Bogota, Colombia
Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina Bogota
Starchitecture for All
What it is
A cozy 1946 hideaway that feels like a private home.
What it isn't
Lacking in amenities. It may feeeeel like home, but this is a luxury hotel through and through—note the 24-hour gym, valet parking, same-day laundry service and all-hours room service.
What we think
Colombian starchitect Santiago Medina Mejia couldn’t have known he was devising a home-like feel for the masses when he designed this property in 1946, but that’s exactly what he did. Rooms feature exposed wood beam ceilings, flickering fireplaces, plush oriental carpets and tufted furniture galore—ideal for a restorative night in. But you didn’t fly all the way to Bogota to binge-read a thriller, did you? Thankfully, the hotel is mere blocks from the revelry of Zona G, so you can easily paint the town all shades of rojo (red), then return to the on-site spa for a Citrus Paradise treatment—i.e., a grapefruit scrub-down that will leave you feeling fresh as this morning’s just-squeezed juice.
You're here because
You’re terrified of Airbnb’s (too chancy!), but love to feel like you’re in your own place on vacay. This combines the homey feel with the doting service you absolutely deserve.
The Moment
You have a thing for note-perfect hotel bar’s, and this one, Castanyoles, is a doozy: tucked under the glass ceilings of its own greenhouse, with vibrant and verdant walls of palms. You order a El Bipolar cocktail—with gin, Campari, ginger, orange, Fever Tree tonic and apple—then settle in to people-watch as locals collect at each table for a night of unbridled fun. Home, indeed.
Restaurants & Bars
Castanyoles - traditional neighbourhood Spanish restaurant and tapas bar
Location
On Bogota’s busy Avenida Carrera 7, a 20 minute drive from the city’s age-old Colonial Quarter and the shopaholic's mecca of Zonta T.