I can't figure out where to stay in Bogotá

[Riobard]

That hotel is located in bottom centre of Teusaquillo, considered to be among the safer districts, but most of us are inclined to stay a few kms northeast in Chapinero. Either way, if you are taking in tourism venues you will need car transport and will not likely be walking around the hotel area except to get food. 

[macdaddi]

On 5/12/2024 at 4:35 PM, Menaughty said:

Does anyone know if this is a good hotel and a safe area to stay in?

NH Bogotá Urban 26 Royal

Carrera 33N # 25F-18, Bogotá, Distrito Capital, 111321

Yes and yes.  The University area is very desirable and you are within walking distance to Palmero which is a trendy and upcoming neighbourhood for cafés and restaurants in Bogotá.  The area is mostly residential (the home of the original Ugly Betty is nearby and a big tourist attraction) but there is a nice scene emerging in that zona.

The BH hotel chains are in every Colombian city and are a modern, comfortable option for a hotel stay. Great choice and very central if you want to explore the city outside of Chapigay. The one drawback, while not major, is crossing El Dorado is a pain as a pedestrian. Make sure your taxi driver knows what exito to take from El Dorado to arrive at the hotel before they start the meter. Other than that, enjoy Bogotá.

[Riobard]

2 hours ago, macdaddi said:

Yes and yes.  The University area is very desirable and you are within walking distance to Palmero which is a trendy and upcoming neighbourhood for cafés and restaurants in Bogotá.  

Palermo?

[macdaddi]

20 hours ago, Riobard said:

Palermo?

jeje Sii - Palermo, was a neighbourhood settled by Italian immigrants, so not named after a spaniard.

[Marc in Calif]

22 hours ago, Riobard said:

Palermo?

Google is your friend! 😎

[frazzle]

Going again in a few days. Staying in an AirBnB in Chapinero, I'll share updates after.

[TomNg]

Can you share the Airbnb information?  I am looking for a trip in July.

 

Thanks

[joizy]

On 2/25/2024 at 6:33 PM, frazzle said:

I'm doing my first solo trip to Bogota before meeting a friend in Medellin. My plan is to meet a few sex workers who I've found through one of the agency recommendations here. Yes, I know this isn't recommended but I'll take several precautions and accept the risk. 

One issue is I can't find any place to stay where I can discreetly bring them back to. AirBnB makes it really hard to see which buildings have doormen and which have no guest policies. As far as I can tell from reading here and elsewhere, most hotels don't allow guests at all and if they do they have to register with the front desk and you have to pay an extra fee. This isn't ideal, I'd like somewhere that isn't so strict or at least a place I can walk up with them to without being bothered. 

There are so few houses available for rent in the city. I have a flexible budget and every reasonably nice house is on a gated street with its own security guard... so the exact same issue. I'm just trying to hookup with some guys discreetly.

Are there any options other than motels? I've read a ton of threads here and feel like I may be missing something obvious. 

I was just going to post the same question but figured I'd look first. I've been looking at Airbnbs in Bogota and many of them explicitly state no visitors, and anyone who is in the unit must be registered initially. A few don't state this, but it looks like they still have security. I just came back from Panama City, where I had an issue at my hotel that really cut down on my fun. I know there are love motels in Colombia, but I would like to be able to bring some guys back to my place, especially if we see each other more than once. So I'm wondering if you figured anything out.

[Latbear4blk]

43 minutes ago, joizy said:

I was just going to post the same question but figured I'd look first. I've been looking at Airbnbs in Bogota and many of them explicitly state no visitors, and anyone who is in the unit must be registered initially. A few don't state this, but it looks like they still have security. I just came back from Panama City, where I had an issue at my hotel that really cut down on my fun. I know there are love motels in Colombia, but I would like to be able to bring some guys back to my place, especially if we see each other more than once. So I'm wondering if you figured anything out.

When I like an airbnb offering that states the no visitors policy, I always reach out to the host. Usually, the explanation I receive is that I cannot have visitors to stay over night, but that of course I can have friends for diner or a movie. I never had any issues other than sometimes my visitors had to get registered. This is not an issue for me and has never been a problem for my visitors. 

Ask the host before booking.

[frazzle]

I can give some tips now having gone a few times.

I almost always get standalone houses in Colombia which are priced pretty well. I will only stay at a hotel if I have infrequent guests, more than two or three a day and I'm just too uncomfortable standing there with them while they get interrogated in the lobby. I get hotels outside of Latin America where guess access is easier.

There are a ton of properties and you can suss out from the pictures which have direct street access. Be careful because some homes are in a complex and have concierge / front desks that will match up the guests to the AirBnB reservation. Try to book something that allows a full refund so you can get the address after booking and search on Google Street View to see if the property is as expected. 

As far as prices, decent options start at $50 a night, although I usually opt for ones ~$200 which typically have several bedrooms, modern appliances, and a hot tub. These are in good areas of Poblado or Laureles. There are usually several CCTV cameras at each property and gates so I can see the person before letting them in. Given the type of guys I go for, I'm less concerned about my safety, and I also ask them to wear something skimpy which has the dual purpose of letting me see if they're carrying a weapon.