Bogota

​Some of the things I remember about Bogota from visiting in my younger years are its great colonial history, the combined neo-gothic and modern architecture, and the old colonial churches. I also remember Monserrate, La Casa del Florero, and the Quinta of Bolivar.

​Bogota hit a significant turning point in the late 90s, and kept growing, focusing on making the city safer and adding quality to the way of life. Bogota is now a city of amazing contrasts, the colonial era buildings are still a part of its landscape, standing next to the modern buildings. The old architecture of the Candelaria, and the colonial churches are decorated with monuments, gold, and indigenous art, along with modern museums and important galleries. 

At the Carrera Séptima, in one of these colonial buildings, is Casa Medina, one of the two Four Seasons boutique hotels in Bogota.

Long ago the Carrera Séptima, Bogotá’s main avenue, was the place to live for the well-to-do. It was a promenade of elegant homes, reflecting the good life of their owners. Although from a bygone era, Casa Medina still stands like a rock castle in a futuristic city.

The history of Casa Medina starts in 1946. It was originally built with 8 apartments, by Santiago Medina, hence the name. 

Mr. Medina designed the house by mixing ideas from Spanish and French architecture. He was a bird lover, and he contracted an artisan to craft images of birds all throughout the house. You can find them carved into doors, stamped on mosaics, and decorating the beautiful iron handrail on the stairs.

​He heard that the Convents of Santo Domingo and St. Augustine were going to be destroyed and decided to salvage their colonial architectural treasures. He brought stone columns, flooring, and hand-carved wooden doors to the building, planning an exclusive enclave of beautifully appointed apartments. Today you can see those columns supporting the archways, rooms, and patios and the beautiful rocks attached to the façade. 

​Mr. Medina created a very comfortable home with a particularly colonial style, but over time, the home deteriorated and was going to be demolished. However the government decided to name it a national monument and the home was saved.

​In 1988 the home was purchased by a real estate company, and the building was restored. The original characteristics of the house could not be altered because it was now a national monument and the façade and architectural style needed to be preserved.

​The property was transformed into a modern hotel, which quickly established itself among the city’s elite and international travelers. Today, Casa Medina, reborn as a Four Seasons, is a beautiful oasis in a cosmopolitan city. It has 62 rooms and suites, each one different from the next, yet with common amenities such as hand-carved dressers, leather armchairs, thermo-acoustic windows to keep the city noise and the wild traffic sounds of Bogota to a minimum, and customizable beds.
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The Casa Medina is wonderful in many ways, and the service is out of this world.  They have a terrific breakfast too!

​My lovely suite was spacious and well-appointed, complete with a fireplace and two large balconies.

Tourism to Colombia has grown nearly 300% since 2002, when 540 thousand foreigners visited the country.

According to the government, more than 70% of these visitors come from the U.S. and South America, and 60% are tourists.
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As the capital of Colombia, Bogota is the main recipient of foreign visitors, including both tourists and business travelers. 

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