Trip Report - Colombia, USA (NYC) & Singapore (August 2019)

[coyote25]

QF7 Sydney to Dallas

 

[coyote25]

QF7 Sydney to Dallas

 

[coyote25]

Dallas Hotel - Hyatt Regency DFW

I wasn’t sure if I’d do a hotel review in this trip report given most of the hotels are selected by the tour company I’m using but they might be useful. However I’ll keep them shorter them my flight reviews.

Cost: $203 AUD (booked by Expedia.com.au 28 hours before checking in)
Room: King Bed (non-refundable)

Due to the 7+ hour delay on QF7 I could no longer make my flight on AA1123 DFW to BOG. This meant a last minute hotel booking close to DFW Airport. After quick searching I went for Hyatt Regency DFW mostly due to reviews stating you could walk to the hotel if not (but there was a shuttle).

While I was waiting to get the airport shuttle from Terminal D to Terminal C which is near Hyatt Regency their hotel shuttle showed up. Turns out their shuttles run every 20 minutes most of the day and night (this was around 9.20 pm). They have to shuttles; one that goes to Terminals A, B & C and the other that goes to Terminals D & E.

Check in was a breeze. You have to put down a $50 USD deposit on your credit card for your stay. Check in starts 3 pm and check out is at noon. As I had a 5.545 pm flight the next day I checked out last possible moment.

The hotel complex has two restaurants that I could see, in room ordering (very expensive), a 24 convenience store and a coffee / mini cafe open during the day. There is a pool on the ground floor and a gym on the 2nd floor (didn’t use either but saw people who did). There is also ice machine and a soft drink vending machine on my floor (so probably every floor).

The King Room was very spacious. HD TV with over 50 cable channels. High speed internet. Very comfortable bed. Very quiet room never heard a noise including nearby planes.

After check out I stayed at the hotel for 90 minutes waiting for check in to open in air condition hotel with comfortable chairs and free high speed internet. You could also watch a Departure Boards exactly the same as at the airport so easy to keep an eye on my flight and allocated terminal and gate.

Verdict: A very convenient and nice hotel if flying the next day especially in the morning or afternoon. Worth considering.

 

[I love to travel]

I think you got a great rate for this hotel, have paid $300 plus on a few occasions.

 

[coyote25]

American Airlines Dallas Admirals Club (Terminal A)

When visited: August 2019
Time of day: Afternoon
Rating: 3.5 / 5

Located airside in Terminal A near Gate 23 this lounge underwent a refurbishment in the last 18 months. I gained access to QF SG but you can buy access on the day. This Lounge serves both domestic and international flights. I believe that AA members have tighter access restrictions when flying on domestic flights when similar status Oneworld members.

This is a very large lounge with quiet zones, a kids areas (with what looked like good toys/entertainment options for children), general zones and a large business zone (3 computers and around 17-18 workpoints).

I was told on entry I could gain access to better alcohol by getting my boarding pass scanned. I think this goes my boarding pass listing me as Oneworld Emerald (which is incorrect). I didn’t actually use this function (I know I’m a bad AFFer for not taking advantage).

The food options, across to food areas, are fairly limited with some fresh fruit and cookies being the best options. They did have a guacamole bar as well. There was also self serve soft drinks and coffee. There are showers and the toilets were clean. Fast wifi is available as well.

I wasn’t really blown away by this lounge, for reference I feel the Qantas Melbourne Domestic Business Lounge to be superior and really they should ever be at par of this lounge be better given the number of international flights it serves.

Verdict: Obviously better than not being in the lounge but not worth getting early to the airport for.

Full review here.

 

[coyote25]

American Airlines Dallas Admirals Club (Terminal A)

 

[coyote25]

AA1123 Dallas to Bogotá

American Airlines
Gate: A38
Seat: 9A (Economy Window)
Plane: A319
Boarded: 17.02
Pushback: 17.45 (Scheduled 17.45)
Arrived: 23.02 (Scheduled 23.10)
Duration: 5 hour 17 minutes
Distance: 3,925 kms

After having to unexpectedly overnight in Dallas it was time to finally get on a plane and get to my tour destination of Bogotá.

I was allowed to check in earlier than 3 hours before the flight at around 3 hours 20 minutes, not sure if I could have check in even earlier but there was no one in the check in area when I arrived so I went straight to the counter which was great. Not so get was forgetting to remove my kindle from my carry on baggage. This caused a big delay as I had to undergo additional security checking by a very thorough agent who created a long line by his very detailed bag searches (everything was open, and most items shaken as well).

I learned that for boarding that US Border Protection officers get first rights as two officers escorted to women onto the plane (and left them there so unescorted from that point on). For regular boarding the priority system worked well, due to my listed Oneworld Emerald status I was in Group 2 and one of the first on board which is almost required seeing how much carry on luggage people bring.

I was seated in the Main Cabin Extra section which are extra legroom seats at 34 inches (standard economy seats are 30 inches). Non-status members have to pay for these seats. While only a 5+ hour flight extra leg room is always welcome.

There were two dinner options for this early evening flight; chicken wrap or vegetable wrap. They both came with Kettle Chips (original favour), a Brookie Bar (combination fudge brownie and chocolate chip cookie) and one drink. There was a second drink service 1 hour and 45 minutes from landing.

All flight attendants I witnessed spoke both Spanish and English and announcements and flight safety video were in both languages as well. In economy you accessed the entertainment system via a small touch screen video screen in the back of the seat in front of you. Movie and TV selection had good selection of English shows and movies. I didn’t check the Spanish selection. You could also stream Apple Music using planes wifi (but not the internet)

We landed slightly ahead of schedule. Immigration was very quick. I learned that was a function of arriving near midnight but during the day it can take a while. All bags took a while to come out however my priority bag tag seemed to work as I was in one of the first group of bags (never happens on Qantas).

Verdict: A good service and worth booking if going to Colombia.

Full review here.

 

[coyote25]

AA1123 Dallas to Bogotá

 

[coyote25]

Bogota Hotel - Hotel Regina

I left the El Dorado International Airport (Bogota Airport) around 11.40 pm looking for a booked transfer that didn’t show up. After looking and waiting 25 minutes I took a taxi to my booked accommodation the Hotel Regina. Arriving at the hotel around 12.30 am I was informed that they had ‘accidentally’ given my room away. This is likely due to the one day delay in arriving so I’m not going to get too upset even though all parties involved where informed and acknowledged my communications on this delay.

After speaking to my Tour Leader Miguel (by phone) the Hotel staff eventually put me in their sister Hotel - the Hotel Dann and organise a taxi (which they paid for). I also received several apology emails and an offer for a free nights accommodation when next in Bogota, very unlikely to take up but I guess they don’t know that.

Typical Hotel Regina price - $60 AUD
Typical Hotel Dann price - $96 AUD

Given how late I checked in and how early I had to join the tour group the next day I didn’t really examine the hotel. Bed was comfortable. Wifi was fast and worked throughout the hotel and the included breakfast was extensive including a cook to made you eggs how you wanted in front of you.

I guess mistakes occur and to be fair I was a day late, it’s how you recover that matters and in the end they recovered well enough.

 

[coyote25]

Bogota Review

Due to the loss on one day due to Sydney Airport problems at the start of my journey to Colombia I only got to spend half a day in Bogota. What I did get to experience was the Paloquemao Market and the intermediate weather (16 and some rain). Bogota despite being in a warm country at the top of South America actually is a fairly cold capital city due to altitude.

The Paloquemao Market is owned by local merchants and is full of colour, on the outside stalls they sell flowers and as you get closer to the middle fresh food (including meats) and general merchandise. I also got to try some of the local fruits. Worth checking out to experience a little of Bogota local life.

 

[coyote25]

AV9841 Bogota to Armenia

Avianca
Gate: 71
Seat: 28B (Middle)
Plane: A320-100
Boarded: 12.38
Pushback: 13.00
Departed: 13.11 (Scheduled 13.05)
Arrived: 13.47 (Scheduled 14.08)
Duration: 36 minutes
Distance: 183 kms

This was an include flight of the tour I was undertaking. As a group of 14 (including tour leader) Avianca put aside one check in counter to process us all one by one. This included adding my KrisFlyer member number not that I think I’ll get anything from it.

Security was very easy, you can keep your shoes on just need to take out laptops and tablets. To get to the Gates you have to walk through a duty free style shop. Boarding was slightly delayed.

This is an incredibly short flight for a A320-100 plane we were in the air for only 36 minutes and I never thought we were flying anywhere near normal speed for a plane. The flight attendants somehow managed to run a very quick coffee service, the second they handed out the last coffee they started collecting the used cups from the front, you had to drink quickly.

There was a seatback entertainment system which I only used to check the flight map, we barely moved on all distances except for the closest one.

At the El Eden (Armenia) International Airport we disembarked from front and back of the plane to the tarmac. Eventually our luggage was placed on the tarmac and you just went and got it and walked out of the airport. Biggest plane I’ve been on were luggage was just placed on the ground for you to get but their system worked!

Full review here.

 

[coyote25]

AV9841 Bogotá to Armenia Photos

 

[offshore171]

Just a general question, how is the general level of security on the street in Colombia these days?

 

[coyote25]

Just a general question, how is the general level of security on the street in Colombia these days?

I found everything to be fairly safe. I visited a very ‘local’ market in Cartagena with no tourist and felt reasonably safe even if I did take care of my surroundings.

 

[coyote25]

Armenia, Colombia – Hosteria Mi Monaco (2 nights)

The Hostal Mi Monaco is a traditional hacienda (Spanish for “estate”) and is located on vast and beautiful grounds. The grounds include a nice pool with view and a spa. Room included a fan (no air conditioning), private bathroom, flat-screen TV (cable). Wifi was available in some rooms but was really on reliable from the pool and restaurant area. Breakfast was included with several menu options (not a buffet).

Typical Hosteria Mi Monaco price $64 AUD

 

[coyote25]

Armenia Review

This area is one of the many coffee growing areas of Colombia. For this region I visited the Recuca Coffee Farm to learn about coffee growing in Colombia. While you could easily classify this tour as a tourist type event as we dressed up in traditional Colombia clothes from 50-60 years ago, I did ‘enjoy’ picking coffee beans for 15 minutes which made me really appreciate how hard work this is for people doing this for up to 14 hours per day. I recall half of my bean collection was rejected. Glad I work in an office.

I also got to visit the farm that the hacienda (estate) we were staying at was attached meeting some farm hands who have been working there for over 50 years. They isn’t a safety net or social security program for such people so they end up working for as long as they can.

Blog Entries.

 

[coyote25]

Salento, Colombia – Hotel Salento Real (1 nights)

This hotel is located 10 minute walk to town centre (walking up and down street inclines). The room included a minibar (with room to store cold drinks), shower, safety deposit Box, iron, private bathroom, flat-screen TV (cable) and air conditioning. Wifi was available in rooms. Breakfast was included with several order options plus self serve cereals and fruits.

Typical Hotel Salento Real price: $58 AUD

 

[coyote25]

Salento Review

This is a nice small village / town that is the jumping point to go to the Cocora Valley which was the major event of this stop. From the town square you catch a 4WD Jeep which is a convert World War II vehicle that the USA donated to Colombia after the war. This ride to the Cocora Valley is a bit of an adventure in itself!

Cocora Valley is part of the Los Nevados National Natural Park, and it is home to the national tree and symbol of Colombia, the Quindío wax palm and many horses and has an altitude between 1800 and 2400 meters. I went on a 60 minutes exploring this beautiful valley with some steep climbs.

Back in Salento that night our group went to a tavern to play a local game called ‘Tejo’. Tejo is a traditional throwing sport in Colombia. You throw small metal weights at a clay area with a group of small white satchels containing gunpowder, which explode on impact, that are on the edges of a metal circle, very loud and a lot of fun

Blog Entry.

 

[coyote25]

Medellín, Colombia – Hotel Florencia Plaza (3 nights)

A very nice hotel centrally located about 15 minute walk to metro station, less than 5 minute walk to major supermarket (includes money exchange in supermarket) and near night life. The room included a minibar, shower, safety deposit box, telephone, air conditioning, private bathroom, flat-screen TV, key card, free wifi available in room. American breakfast that includes juices, fruits, eggs, cereals and pancakes.

Next door there was a laundry that was reasonably priced and they delivered back to hotel who put laundry back in your room.

Typical Hotel Florencia Plaza Price: $78 AUD

 

[coyote25]

Medellín & Guatapé Review

Probably the highlight o my Colombia tour was my time spend in Medellín. This was once the ‘most dangerous city in the world’ aka world’s murder capital as recently as 1999 but is very much a city transformed. Obviously ending long term civil war / rebellion helped but the massive investment in infrastructure, in particular transportation likely helped greatly. Medellín has the only Metro Train system in the country. They also have a Cable Car system designed for mass transport and for poorer residents. This investment allow people get out of enclaves to get jobs and education. This was very noticeable in Comuna (District) 13 which the Government also installed outdoor escalators and pathways. This area now is also know for street art. Very impressive city.

I also visited Guatapé area which included Replica town Peñol de Guatapé, Rock of Guatapé, a beautiful town of Guatapé (including using tuk-tuk ride). The replica town was caused by need to flood the old town to create a major dam. The Rock of Guatapé was amazing although the 720 steps to the top was a little tough. I loved the town of Guatapé with it’s colourful zocalos (which are fresco like panels).

An area very much worth visiting.

Blog Entries.