davidlfranklin
11/12/2015 12:43 EST
Hi all!
My friend and I are going to check out Medillin. We are currently checking out Panama.
What part of the city relatively safe(or in the suburban area) and has nice accommodations, 500-600 usd mo?
My friend likes the bar a little more so would like there to be some nightlife?
Muchas Gracias!
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novato1953
11/12/2015 13:30 EST
Let me set your mind at ease. When it comes to heavy drinking, medellin is as good as a town gets in Colombia.
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dliss62
11/12/2015 20:10 EST
Parque Lleras is where you and your friend want to be. Be careful, I started hanging out there and wound up MARRIED!
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zak023
11/12/2015 20:37 EST
Way to funny.. Parque Lleras is where I met my Colombian wife..LOL
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davidlfranklin
11/13/2015 09:22 EST
@ dliss62 & zako23, okay fellas are you trying to scare me!...lol...jk...anyways thanks for the info.
How far from the airport is the section of Parque Lleras?
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Andresen
11/13/2015 13:09 EST
From the airport in Reonegro you can take the SanDiego bus (45 minutes) and from there will be about 10 minutes by taxi to Parque Lleras.
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chris68
11/13/2015 13:12 EST
Hello, you should be able to find a very nice apartment from $400-$600 USD in a good area in medellin. the apartment would most likely not be furnished but you can buy very nice furniture here in medellin for a very reasonable price .I am currently pricing out to furnish a 2 bedroom unit and the cost will be approximately $2,000 - $2,500.Also from the International Airport to Parque Lleras is about 45 minutes and by taxi will cost around $30-$40 USD.I hope my answer was helpful and Good Luck !!!
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davidlfranklin
11/13/2015 14:48 EST
@chris68 & Andresen, thank you for the information. Well not really looking to buy furniture since this is an exploratory run and cheap from Panama, hopefully a furnished can be found with good internet.
Thanks again guys.
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Andresen
11/13/2015 15:37 EST
Timllowe, you are right. 18,000 pesos is $6. And to think my degree was in mathematics. lol. Mea cupla!
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timllowe
11/13/2015 15:44 EST
A P.S. for anyone interested:
Colombia Reports (which I highly recommend) tweets the opening and closing exchange rate every day.
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WhoaNellie
11/13/2015 15:56 EST
I check the exchange rate (multiple times per day, LOL) just typing in a Google search 'usd to cop'
It shows what 1 USD is in pesos. Then you can fill in either side USD or COP with what you want and it calculates the other total.
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Andresen
11/13/2015 16:00 EST
Timllowe. I guess we balance each other out. Do you have a link to Colombia Reports?
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timllowe
11/13/2015 16:06 EST
It's based in medellin.
http://colombiareports.com/
@colombiareports on twitter.
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Andresen
11/13/2015 16:27 EST
I usually check my iPad app - XE. Currently its showing 3,075 COP. I also use Excel to calculate the COP/USD every time I make a cash withdrawal at the ATM
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timllowe
11/13/2015 16:46 EST
You bring up an interesting subject and maybe worthy of a separate thread.
Which banks have the best ATM exchange rates and fees?
I'm a big fan of Helm.
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timllowe
11/13/2015 17:01 EST
No. Colombian banks. When I first started coming to Colombia I switched my US bank from Chase to Citi, thinking I would save money on ATM fees and exchange rates. Thieves actually charged me MORE after I switched.
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Andresen
11/13/2015 17:23 EST
It depends on your personal situation but I believe for pensioners they should keep their US checking accounts (1 basic and another for emergency backup) and simply use ATM machines. It's already been mentioned that Charles Schwab and Capital One don't charge (or reimburse) Foreign Transaction Fees. Personally, I have USAA (1%) and Citibank (3%) and I always try to withdraw using Bancolombia ATMs. Hope this helps.
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Santiago1987
11/29/2015 15:39 EST
I'm guessing your Spanish is intermediate or better. If it's spot on, you'll be pleased with medellin. Polblano is the upscale neighborhood. Loads of expats there. Poblano has many good restaurants, discos, and bars.
For the local experience, La Setenta/Calle 33 near Laureles/ Estadio is a 5 block entertainment & restaurant area where locals are. The Estadio Metro stop. Very few expats in La 70. I like it better than Poblano/Parque Lleras.
You have 2 options for long term apt rental. Get a hotel for a few days/week and check out the 2 areas or fire blind and err on the side of caution renting in Poblano.
Decent rooms are VERY affordable in Centro or Canalaria. My first time, I rented a room for 8 bucks (25K COP/night) at the Manzanures. Great staff and comfortable beds. The Motel 6 of Colombia. Take a taxi to the door at night but during the day, it's fine for walking. Blue collar folk are here..no drug users or wild partying. A step up is Hotel Alcaraván 3-star hotel Carrera 50A 84-09 - Itagüi,. This one is 45K COP a night, $15 . I stayed here a week learning the town. 3 stars. Nice.
Airbnb.com is a good place to rent apts for 4 days+. Air bnb takes 15% off the top. While exploring medellin, you can aquaint yourself with the neighborhoods, see some nightlife (Thurs-Sat are the only realistic nights to check it out) and see if you like Poblano or Calle 70 better. Hotels and apts are near both areas. Apt brokers will be thrilled to see you looking to rent for a month. Worst case you can probably get Alcarvan to rent you a room for $500USD a month or less. Whatever you decide, cash is your best friend. COP is 3100:1 USD right now. Take a day to learn to ride the metro (2900 COP) and the buses (1800 COP). Taxis are 8K-15K.
Learn to walk, bus, and metro like the locals and you will get a feel for MDE very quickly. Money saved and you will meet the locals and know the town. Look up a few apt brokers... the bigger ones will have a large selection of price and quality. Visit 2 to make sure pricing is in line and you don't Da Papaya. I think you can get a nice 1-2 BR for 700-1.3 M COP/ mo in Poblano, or Laureles/Estadio. IN two days time, you will save a couple hundred bucks dealing directly with apt brokers or airbnb. You may end up going this route but I'd do it after I got my bearings and was rested from travel. The metro is less than a dollar, clean, quick (traffic sucks all day in MDE), safe, and you get to see the town while riding. My default hotel is Alcaravan. Manzanures is a back up. If you arrive during the day before 5, you can take the bus from the airport to downtown for 9000 COP and then 10K COP taxi to your hotel. Taxi from airport is 60K COP.
Have fun in MDE while everyone in the US is freezing their butt off,
Santiago1987
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Andresen
11/29/2015 19:23 EST
Since you may be looking for Poblano or Polblano on a map he/she meant Poblado aka El Poblado. I believe the metro is only 1900 COP. I question that Calle 33 is near the Estadio metro since it is north of Avenida San Juan (Calle 44). I think Calle 33 is closer to the Belen area where the immigration office is.
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