Bogota Vacation Rental apartment

We simply could not have picked a better place to stay. The apt. is approximately 2000 sf and located one block from the zona rosa - the most exciting area of Bogata. In addition, a cook/maid by the name of Olga really made everything that much more pleasant. She was so very nice to us. John and Eduardo also continually sought to make sure everything was great. We'd definitely go back!

We stayed at the Presidential Suite from January 3rd
- January 10th. During this time of year, Colombia
is sizzling, with lights and christmas decorations
matched in size and splendor only by Disney World.
You step into a cosmopolitan city, with great parks
and plazas all decorated in the spirit of the season.
The apartment is spectacular and the service is
excellent!! Olga, who cooked our delicious meals
and helped us out, went beyond her call of duty.
Always giving us ideas and demonstrating her
interest in our family's well being, specially since I
was traveling with my 6 year old girl. The property
manager, took the time to take us around and
pointed out to the local pastry shoppe which was
par excellence! Even the doormen went out of the
way to make sure our stay was care free and that
we knew we had someone to wait on us hand and
knees if we needed anything. We loved the location
so much, that after being away from Colombia for
23 years, we are planning a return within the next 5
months and will definitely stay in this apartment if
it is available. The Presidential Suite, has a central
location, near two of the most upscale and modern
shopping centers; it's a few steps away from the
beautiful T-zone, where a pedestrian walkway is
lined with wonderful restaurants, for every palate
and budget. Colombia has grown and developed
expodentially! The culture continues to be vibrant
and the stability of the country has only re-
enforced the idea of investing in this beautiful
nation that I left so long ago. Our next trip will be
focused on getting to know the ins and outs of the
business opportunities this country has and of
course getting to know my place of birth all over
again! THANK YOU JOHN AND STAFF FOR A
WONDERFUL VACATION!!!

Sandra

We stayed for two weeks ending 12/12/08. 

Good:
- This location is one of the best in Bogota, short
walk from elegant shopping (centro Andino),
gourmet dining (Harry Sasson's "Wok" 3 blocks
away) and nightlife;
- There is a "normal" grocery store around the
corner and two high class grocery stores about 6
blocks away (Pomona and Carulla);
- We found the layout of the apartment
comfortable and spacious;
- Kitchen (fully equipped with gas stove), baths,
washer and dryer and furniture were fully
functional;
- Interior and decorations such as paintings were
very appealing to our taste and exceeded our
expectations based on pictures on the web;
- 5 star elegant entrance to the building exceeded
our expectations;
- Double-pane windows in the bedrooms do help
reduce the downtown noise such that sleeping is no
problem;
- Designated underground parking with elevator
access facilitated our visitors with cars;
- Broadband internet access allowed free calls
anywhere via skype (I tried US and Germany);
- I had no trouble connecting my laptop and iPhone
wirelessly; Also wired connection via ethernet cable
worked;
- Eduardo the manager offers a loaner local cell
phone (entry level NOKIA), but in order to use it
you'll need to buy a prepaid local SIM card.
Alternatively you can bring your own unlocked
quad-band GSM phones and operate them with
local pre-paid SIM cards; Our iPhones were
operational, but locked to the expensive AT&T
service which we opted not to use  at $2/min. +
data charges while local SIM cards costed about
$0.10/min. 
- Olga the maid visited daily, was helpful, friendly
and available to help with errands;
- It was a pleasure dealing with John the owner,
Eduardo the manager and OLga the maid.

Problems:
- Obviously when traveling we do expect problems
and found one: The shower water was oscillating
between cold and hot. We were nicely surprised
when this problem was fixed the very next day after
a single phone call with Eduardo the manager while
we were out enjoying the city;  

Possible improvements:
- a build-in security box to deposit passports etc.
would give us a better peace of mind (despite the
24h security protecting the entrance to the
building);
- WiFi network security: WPA encryption would be
in my opinion better than the WEP encryption
configured at the time of our stay. This
configuration can be easily changed by re-
programming the Linksys wireless router in the
apartment.

Summary:
We voted John's apartment the most comfortable
and elegant vacation condo we ever had compared
with our recent stays in the following vacation
condo's: Outrigger Waikiki in Honolulu, condo in
Maui (Hawaii), Art Deco Sadigo Court Hotel in South
Miami Beach, Paris two blocks from Louvre, St.
Moritz (Switzerland).