Quote: (10-21-2013 01:20 AM)LowerCaseG Wrote:
Will be in Bogota Jan 11 for 10 days. Can anyone provide an update on which neighborhoods to stay in? Sounds like it is a choice between Candelaria(Old City), Zona Rosa(Gringoville), Chapinero(Gay & Hipster). I am looking to spend 50-70 a night for an AirBnb apartment. I was planning to spend perhaps a week in bogota and head out to Pereira/Manziales for 2 or 3 days. I am kind of intrigued with this old school charming apartment:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1404025
But my instinct tells me I should pay up for modern/sheek. I have read all the posts but a lot of stuff is 2+ years old, so any updated info is appreciated. Haven't heard a ton of AirBnB experiences out of Bogota and this will be my first time using it.
If anyone can manipulate google maps to breakdown the neighborhoods, that would be great.
Scotian...Are your buddies from the barbershop still going strong?
I'll be in Bogota in three weeks and likely staying in Chapinero, although I'm only gonna be there for a week or so before moving onto another city, I'll be in Colombia when you're there so keep me posted. The place I'm staying at in Chapinero is in your price range, it was 100K Pesos per night last year.
I wouldn't suggest La Candelaria as a place to stay, its nice to visit in the day and there are some cool spots to hang out at night, but after dark it can be a sketchy. I recommend Chapinero because its full of students, relatively safe (west of Avenida Caracas, around septima) and is basically half way between la Candelaria and the Parque 93 and Zona Rosa areas. The rich areas in the north are a bit too clean and upscale for my liking but centro and la Candelaria are way too ghetto for me, Chapinero is a a good mix of the two. I think it was Cloin from Expat Chronicles, who used to live in Chapinero who described it as a buffer zone between the two.
Unfortunately the barber shop closed so I don't know where all those deported guys hang out now to smoke weed now but I"m in touch with a couple of them, if you want to hang out with them and have them take you to Sante Fe (AKA crazy town), I'll link you guys up, you just have to buy them some beers, well worth it.