed was made every day. No heater or air conditioner, but you don't need those here since the average temperature is around 72 degrees Farenheit. A fan was in the room and a blanket was provided. The hotel also has several rooms down stairs and outside you can sit in or use. The internet was not reliable in my room and I had to go down stairs to access to write this review. Each morning I had my complimentary breakfast down stairs, which consisted of scrambled eggs, ham, tortilla, cafe and juice or some fruit. I use T-mobil as my carrier back in the States and was happy to see that I could still use my phone here via the local carrier "Movistar". The hotel has a bit of a bohemian feel to it with it's art work on the walls and antique furniture, but that just gave the place more character. Some people may be uncomfortable with the art work on the walls that consisted of nudes. All of the other guests seem to be fluent in Spanish or local and were all very friendly. I hope this review helps you in your decision to stay or not to stay at this location. I did find cheaper places on line, but they were more like "hostels", which ran for around $9 a day and shared rooms. I found the "Hotel Habana Vieja" perfect for my needs and was able to get a lot of writing done. Good luck with your trip and "Buen dia"!

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