Palomino has quite some options if it comes to hotels. To help you find the best place to spend your vacation, we have selected our two favorites. For us, Casa del Pavo Real is the most beautiful option in the region. This Boutique Hotel has everything you need to relax: an amazing vibe, a beautiful garden with pool, great food, a spa, an outdoor gym and very nice staff. We were lucky to have met the owner and get some insides of this amazing place. We'll tell you all about it and will also offer an option for the travelers on a budget.
No 1. La Casa del Pavo Real
Casa del Pavo Real is located on Carrera 10 in Palomino, in 5 minutes walking distance from the beach, surrounded by the calmness of nature. We liked that the hostel is located in a calm area, but still in walking distance of the center (10 minutes).
A homey oasis
The owner, a friendly Swiss guy called Fabian, told us he started building his hotel in 2017 with the help of the young Bogotanian designer Mariana Cortez. Now, the hotel has a main building, a big garden with several bungalows, an awesome tree house, a pool area, restaurant, spa and gym. Fabian explained us how his goal was to create an oasis, a little paradise where you will forget about time and feel the healing powers of the sun, in this special region next to the Sierra Nevada. When we complimented Fabian for the homey atmosphere and staff, he said: 'that's because it ís kind of their home, and they are like family'.
It's in the details
We stayed in one of the private rooms in the main building. Through the entire building you'll find these amazing tiles on the floors. Every room is marked with it's own signature tile pattern. We instantly fell in love with our room, the minimalistic style with its authentic touch and its beautiful details. The room fulfills your practical needs as well, it has air-conditioning, a safe, ventilator, a hair dryer and hot shower (not so common!)
Great Food!
They really offer everything to make you not want to leave. The breakfast is included and has many (vegan) options like pancakes, eggs, smoothie bowl and delicious arepas (Typical Colombian, salty corn based 'pancake'), always accompanied by fresh local fruits, coffee, tea and juice. When we asked if Sunday morning we could have breakfast in the room they offered us the option to order breakfast through Whatsapp (from the bed!) and brought it to our room. That's a way to wake up!
The menu of the hotel's restaurant has a nice variety of delicious, local (vegan) dishes. We highly recommend the Ceviche and fried fish (photo). Ceviche is a typical Latin dish of shrimps prepared in lime juice. Every region has it's signature preparation. The shrimps and fish are freshly brought by local fishermen. We really appreciated the variety of (vegetarian) dishes, so you can try something new every meal. To keep mixing it up they organize barbecue nights with a special menu and happy hour. We ended up eating, drinking and playing Jenga with a Colombian family, a blast!
Fit, Healthy and Calm
The garden is where the real magic happens. You'll find the Colibri Mar Spa, owned by a Bogotanian woman called Edith. She's specialized in varying types of massages and beauty treatments. She's kind, very professional and made us feel like reborn.
On the other side of the garden you'll find an equipped outdoor gym where you can do your workout or (yoga) practice. Though I have to admit, we preferred the pool area ;).
Booking is easy and possible though the hotels' website: www.casadelpavoreal.com
No 2. KALLPA B&B
If you are looking for a great budget accommodation in Palomino, we will definitely recommend a place called KALLPA B&B. It's located on the 10th street as well, a closer to the center (4 minutes), farther from the sea (8 minutes). Kallpa is a Colombian family business owned by two sisters, guarded by their sweet pets, who they've rescued from the street.
Relaxed and comfortable
The house has four lovely rooms, which are very cozy, clean and make you feel at home.
All rooms have private bathrooms. In front of our room there was a sofa and hammock where we've spent our siestas. From there you have direct access to the pool, with lovely and huge, garden and outdoor shower. We liked that the hostel offers different spots to hang around beside of your room: the fresh common area with garden view, the pool and the hammocks and seats in the garden. The common area is a great place for the digital nomad: it's calm and there's always good internet.
Breakfast is included and very good. Their restaurant offers great (vegan) options to snack, drink, lunch and have dinner. The food is fresh, homemade and not expensive at all. We especially enjoyed the smoothies and juices a lot and could really recommend the falafel!
So, if you are a traveler/digital nomad who likes comfort but its taking care of his budget, this is a no brainers choice.
