Accommodation
Four Seasons Hotel, Casa MedinaBogota, Colombia
A fine old brick-built mansion converted and extended into a top class central city hotel.
Originally designed by the Paris-educated, Medellin native, artist and architect Santiano Medina Mejia and constructed in 1946, this hotel retains many delightful features such as the original staircase and fireplaces, which are typical of that period. The courtyard garden has been covered with a retractable glazed roof to create a lofty and stylish bar area and this links to a newer block to the rear of the old mansion.
The hotel is small by Four Seasons standards which gives it more of a boutique feel and we like the warm, residential feel which the hotel retains. Many of the 62 rooms here are unique, with colonial-style beamed ceilings, panelled-wood walls and artisan crafted furniture, including hand carved wood and aged leather. Some of the architectural treasures on display were salvaged from two convents that were demolished just prior to its construction.
There are two dining options within the hotel, the high-end Spanish restaurant and tapas bar Castanyoles Raciones y Tapas (named after the Spanish castanet musical instruments), or the more informal Castanyoles café with a wood-burning tapas grill, Colombian coffee and take-away options. The hotel is also located in the heart of the Chapinero Barrio, locally referred to as the newly styled ‘Zona G’ (gastronomic district). To get a feel for the extraordinary variety of innovative Colombian restaurants which are virtually on the doorstep, check out The gastronomic scene in Colombia. A spa and 24 hour fitness centre are also available and there is a small indoor garden for relaxation.
While we enjoy this hotel for its size, character and charm, those that prefer something more contemporary could also consider the larger sister hotel Four Seasons Bogota in the trendy Zona T district.