The Somos Flats Provenza

The apartment was basic, but it had everything we needed, and we liked it enough to extend our stay by a day. The street is busy and noisy, though I didn’t notice much of that inside. I was glad I contacted the hotel ahead of time about arriving late. They replied quickly on Whatsapp and helped me work out the arrival. I had trouble paying the cleaning fee when I arrived, so they sent me to The Somos Beats, a short walk away, to pay by card. That’s where I met Danna, who was an absolute delight: professional, personable, and full of great recommendations. She went out of her way to make us comfortable. We enjoyed the stay so much that we booked another night. I’m already planning to return to Medellin and will reach out to stay here again.

I should have checked the reviews before booking. Like other guests, my wife and I couldn’t get into the hotel and ended up waiting outside in the cold at night. I couldn’t get a refund, so I had to go somewhere else while still paying for this place. Thanks a lot.

The room was passable, but it seemed designed for looks rather than practical use, and the overall stay was awful. During our four-month trip in South America, this was the worst place we stayed. Check-in was a mess. We sent the requested information by email well ahead of time and followed up within minutes of being asked, but still had to contact them on WhatsApp while waiting outside. It took more than an hour to get into the flat. Payment was just as frustrating. Four different MasterCards that worked elsewhere in South America wouldn’t go through, and the owner blamed us. We then had to walk 20 minutes round trip in pouring rain to pay at another reception. There was no empathy for the hassle. We couldn’t sleep because a venue below the Somos flats played extremely loud music until the early hours, with bass thumping through the flat. When we complained, we were told it was a “central area” and to deal with it. We paid a 40,000 COP cleaning fee, but got no cleaning service. There was no hot water for a full day, and the owner showed no concern or made any effort to fix it. Carlos, the owner, was condescending, argumentative, rude, and sexist. He wouldn’t meet us in person, offered inadequate compensation, and hung up on us during phone calls. We got no compensation for the stay. Instead, we had a heated argument with Carlos at the hotel reception, where our basic expectations of hot water, a good night’s sleep, and smooth check-in and payment were dismissed as ridiculous. I don’t understand the positive Somos flats reviews. They may be mixed up with reviews for the hotel 10 minutes away. Earlier reviews describing these same problems have received generic responses from Somos, which makes it seem they aren’t concerned or making improvements.

The neighborhood felt really safe, and the location was perfect, close to all the clubs. The room was great.