The Somos Flats Laureles

I spent five nights here and would come back. The location felt safe, and I could walk around the area without feeling on edge. Check-in and checkout were easy, and both the receptionist and cleaning lady were very accommodating and helpful whenever I had questions. The room was clean, and towels and trash were changed when I asked. The bed was huge, too. At 6 foot tall, I could sleep without my feet hanging off.

I paid for six nights in a one kind bed apartment at The Somos Laureles in Medellin. The place was in good shape, though housekeeping was irregular, and there was no housekeeping from the accommodation staff during my stay. There is also no 24/7 reception, so WhatsApp is the only way to reach them. I’m not a resident of Colombia and have lived in Australia for several years, so I shouldn’t have had to pay VAT, which was around $59 AUD. A staff member asked me over WhatsApp for documents to check whether I qualified for the exemption, but they charged my foreign Qantas Amex card without my authorization. It felt like a scam. For that and other reasons, I can’t recommend booking this place.

On November 25, while I was staying here, two people robbed me and left with my credit and debit cards, iPhone 16pro, and professional camera. The hotel has the incident on camera, but has kept giving me the run-around and refused to provide the footage, saying it could only be given to the police. I called the police to the hotel, and two motorcycle officers came. The hotel still wouldn’t show them the video, then said it could only go to the “prosecutor,” whoever that is. I only asked for the footage of the two people who robbed me, not the entire recordings. The owner says other guests appear in the video. If management or the owner had wanted to help, they could have shared just the clip of those two people. To me, it seems evident the hotel may be owned by gangsters or that the owner is cooperating with them. I think the hotel may be helping criminals rob guests and get away with it. There was hardly anyone at the front desk. In my whole stay, I saw someone there only once, and other guests have complained about the same thing. This does not feel like a safe place to stay, and I would not recommend it under any circumstances.

The bed was comfortable and the AC worked well, but there was no hot water in the shower. It was decent overall.