Torre Ventto 2623

I was locked out of my room because the host had an issue with my photo of the immigration entry into Colombia. That came from their poor online booking process, which they require in addition to the Booking.com reservation. I had no phone or money with me, and had to walk several blocks through torrential rain to their office to sort it out. Even though it was their mistake, they never apologized. Communication was poor throughout. The accommodation provider is based several blocks away, not in the building, so reception staff couldn't help when problems came up and just sent me back to the hosts. I had also booked breakfast, but none was provided.

Walking back to my hostel, I was followed, harassed, and nearly robbed. I saw no police or protection, and felt unsafe the whole time. Visiting Bogotá's historic center was the worst travel experience of my life. The streets were full of people living outside, and the sidewalks were being used as toilets. I saw human feces steaming on the pavement, urine mixed with blood, and men injecting heroin into their groins, with infected wounds leaking pus, all in broad daylight. The smell of rotting meat, sewage, and vomit baking in the sun was unbearable. I felt sick and gagged more than once. I would tell a young woman traveling alone to avoid the area. For me, the culture wasn't worth the experience.

The building looks brand new, and the view across the whole city is beautiful.

The location is good, but my first stay here was a nightmare. I booked through Airbnb for 8/11-8/31, and the hosts' handling of problems was a big part of the trouble. There are several hosts, they don't seem to be on the same page, and they blame each other instead of taking responsibility. Airbnb also showed no concern for the renter and seemed focused on finding ways not to reimburse me. My apartment was freezing when I arrived. I did my best to rest despite the cold, then went to an office on the second floor, where a woman gave me a heater. I appreciated that. I was on the 16th floor, but screaming and parties outside made the next few nights uncomfortable. I told Juan, one of the hosts, and was moved to the 7th floor after he said it would be much quieter. It wasn't. Hammering went on from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for days. I raised it again and recorded video to show I wasn't making it up. There were also power outages every other day, followed by flooding. During outages there was no heat, hot shower, cooking, or coffee. I had to get up at 5 or 6 a.m. to shower and make coffee before the power went out. There are plenty of other places to stay, and I don't recommend this one. Good luck if you choose it.