As one of the main travel writers for Instinct Magazine, I often get asked the question, “What city have you visited in the past that you’d want to revisit the most?” Many variables come into play when thinking of a great answer, but because I fell in love with this city’s history, culture, men, and experiences, right now the stars and my mind align to lean me toward choosing Medellín, Colombia, the City of Eternal Spring. Since that has been my answer for a while, many friends and acquaintances have heard what I have said about this great destination and have experienced it and other parts of Colombia for themselves. Here’s what I shared with them, my experiences and what I hope to build upon when I return again, soon.
My first introduction to the though of visiting Colombia was my interview with Sam Castañeda Holdren, owner of Out in Colombia. I’d never been to Colombia, let alone South America, and Colombia had been coming up on my radar for a couple of reasons. One of them being all of the Tinder messages from Colombian men. I mean, how could you not pay attention after that. We had a great time talking about the reasons he fell in love with the nation and why he desired to share his new home nation (he’s originally from Arizona and went to Boston for his education). We discussed existing packages that he offered at the time and explored the variety of possibilities to design one’s own vacation through his Out in Colombia company.
The idea of going to South America was growing on me. And living in Fort Lauderdale, I’ve seen on the web searches that it’s often easier, quicker, and cheaper to fly to Latin America than it is to fly to New York or New England. Thanks to recent additions, Jet Blue has made it even easier to get to countries like Colombia and Ecuador. So combining a great interview experience with Sam and knowing that the travel would be direct with Jet Blue, it was time to plan my journey.
2020 Interview – When Planning That First Big Getaway, How About Out In Colombia?
This was a bigger trip than I had ever planned on my own so the control was given to Out In Colombia and Sam and his crew. They were able to coordinate all transportation, lodging, restaurants, cultural tours, club recommendations, and more. Let me share what I experienced.
Where to Stay – The Click Clack Hotel
The design and cheeky-ness of this hotel will have you smiling throughout your stay. Located in the Provenza/El Poblado area of Medellín, the most walkable part of the city, with an array of restaurants, bars, nightlife, and green spaces. Even the lobby is an outdoor green space where you check in meet friends, have breakfast, have late night drinks, watch the visiting rugby teams as they do whatever. A rooftop bar, rooftop pool and great city views are just an elevator ride away. There were a great deal of fun and quirky gay, sexual things, but the most fun was my shower that had a floor to ceiling window exposed to the street, showering at night and watching the traffic going by was an experience.
@instinctmagazine When looking to stay near shopping, clubs, restaurants, #clickclack #medellin #gay #gaytravel #instinctmagazine #colombia #outincolombia
The Nightlife – Club Oraculo and Bar Chiquita
So many people talk about the hottest boys/men and where to find them. Medellín will not let you down. We had time to check out two clubs while there, Club Oraculo and Bar Chiquita. Chiquita has great drag, quirk almost over the top decorations while still being a cozy place to either meet people and catch up or go all out. Oraculo has you energized with djs in multiple rooms spinning a variety of music. We were in the main/larger room for most of the night. The men were quite pleasant to meet, chat, and dance with. I’m missing those spots.
@instinctmagazine Visiting @Bar Chiquita and #cluboraculo made for a great #medellin nightlife experience #gay #gaybar #colombia #gaytravel #drinks
Cultural Focus – Comuna 13
Medellín was the most dangerous city in the world and Comuna 13 (district 13) was the most dangerous neighborhood. A local guide from the urban collective Casa Kolacho shocked us with the history of this district and shared the beauty and story of how the grafitti came about.
@instinctmagazine #colombia #graffiti #medellin #comuna13 #gaytravel #gay #outincolombia #travel
Food, Shopping, Spa, & More
The Click Clack Hotel was truly in the best spot we could be in Medellín. The shopping, the restaurants, the nightlife, everything that we needed on this trip was there. This last video recap of the trip starts off with a fun cooking experience.
Cooking out with Estaban – I am not sure what was hotter the food or the men of Medellín. Before seeing what Estaban was cooking with, we went to the Plaza Minorista (local public market) to select some ingredients, saw some big plantains, and some cakes, then we were off to the kitchen for some culinary fun.
We also had some great food at La Matriarca – accompanied by a superb mariachi band.
Shopping in Medellín was too much fun, but we had to remember how much room we had in our bags. Of course some of the finer shops like Orozco was more than happy to ship after alterations were made.
Wine tasting at Cafe Noir was a great relaxing experience, but was soon followed by a spa afternoon at Le Spa Noir. Dinner was at OCI.
@instinctmagazine Partake in the food and shopping in Medellin. #outincolombia #gaytravel #gay #foodie #eatit #medellin #colombia #wine #winetasting
There is a ton more to share and there was a ton more that I needed to experience. The amazing springlike year-round climate (think San Diego), the food, the culture, the men, and the ease of it all will be the reasons I return to Colombia and to Medellín.
Next time I go, I will definitely reach out again to Sam and Out in Colombia as there were zero worries and zero effort on my part to have one of the best experiences in travel I have had. So grab some friends and make it a great trip and a wonderful memorable journey.