Finding Heaven in El Peñol, Colombia

Every once in a while when you are traveling, you stumble upon a hotel or hostel that just feels “right.”  It is usually where you least expect it and if you are really lucky, you end up staying much longer than you expected.  This is exactly what happened to me at El Finca de Grinta.  This tiny guest house perched up in the hills near El Peñol, Colombia was originally meant to be somewhere that I stayed one night on my way from the Medellin airport to the tourist hotspot of Guatape.  

After arriving at the Medellin airport, I took a bus to Rionegro where I ate lunch, and tried to figure out if I could make it all the way to Guatape that day.  I knew that it would be pushing it and that traveling in the dark MAY not be the best idea so I went onto Booking.com and found a hotel that looked like it was on the way, was reasonably priced, and had good guest reviews.  I booked an Uber for the hour-long drive there and was on my way.

As the car drove through rolling green hills full of grazing cows and sheep, I started to get an inkling that I may be there for more than just one night.  I arrived at the guest house and was stunned by the incredible view.  Then I met the hotel’s resident dogs, cats and chickens and I knew that I was going to be there at least 2 nights. THEN, I discovered that they had super-fast wifi and a comfortable bed.  Ok…..maybe 3 nights.

I slept incredibly well my first night there and woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in months. I spent my days catching up on freelance work (yah for Geografree’s successful launch!), going for long walks on the surrounding dirt roads, and practicing Spanish with the guest house owner. The dogs were incredibly loving, the chickens were naughty and the cats were…..well, cats.   Even after 4 days, I knew I didn’t want to leave so I convinced a friend who was traveling in Colombia to come meet me there.  We took a day trip to Piedre el Penol and went to see the colorful buildings of Guatape.

Finally, after 10 days, I knew that I had to get back to the reality of backpacking.  I sadly packed my bags and started the 45-minute walk into town.  My body and mind felt refreshed and ready to take on a new challenge – which was perfect because I was on my way to Medellin to start some much-needed Spanish classes!

My stay at El Finca de Granta was exactly what I needed after months of traveling and working remotely. Although I have never considered myself a slow traveler and honestly never really understood the point of it,  I learned an extremely valuable lesson that week.  No matter how much you want to accomplish, if you don’t give yourself a rest every once in awhile, you are never going to get there.   I may not yet be a slow travel convert but I am on the way!