Guatape in 2021: The Future of Luxury in Colombia
Guatape is a travelers paradise because of its natural beauty and near-perfect ambiance. But what about it captivates visitors and makes them want to return? We wanted to show you what Guatape in 2021 has to offer. So this past weekend we packed our bags and took the trip over to the small town and took in the sights.
Saturday Morning and Piedra del Peñol
The drive to Guatape is 2 hours. But once you see the landscape on the way up there and how the city life starts drifting away to make room for that small town mood, you won’t mind the drive.
Our plan was to arrive at about 10 am because we only had a day to cram in many Guatape activities. We wanted this group (like every other group) to see the view from the top of the Guatape rock.
We arrived at about 10:15 and told the driver to immediately drop us off at the rock. This way, we can get the most strenuous activity out of the way first. It took us about 15 minutes to reach the top (not hangover proofed, yet). Believe me when I say, when you go up the last stair (#742) the combination of the lake, islands and houses below make your entire trip to Colombia worthwhile.
Reservoir and Activities
You can’t go to Guatape, climb the rock and not take pictures. So for that reason we spent about an hour up there trying to get the right shots. Making sure these guys felt a sense of tranquility and enjoyed a true vacation.
Once we walked down the stairs we got back in the van and had our driver take us over to the more touristy part of the lake. Where the jet-skis were the first thing that caught the eye of these guys.
After about 45 minutes of jet-skiing across the lake. We had heard the Charlee Hotel was making Guatape a must-visit destination. Not only for people traveling to Colombia. But anyone looking for luxury travel in general.
The Charlee hotel has its newly built (nearly completed) Praia Beach Club. The New York Times even featured this Guatape project (known as the Luxe Project) in their May 9th, 2013 edition. They said it is “a one of kind resort in the area that offers a lavish lifestyle ambiance surrounded by nature.”
Praia Beach Club and Guatape in 2021
So we drove about 3 kilometers over to Praia Beach Club. The new resort we mentioned and decided to have lunch at the Praia Restaurant. It might not be authentic Colombian Cuisine (Italian influenced) but great food and a great place to spend the afternoon.
After lunch, our plan was to take in more of the sights and we noticed Praia Beach Club has an artificial beach and dock. Here we saw a few Americans wakeboarding and we couldn’t leave Guatape without trying it at least once.
We decided to give this a try and being that it’s not complete yet, some of us tried wakeboarding while the rest of the group tried water skiing. Long story short, none of us were skilled in either.
At about 6 pm I’d like to say we stayed and enjoyed the town of Guatape at night. But being that we’re not as young as we used to be, we had to call it a night and drive back to Medellín. The water takes a lot out of you and considering that a good 98% of the crowd was hungover. I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did out there. Another successful Guatape in 2021 trip is in the bag.
The best part about Medellín, other than its beauty, warm climate, and friendly people is that it’s still unknown among world travelers. The best time to visit Medellín and Guatape would be now. While it’s still cultural, unknown, and before the big corporations come down here and build a McDonald’s right on the reservoir.
