Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 10/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi JC.  I would like some advise on a beach in Colombia to have Christmas & NYE 2009 on.  There are a group of people who will be coming from Australia.  We would like a nice beach preferably with cheap hut style accommodation, fan cooled and cold water are OK.  Do we need to pre book early for this period?  How do you get there from Bogotá?  Thanks  Catherine

ANSWER: Dear Catherine,

do you mean this coming christmas ? If you do, it may be a bit difficult to book planes and hotels, available things will be more expensive than usual. It's the high season for locals and as things have not deteriorated yet (Global economic meltdown), I think that it will be as busy as usual.

From the little info that you mention I assume that you are not into fancy 5-star resorts. I guess that you are looking for a more colorful, relaxed, other-culture experience, so here are my recommendations:

1-Old Providence

Fly to the caribbean island of San Andres but connect to Providence. It's simply paradise, one of the best kept secrets of the caribbean. Beautiful clean seas, amazing coral reefs, astonishing scuba-diving locations, great, simple food. No shops, no discos (well, maybe one big kiosc), safe walks, turtles, crabs, horses...and people even speak english there (it was colonized by the british).

There are no big hotels, no casinos. Just small, beautiful wooden houses, mountains, isolated beaches and amazing views. The locals are friendly. It's so safe, you can walk around at midnight,watching the stars...

2-Capurgana

Fly to Medellin, transfer to the small airport in the city and fly again to this beautiful area of beaches in the caribbean. There are few hotels, you can walk around or navigate (on small boats) to the surrounding beaches and jungles.

3-Parque Tayrona

Fly to Santa Marta and from there go to the natural park and camp. Cheap, beautiful, relaxing...be careful with the strong sea currents. There are so many walking and hiking trails around...

I hope that this gives you some ideas. If not, or if you want more details, write again !

Regards

JC

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi JC They all sound great. We are not planning to be there until Dec 09 so we have a while. Should we pre book for Christmas 09 or wait until we arrive?  If pre booking how long in advance do you advise? Thanks Catherine

Answer
Dear Catherine,

so you do have plenty of time. I would say that you should be booking planes by June or July 2009.

If you decide on Providence, I recommend that you look for accommodation through the internet and try to stay in place owned by the islanders. That's a way to help them and reduce the pressure by big hotel chains trying to take over the island. Another option would be the colombian yellow pages. They have a green section with small hotels and cabins in Providence. Book a few days with the possibility of extension. Once there you may contact the locals and find something nicer in your prefered location...

If you decide on Capurgana, book your hotel in July.

If you want to go to Tayrona, there are some eco-cabins in the park wich are perfectly located but are much in demand. Bok them in June or July. If you are camping, things will be easier. But nevertheless, get a yellow fever vaccination 3 months before arriving and bring the certificate. It's mandatory to enter the park.

Good luck !!!