Discovering Guatapé, Colombia
A two-hour drive from Medellin and famous for the monolith that dominates the surrounding artificial lake, Guatapé allows you to immerse yourself in magnificent nature. Starting from an ideal base, The Brown, Autograph Collection.
It takes two hours by car from Medellin to get to Guatapé, two hours of a wonderful road with the feeling of entering a blessed land, such is the lushness of the vegetation, the splendor of the colors, the wonder of the bright orange climbing flowers that cover the trees. You go to Guatapé to climb (via 659 steps carved into a crack in the rock) the Piedra del Penol , a granite monolith that rises 220 meters above the surrounding land, reaching 2135 m above sea level, from which you can enjoy a spectacular view of a large artificial body of water, and to visit the village with the houses with windows and bases painted with colourful, highly Instagrammable motifs and scenes. Foodies would add a third reason, the arepa choclo, a super yummie arepa (the national bread) made with a sweet corn flour typical of the area.
The ideal base for spending a couple of days? The Brown, Autograph Collection . Only a few minutes of travel with colorful tuk tuks, the motochivas, separate it from the Piedra and the village, but going from the overcrowded monolith and the slightly too touristy village to the total connection with nature that you experience on the property is a beautiful feeling. If the lobby is already impressive, with its bamboo ceiling and circular walls, both internal and external, entirely covered by a vertical garden , the large circular stone platform overlooking the lake, and a landscape of contrasts between emerald green water and red earth, is simply sensational. Perfect for enjoying the sun, a cocktail, the warmth of the jacuzzis and braziers lit at sunset, as well as for having breakfast, lunch and dinner on the wooden tables of the Pismo restaurant, which offers a cuisine of regional dishes and fusion recipes. The immersion in nature is total, here as well as from the balconies of the pleasantly minimalist rooms, with light green walls and dark wood furniture and floors, and in the other restaurant on the lake, the Praia, which is reached by a path flanked by thin, dizzyingly tall trees on which flourishing swordtails grow. The fitness area is also very beautiful, a circular room with floor-to-ceiling windows and Technogym machines. There is no spa, but you can have a magnificently relaxing massage in your room.
