Cemandy Hostal

The hostal is still under construction.

At least the rooms were clean, though they felt very old. The furniture looks at least twenty years old, and there’s damp on the walls. The place needs some investment to feel more presentable, comfortable, and inviting. A week ago, we paid $110,000 COP for a damp room on the ground floor, with no breakfast included. It’s a relatively cheap place, and that’s about all it has going for it. Once you arrive, you’re left to figure things out: there are very few staff, especially at night, and you have to go looking for them. A sign at reception gives a phone number for help, but it never works because the phone is always switched off. The staff are very young, which may explain the serious service gaps. I couldn’t even find an iron, so I wore my clothes straight from the suitcase. Villa de Leyva has become outrageously expensive over the past three years, but I think you can still find places for the same price or close to it that include breakfast and offer better service. I’d look elsewhere, because this place isn’t appealing, to say the least.

It worked well for one night, especially since the interior room was very quiet and there was a little table area with natural light. The staff kindly stored our luggage and let us wait. It’s only two blocks from the park. The room had a closet but no hangers, and the mirror was awkwardly placed with nowhere to stand in front of it. The shower worked fine, but the partition didn’t keep the water in, so the whole bathroom floor got wet.

It’s close to Villa de Leyva’s main square and felt like a safe place to stay. There’s a private bathroom, cable TV, and separate parking near the hotel.