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12is12

concentration of general tips about visiting medellin

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On 7/7/2022 at 3:19 PM, 12is12 said:

I took the liberty of putting together these tips, offered seperately by three forum members

Great list of tips 12is12, thanks for putting them all together.

If I may, I'd like to add some restaurant/eating suggestions. Since I stayed in Poblado, these are mostly in Poblado.

El Social - was a great place to try typical Colombian food. There were two locations that I saw, one is on the corner of Carrera 36 and Calle 10B. They have a chalkboard with daily lunch specials. With an appetizer (an arepa with hogao, soup, plate with meat, potatoes, rice, salad, plus the daily juice) it ran less than $5 (a few grilled items were a little more expensive - with juice not included). This is where I sampled typical Colombian food - ajiaco, sudado de pollo, sudado de posta, etc. It was all good. The steak was really good. My favorite thing was a grilled chicken breast (pechuga) with fries and a salad. It's busy from 12-1, but after 1 the lunch crowd clears out. All outside seating, great place for people watching. In the evening, it converts to a drinking hangout. I highly recommend it.

Il Castello - great Italian food - homemade pasta, pizza, bread made in-house.  A little pricey, but not bad. On Calle 10A and Carrera 40.

Aguasfrescas - high end Mexican food. It was a reminder for me that Mexican food is actually high cuisine. No burritos and chimichangas. This was my most expensive meal in Medellin. Really good cochinita pibil tacos (Yucatec Mayan food), I splurged for a white sangria (which was why my meal was so expensive) - really beautiful space, delicious food,

You can also order a lot of food from Rappi to be delivered - one of my favorites was from Pane y Pomodoro - delicious Neopolitan style pizza.

I also enjoyed the food courts in the malls. Definitely visit El Tesoro, which is a beautiful mall up in the hills with amazing views of Medellin. I had a great tomahawk steak there that was perfectly cooked. Yes, steak at a food court! Also, Santa Fe Mall is very nice and has a very extensive food court.

For coffee, I recommend Pergamino. There's a nice spot on Calle 10B a few steps down the hill from El Social. Delicious coffee, breakfasts and desserts. Seating on an outside deck if you can get there before the digital nomads occupy the place. Great spot for people watching. My favorite breakfast (I'm not a breakfast person) was pinches huevos. I'm now hooked on Pergamino coffee and just ordered two pounds to be delivered. No surprise that Colombia has good coffee, but this was the best.

Not in Poblado, but in Envigado, a small city/town next to Poblado that is not actually Medellin - La Gloria de Gloria - a Colombian friend took me there for bandeja paisa - it was huge and we split it. Even though we went for lunch, we were served aguardiente (fire water) during our meal - three shots. It was a lot of fun, and Envigado is a nice place to check out.

Colombian food is pretty basic - meat and potatoes - vegetables were scarce. But the quality of the food was good. I could tell it was local and fresh, and best of all, it's cheap!

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20 hours ago, 12is12 said:

7Be careful at ATMs - I used the ATM inside of a supermarket. Don't flash your cash.

 

One more tip about ATMs that I just learned from one of the Facebook groups I'm in. At a certain point during the transaction, it will ask you if you want to accept the conversion. Apparently, you should say "no". I always said "yes" because I thought I had to in order to proceed. The exchange rate was very favorable from dollars to COP, but apparently, I was getting ripped off and would have gotten a better rate if I'd said no to the conversion. Maybe someone else can explain this.

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14 hours ago, joizy said:

One more tip about ATMs that I just learned from one of the Facebook groups I'm in. At a certain point during the transaction, it will ask you if you want to accept the conversion. Apparently, you should say "no". I always said "yes" because I thought I had to in order to proceed. The exchange rate was very favorable from dollars to COP, but apparently, I was getting ripped off and would have gotten a better rate if I'd said no to the conversion. Maybe someone else can explain this.

It's called dynamic currency conversion,best explained here:

https://thepointsguy.com/2015/06/dynamic-currency-conversion/

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Great tips.

I'm guilty as charged for slamming taxi doors. The taxi drivers in Medellin hate it. Don't be like me. 

I've visited Colombia (Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Bucaramanga & Cucuta) and worked in Medellin on and off in the last two years.  Here are my 2 cents.

Places to stay: Poblado is the most popular place to stay for tourists, but overpriced, sometimes problems to take guests to your room and you need a taxi for everything. I would stay in Laureles - Estadio. You can easily walk around, it's safe and has plenty of good & cheap restaurants and bars. If you want the local experience, you can stay in San Bernardo, Belen. It feels like a village in the big city. Very cheap, safe, still close to everything but don't expect to hear a word of english or see another tourist. 

Going out: You should visit bar chiquita at least once, just for the decoration (and go to the toilets!).  Industry club is the place to be for young gay guys. There's 'barra libre' every friday. The best way to pick up guys is to go with a small group of friends, it makes it easier to talk to other guys that you fancy. Collect whatsapp numbers (you need whatsapp, they all use it) and meet the next day when they are sober (and you as well).

Things to do with your friend du jour:  they all love parque norte. It's not disneyland, but it's good for a couple hours of old-fashioned fun.  Shopping in centro is also rewarding if you want to buy cheap clothes (the guys love cheap clothes) or designer clothes at a fraction of the price (and quality) of Poblado shopping centers.  Hiking in Parque Arvi is a great pastime. They love it because it's cold (take an extra sweater and don't forget your umbrella). The metrocable ride gives you an amazing view over the city & hills. You will probably be alone with your friend in the cabin, but don't forget that there's a security camera (the guards had a great laugh with my friend recording a tiktok with him twerking). Outside of Medellin: Barbosa  is a colonial pueblo one hour by bus from Medellin, surrounded by hills and waterfalls and off the beaten path. Great for hiking and swimming. You can rent a cheap finca and have a great stay / party with a bunch of friends. On the way back, you can stop at parque de las aguas and have fun on the water slides. 

 

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9 hours ago, floridarob said:

It's called dynamic currency conversion,best explained here:

https://thepointsguy.com/2015/06/dynamic-currency-conversion/

I'm not sure if this is the same thing. I found this on Trip Advisor (couldn't find the post on the Facebook group where I originally saw it)

Servibanca was my favorite but now they are trying to trick foreigners, they will ask you if you accept a lower exchange rate. For example at present USD = 3450 COP.....the machine will ask will you accept an exchange rate of USD = 3200 COP ?......at that moment you will think if you say NO that you will lose/end the transaction (and you probably need the cash)......always reply NO to that question....you will receive the money at the better rate. They basically are asking you if it is ok if they rob you of $12 additional dollars (based on their 780.000 COP limit).

Apparently, this is a ploy by the banks to get more of your money for their services.

But Rob also reminded me of other things related to credit cards. They will often ask if you want to use dollars or pesos. Always choose pesos (I think this is what dynamic conversion refers to). Also, they may ask how many quotas (cuantas cuotas?) meaning how many payments - always say one. And, at El Social, they would ask me if I wanted to use credito, debito or corriente. Once I asked the server what corriente meant, and she didn't know. Always say credito.

 

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On 7/20/2022 at 12:32 PM, joizy said:

Great list of tips 12is12, thanks for putting them all together.

If I may, I'd like to add some restaurant/eating suggestions. Since I stayed in Poblado, these are mostly in Poblado.

For coffee, I recommend Pergamino. There's a nice spot on Calle 10B a few steps down the hill from El Social. Delicious coffee, breakfasts and desserts. Seating on an outside deck if you can get there before the digital nomads occupy the place. Great spot for people watching. My favorite breakfast (I'm not a breakfast person) was pinches huevos. I'm now hooked on Pergamino coffee and just ordered two pounds to be delivered. No surprise that Colombia has good coffee, but this was the best.

Hmm, I was warned by the locals that the coffee in Colombia was shit.  they said all the good stuff goes to export. I brought a pound and drip cup with me.   Most little places had bad coffee.  I did like Juan Valdez once I found it.  I guess I need to keep looking.

I did not think most steak (tough) or pizza (cracker crust) was good....  but I did find some good stuff before I left (in bogota).  Mostly I thought the food was a weak point.

The nearly complete lack of english was a difficulty despite google.  I started to learn a little before I came but...  Colombia would do well to work on that (particularly in airports and metro) to help build the tourist scene. 

I had only one bad rental who said he didn't want money ahead of time but then wanted 200usd.  He followed me around the city for 2 hours.  I finally got rid of him.

I did get mugged at knife point at 4pm on a busy street in Bogota.  there were plenty of people around (who yelled but did nothing).  I fought the muggers, got knocked down and my cell phone flew out of my pocket, they got it and ran laughing.  One of the attackers got kicked really good in the stomach as I was on my back.  The police were uninterested and did not record or report it (despite help from my 2 local men).  Clairo made if very hard to cancel the SIM and deactivate the IMEI numbers.

My one local (in Medellin) got his phone taken in a snatch and grab.  5 guys.  they did not run, but said get 200peso you can have it back.  We went to police, they watched while we paid and got phone back.  then approached them and got 100p from the perps.

So some work needs to be done.  Will I go again. yes. but Thailand (repeat) and Philippines(first time) will be first.

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23 minutes ago, maump said:

I did get mugged at knife point at 4pm on a busy street in Bogota.  there were plenty of people around (who yelled but did nothing).  I fought the muggers, got knocked down and my cell phone flew out of my pocket, they got it and ran laughing.  One of the attackers got kicked really good in the stomach as I was on my back.  The police were uninterested and did not record or report it (despite help from my 2 local men).  Clairo made if very hard to cancel the SIM and deactivate the IMEI numbers.

Oy, sorry to hear that this happened to you. It is a good reminder to observe all of the recommended safety tips (which I mostly ignored)

- don't carry a lot of cash, and keep a stash that you're willing to give up while keeping more hidden (like in your sock)

- carry a cheap phone that you are willing to part with

- don't stand out if at all possible (dress, actions, speaking English loudly, etc.)

- don't fight with muggers - they will kill you

I did not spend a lot of time walking around, mostly took Ubers or taxis and didn't go out at night. When I did go out, it was close to where I was staying, and the few times I went to meet guys at their places or motels, I only had enough cash on me to cover the costs.

Thanks for sharing your experience - it's a cautionary tale. I'm glad you're ok.

 

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I would not take tips brought by someone who read them in Facebook or any other social media. I try my best to bring my tips from my personal experience. 

I used my debit and credit cards to withdraw money in Medellin several times, in several different banks. I never got any suspicious questions about the exchange rate or anything else. 

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7 hours ago, Latbear4blk said:

. I never got any suspicious questions about the exchange rate or anything else. 

Dynamic Currency Conversion is in these currencies.....

Currently available in:

AED, AUD, BGN, BHD, BRL, CAD, CHF, CNY, CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, HKD, HRK, HUF, ISK, ILS, INR, JOD, JPY, KRW, KWD, MYR, NOK, NZD, OMR, PLN, QAR, RON, RUB, SAR, SEK, SGD, THB, TWD, USD, ZAR.

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On 7/21/2022 at 9:41 PM, neyger said:

Great tips.

I'm guilty as charged for slamming taxi doors. The taxi drivers in Medellin hate it. Don't be like me. 

I've visited Colombia (Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Bucaramanga & Cucuta) and worked in Medellin on and off in the last two years.  Here are my 2 cents.

Places to stay: Poblado is the most popular place to stay for tourists, but overpriced, sometimes problems to take guests to your room and you need a taxi for everything. I would stay in Laureles - Estadio. You can easily walk around, it's safe and has plenty of good & cheap restaurants and bars. If you want the local experience, you can stay in San Bernardo, Belen. It feels like a village in the big city. Very cheap, safe, still close to everything but don't expect to hear a word of english or see another tourist. 

Going out: You should visit bar chiquita at least once, just for the decoration (and go to the toilets!).  Industry club is the place to be for young gay guys. There's 'barra libre' every friday. The best way to pick up guys is to go with a small group of friends, it makes it easier to talk to other guys that you fancy. Collect whatsapp numbers (you need whatsapp, they all use it) and meet the next day when they are sober (and you as well).

Things to do with your friend du jour:  they all love parque norte. It's not disneyland, but it's good for a couple hours of old-fashioned fun.  Shopping in centro is also rewarding if you want to buy cheap clothes (the guys love cheap clothes) or designer clothes at a fraction of the price (and quality) of Poblado shopping centers.  Hiking in Parque Arvi is a great pastime. They love it because it's cold (take an extra sweater and don't forget your umbrella). The metrocable ride gives you an amazing view over the city & hills. You will probably be alone with your friend in the cabin, but don't forget that there's a security camera (the guards had a great laugh with my friend recording a tiktok with him twerking). Outside of Medellin: Barbosa  is a colonial pueblo one hour by bus from Medellin, surrounded by hills and waterfalls and off the beaten path. Great for hiking and swimming. You can rent a cheap finca and have a great stay / party with a bunch of friends. On the way back, you can stop at parque de las aguas and have fun on the water slides. 

 

Thanks.

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1 hour ago, TotallyOz said:

I'm guilty as charged for slamming taxi doors. The taxi drivers in Medellin hate it. Don't be like me

yeah, this is a hot point and i don,t know why.  the cars are no more fragile there than here and we slam doors....  but I got warned by several guides about it...

I tried hard not to.  slowly learning...

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5 hours ago, maump said:

yeah, this is a hot point and i don,t know why.  the cars are no more fragile there than here and we slam doors....  but I got warned by several guides about it...

I tried hard not to.  slowly learning...

Actually, cars may be different in other countries, because industry standards are not international. In all the South American countries I have been to, many cars' bodies, specially the most popular brands, are clearly more fragile than in the USA, I think the sheet metal is thinner over there. 

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