MEDELLIN - 1st time visit to Colombia.

[doc friend]

Hi fellow traveler’s.    I am hoping to go to  this city in Sept / Oct  & spending 8-10 days as a friend is getting married  so looking to get some advice.   

I will be travelling on my own.  So no +1 with me. 

1.  Been looking at flights & it’s a nightmare !   Flights to Spain then onto Colombia ?   Or flights into USA then flights onwards   Or to Mexico then onto Medellin. 
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated

2.  Hotels.  Read all the reports about the  M. Putting hotel.  In the square.  But not sure exactly where the wedding venue is going to be.  However  if the city is not that big.  Then happy to get a taxi to & from the wedding venue.   

3.  Any ideas about pre communications to any gurus or site to pre plan ahead nearer the time ?

Thank you.

[southcoastpunter]

i flew into Columbia from another country so not relevant but i came back from Medellin to London - an internal flight to Bogota then Bogota to London direct (with Avianca). I am sure you can fly London to Bogota direct too!

If you are going to be in Medellin for 8-10 days and only one day is the wedding, then surely its more important to get the punting side right and travel to the wedding. Uber operates there so its not too expensive and there is a reasonable public transport system too.

If you are a relatively inexperienced international punter, i can def recommend Hotel M as a good venue - at least for the first few days!! You don't really need to pre-plan much. as i said in my post on Hotel M, i had pre-booked some Seeking ladies but then wished i hadn't as the standard of ladies in the bar and available was pretty good - and it was so easy to meet other ladies as well. Its probable more important to make sure that wherever you are staying is "guest friendly" (and Hotel M certainly is)!

[tightfoot69]

I flew back from Medellin via Madrid a few years ago. Very easy change if the terminal is the same.

Really great city for this hobby. I used SA and had a good time. Along with Buenos Aires my favourite punting city when it comes to value for money.

[southcoastpunter]

I flew back from Medellin via Madrid a few years ago. Very easy change if the terminal is the same.

that is so important if you have under 2 and a half hours layover time - allowing for the first plane to be a bit late then the wait for a bus to take you to the next terminal can be up to 30 minutes wait and the travel time between terminals is about 20-25 minutes. and remembering that the gate closes 20 minutes before departure!

[tightfoot69]

that is so important if you have under 2 and a half hours layover time - allowing for the first plane to be a bit late then the wait for a bus to take you to the next terminal can be up to 30 minutes wait and the travel time between terminals is about 20-25 minutes. and remembering that the gate closes 20 minutes before departure!

I think I only had just over an hour and was fine because it was the same terminal. I think it is usually 4S in Madrid for the connection.

[another381]

Hi Doc, 10 days in Colombia is a great trip. Check my thread for tips on Bogota and also Medellin if you decide to go there too.

1. I couldn't find direct flights from London, everything goes through Madrid as far as I can tell. I think if you fly to the US you can go through Miami and maybe Atlanta.

2. Hotel M is good for easy access to girls and location is good too. There are plenty of hotels and Airbnbs if you want somewhere nicer depending on your budget. Some say you can't bring guests back but I think it's probably ok. I usually go visit the girls so it's not an issue for me but you might want an overnight stay at yours.

3. You can look at profiles on External Link/Members Only and External Link/Members Only and message girls to get prices and locations etc. Some girls work alone and you'll find other profiles are for apartments with a few girls. The links from the site open whatsapp and lets you message easily. Some girls have auto replies set up (in Spanish of course) with a few details.

I also like the strip club Pussy House, External Link/Members Only. Girls are cheap, some attractive ones work there and you can get their numbers to meet them outside the club too. It's cheap to tip them when they dance too, get change from the bar. A $2000 COP note is 40p so you won't be breaking the bank handing a few out to each girl and you'll get attention. There's another strip club right round the corner too, Sixty Nine Pasarela Bar. The girls weren't the prettiest but they could be on the cheap side - External Link/Members Only.

Like the others have said plan your trip around punting if the wedding is only one day. Getting around the city is really easy by taxi. You can use Uber and I would also recommend the inDrive app. You can pay with cash and you agree a fee before being picked up. It's really cheap to take taxis there, usually £1 - £3 for most rides.

You might need a local SIM card too. You can get it from the airport and a top up for data is pretty cheap.

[southcoastpunter]

1. I couldn't find direct flights from London, everything goes through Madrid as far as I can tell. I think if you fly to the US you can go through Miami and maybe Atlanta.


You might need a local SIM card too. You can get it from the airport and a top up for data is pretty cheap.

Avianca fly London To Bogota direct - you can stay a bit in Bogota or fly from there to Medellin (about 1 hour 15minutes). Some other airlines fly via Miami and other places.

And yes i agree - get a local sim (especially if you are Vodafone - its £6.30 per day to use your UK sim there!). I did mine at the airport - very easy and cheap and it was working before i left the phone company's desk - and all your apps like WA still work with your original number.

[doc friend]

Hi Doc, 10 days in Colombia is a great trip. Check my thread for tips on Bogota and also Medellin if you decide to go there too.

1. I couldn't find direct flights from London, everything goes through Madrid as far as I can tell. I think if you fly to the US you can go through Miami and maybe Atlanta.

2. Hotel M is good for easy access to girls and location is good too. There are plenty of hotels and Airbnbs if you want somewhere nicer depending on your budget. Some say you can't bring guests back but I think it's probably ok. I usually go visit the girls so it's not an issue for me but you might want an overnight stay at yours.

3. You can look at profiles on External Link/Members Only and External Link/Members Only and message girls to get prices and locations etc. Some girls work alone and you'll find other profiles are for apartments with a few girls. The links from the site open whatsapp and lets you message easily. Some girls have auto replies set up (in Spanish of course) with a few details.

I also like the strip club Pussy House, External Link/Members Only. Girls are cheap, some attractive ones work there and you can get their numbers to meet them outside the club too. It's cheap to tip them when they dance too, get change from the bar. A $2000 COP note is 40p so you won't be breaking the bank handing a few out to each girl and you'll get attention. There's another strip club right round the corner too, Sixty Nine Pasarela Bar. The girls weren't the prettiest but they could be on the cheap side - External Link/Members Only.

Like the others have said plan your trip around punting if the wedding is only one day. Getting around the city is really easy by taxi. You can use Uber and I would also recommend the inDrive app. You can pay with cash and you agree a fee before being picked up. It's really cheap to take taxis there, usually £1 - £3 for most rides.

You might need a local SIM card too. You can get it from the airport and a top up for data is pretty cheap.

Thank you so much.  Great reply.    I will be staying 8-10 days in Medellin.   As not travelling anywhere else.   I found a few flights with obvious 1 stop in Madrid. Then fly direct.  Other options in stop over in Miami & other is Huston    Cost with luggage around £850-£950

[doc friend]

Avianca fly London To Bogota direct - you can stay a bit in Bogota or fly from there to Medellin (about 1 hour 15minutes). Some other airlines fly via Miami and other places.

And yes i agree - get a local sim (especially if you are Vodafone - its £6.30 per day to use your UK sim there!). I did mine at the airport - very easy and cheap and it was working before i left the phone company's desk - and all your apps like WA still work with your original number.

Yes read all your updates.  You are a well seasoned punter.   Thanks for the groping & advice   

[another381]

You're welcome mate. I thought you were in Bogota for the wedding. Pussy House and the other strip bar are there.

Look at my most recent thread for all the updates on Medellin. I found an amazing strip club when i was there last, Luna Lunera. The girls were incredible and and really cheap especially compared to Fase Dos.

Thank you so much.  Great reply.    I will be staying 8-10 days in Medellin.   As not travelling anywhere else.   I found a few flights with obvious 1 stop in Madrid. Then fly direct.  Other options in stop over in Miami & other is Huston    Cost with luggage around £850-£950

[wes2014]

Thank you so much.  Great reply.    I will be staying 8-10 days in Medellin.   As not travelling anywhere else.   I found a few flights with obvious 1 stop in Madrid. Then fly direct.  Other options in stop over in Miami & other is Huston    Cost with luggage around £850-£950

I am going in July and flying to Bogota. Got a nice deal on Air France - UK to Paris to Bogota and home on KLM from Cartagena via Amsterdam to UK. All on one ticket. Internal flights on LATAM to see Medellin.

[doc friend]

I am going in July and flying to Bogota. Got a nice deal on Air France - UK to Paris to Bogota and home on KLM from Cartagena via Amsterdam to UK. All on one ticket. Internal flights on LATAM to see Medellin.

Seems you’re good to go.  What was the total cost of you can post ?

[myothernameis]

1.  Been looking at flights & it’s a nightmare !   Flights to Spain then onto Colombia ?   Or flights into USA then flights onwards   Or to Mexico then onto Medellin. 
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated

With regards flights, any country that requires a visa or similar, maybe best avoid that country, like USA, which could be a nightmare for you

[wes2014]

Seems you’re good to go.  What was the total cost of you can post ?

I got a deal through Amex so business class all the way there and back to the UK worked out around £1740. The ability to fly in to one city and home from the other made it work well for me.

[Marmalade]

Sounds like you’re all sorted, which is great. 

A couple of small points on the topics of the thread in case they’re helpful to anyone else:

Flights: I’ve also found flying from Europe can be very economical. On one trip I flew back to Brussels and just picked up (separately) a cheap Brussels Air flight the rest of the way home. Brussels Air are not the loveliest of airlines to deal with but it’s a short flight.

Mansion to downtown is a straight, mostly fast road. The only time it’s not is rush hour. It takes you into a more salubrious part of downtown than the Metro. You still have to hustle over to the downtown clinicas, but there’s plenty of shops and restaurants just off to the right from the main thoroughfare. The main museum (Botero, a most unusual sculptor) is a stone’s throw to your left, on the far side of the Metro station. The street starting behind the Botero and then continuing left, is trashville central for any of those who like down and dirty punts — at loose change prices.

While the clinicas are mostly well-run and very safe, the trashville area is for keeping one’s keeping
one’s wits well-tuned of course.

[doc friend]

Thank you all for your help.  Much appreciated.  As soon as I get details of the venue location I will update for help with internal travel & hoe near it is to the Hotel M. 

Thanks again.

[pbj46]

Beware at least a couple dozen foreign tourists have been murdered in Colombia, primarily Medellin, in the past year, especially those seeking to meet local women, via apps, in a bar or whatever.

Exercise extreme caution, and research scopolamine - many hundreds of tourists are drugged, kidnapped and robbed.

[fudi_maar]

To add to what pbj wrote.....the actual murder figure is much higher, sadly. However, most of the murder victims sre American. As much as i love our US cousins, they can be dicks when in Medellin. They make all the classic mistakes :
- loud and very conspicuous
- flash their cash
- act all big baller.

In Medellin you wanna do the exact opposite. Keep a low profile, dress down, etc.

Oddly enough, the safest places in Colombia are the brothels (casas). Ive visited dozens and always felt very safe.

[southcoastpunter]

To put this into context and reality- in somewhere like the Poblado district of Medellin, I felt very safe  walking around all times of the day and night on my own! Yes it’s taking sensible precautions and don’t be flash!!

[pbj46]

Medellin, I felt very safe

I keep seeing this trotted out, as if it's some kind of counterargument.

Very obviously, ALL of the people who were robbed, kidnapped, murdered, drugged, etc felt very safe until they didn't, by which time it was too late. 

Feeling safe means nothing, you could be in a very dangerous situations and simply not know about it, and either get lucky or get dead.

[southcoastpunter]

How do you know they felt very safe - we don’t know anything about how they felt or even what part of town they were!
Like many cities across the world there are parts of Medellin that it’s not recommended to go, especially at night, but the El Poblado area is not one of them . I am a fairly cautious guy and always have my wits about me , don’t go out drunk etc and as I said always felt safe!
Drink and the pursuit of pussy is something that can lead guys astray but that is where staying at somewhere like Hotel M can help - so much pussy available there and no problem gets girls to visit there either!

To other guys, don’t be put off visiting Medellin if it’s on your “maybe” list, the ladies are
Great there but just be sensible and take the normal sensible precautions!!

[fudi_maar]

I actually stayed in 'El Centro' when I was in Medellin - for those who are not aware, it's the area with street girls, drug-sellers, homeless etc and it's meant to be very raw. Just search for the YouTube vids to get an idea. When the taxi guy dropped me off, he kept asking in Spanish "Are you SURE you're staying in El Centro and not in Poblado? I kept answering 'Yes, I'm sure'. And then when he dropped me off, he waiting on the road, to make sure that I got into my hotel (a distance of 20 feet from his car to the hotel entrance) and I gave him a thumbs up as I walked in, and he returned the thumbs up with a smile.

I stayed there for almost a month, and nothing bad happened to me. I guess I was lucky. I'm NOT implying that Medelling is safe, or that El Centro is safe. It can be a lottery. One night me and Polish guy I met my hotel (I met him in the hotel lift and during polite conversation, he asked "What are you in Medelling for?" and I replied "For the pussy". We both burst out laughing and then went punting together from that point. Sometimes, you just have to be direct.)....so me and this Polish guy went to the local pussy bars in El Centro at 11pm where the only foreigners were me and him, and I was sure that this is the night we'd get mugged. But nope, the universe looked after us. There's a whole bunch of these bars on Carrera 53 near Avenida de Greiff, if anyone is feeling up for a challenge.

Take precautions, go easy on the alcohol, and there's tons of Paisa pussy willing and waiting to be pumped.

[another381]

I wish I had the nerve to punt in El Centro. Taxi drivers warned me off it and when i went close the driver asked me multiple times if that's were i wanted to be. I've heard there are some gems there and of course extremely cheap. Would have loved to go window shopping and see what it's like there but was worried to go alone.

I agree the casas, strip clubs and working girls from the websites are generally safe bets. When you go to the apartment blocks there are security guards and in most instances you have to sign in or tell them what apartment you're going to. Visitors to hotels and apartments also need to show IDs and it made me feel safe as it should deter anyone trying to rip you off because there's a record kept.

I read about girls in bars and on dating apps using scopolamine and avoided them. Like others have said don't be flash, keep your wits about you.

[garfield]

Do most of the girls in medelin speak English or do you need to learn some Spanish?

[southcoastpunter]

i found that many of the girls that were "available" spoke a little English - with that and google translate, i managed well.

A little Spanish would add and help but imo is not absolutely necessary. I had what is left over from schoolboy spanish (so just the odd word here and there) and managed ok!

[another381]

I met a few that knew basic english but most use google translate. they are used to it though and are pretty quick with it.

saw a guy start chatting with a girl in the street, phone got passed around and in about 3 minutes he was off to hotel with her.

[JimmyWong]

Was just looking at flights. Under £250 one way. Around £500 return, doesn't seem too bad at all Seriously got me considering a South America trip soon!

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