On Vacation Hacienda Llanera

We liked the cocktails, and the cards, dominoes, and Uno they lend out were nice for passing the time. But the rooms felt very damp, and some had mold. The food needs work too: there weren’t many menu choices, which left me quite limited as a vegetarian. One pool stayed closed for nearly our whole visit. The other felt small and didn’t have enough chairs for all the guests, even though the hotel was full. They offer horseback riding and go-karts, but the ride was very short, just 20 minutes. It would be helpful to have a shop for toiletries, snacks, or beer or liquor after the bar closes.

We had a peaceful stay, the service was consistently excellent, and the food was delicious. We went in the off-season, so I can’t say what it’s like at peak times. After reading the reviews, we arrived with low expectations, but were pleasantly surprised by the quality, especially for an On Vacation property. You can have a great time if you’re not too demanding and keep in mind there are things to improve. Our biggest worry was the possibility of getting a converted shipping container as an eco-friendly room if the hotel was overbooked. We got a regular room instead. It was well maintained and decorated, though rooms aren’t all the same. Ours had a double bed, air conditioning, a separate bathroom with a sink and shower, a TV with DirecTV, and a hammock outside. Most channels weren’t available, but there was still a fair selection. It was cleaned every morning, and I had no complaints. The rooms are farthest from the hotel, and the containers are even farther away, but that meant less noise and music and better rest. These aren’t 5-star rooms. If you don’t like being close to nature or hearing insects at night, this probably isn’t for you. The meals included breakfast, lunch, a snack, and dinner. We’d read that the food lacked variety, but there was plenty to choose from, and it was our favorite part of the stay. The snack was tasty, just quite small. The bar was basic but fine, with more than 10 kinds of cocktails. There was only one person serving, though, and we were shocked to see that person handling the bar, restaurant food, cleaning, and other tasks. They deserve my respect, and I hope the hotel stops exploiting them soon. There are two very clean pools where we could spend hours without getting cold, even though we visited in the middle of winter. Music, mostly Llanera but also a good mix, played almost all the time. Someone was always checking that things were all right at each pool. The swim caps might be unnecessary. There are also games including ping pong, billiards, frog toss, tejo, dominoes, Parcheesi, and chess. We missed horseback riding, but go-karting was worth it despite the 20,000 pesos price for 10 minutes. Getting there from Villavicencio took about 20 minutes by taxi and cost us around 15,000 pesos. It wasn’t easy to reach, but we wanted to get away, so that was fine. Check-in was at 3:00 PM, and we arrived after that to avoid problems. There was only one person at reception, sometimes two, but they handed over the keys and room remotes right away. I could never reach the cell phone number in the hotel information to check that our reservation was okay, which they should improve.

The food and room amenities were average, as other reviews say, and that’s understandable for the price. But I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. Our room was directly across from the fountain bar, where loud music played well past midnight. We asked to switch rooms and they refused. This was an off-season weekend, not a holiday. Avoid this place if you want peace and quiet.

There aren’t enough staff to help, and guests have to carry their own bags. They should at least provide a way to move luggage. The bar shuts very early, at 10 pm. At night the lighting is poor, and the parking areas and paths are very dark. There’s no security at night, only one person at reception, and the intercoms don’t work. Some rooms are far away, which makes it hard to ask for service. There aren’t many games either, and it’s not a great place for a stroll. Far from being a good hotel.