Medellin Gay Hotels – The Nomadic Boys

Medellin is Colombia’s second city. What used to be the capital of a billion-dollar cocaine industry has now transformed into an exciting, super modern and buzzing gay friendly metropolis.

The Paisas (the nickname of people from Medellin) often compete with the Rolos (the nickname given to the people from Bogota) as to who is better. A common joke is that Medellin has the best weather (the “City of Eternal Spring”) and unlike Bogota, has managed to build a successful public transport system – honestly, mention that to them and it will spark a whoooole long conversation about it!

In terms of the gay scene, however, Bogota wins for us hands down simply because of the incredible super club, Theatron! The gay scene of Medellin is just as vibrant to explore, of course, particularly around El Poblado, where the majority of the city’s best nightlife can be found.

We spent almost a year living in Medellin and during that period we were fortunate enough to try out various different places to stay. We’ve put together our 6 best gay friendly hotels in Medellin for gay travellers, where you can feel confident you’ll be welcomed as a queer traveller and won’t have any problems getting a double bed.

Where to base yourself in Medellin

The majority of the best gay bars and clubs of Medellin can be found in and around El Poblado. This was definitely one of our favourite parts of Medellin as you’re close to the main gay bars as well as to the city’s best restaurants. The majority of the best luxury hotel brands are in Poblado, but the downside is that it is not cheap: this is one of the most expensive parts of the city!

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Medellin Gay Travel Resources

Gay Medellin, Colombia – Nomadic Boys

Gay Medellin

Medellin used to be considered the crime capital of Colombia. However, over the past 10 years it has undergone a huge transition to become one of the safest and most advanced places in the entire country.

Medellin is also a very gay friendly city. The paisas (people of Medellin) are very welcoming and there’s also a large gay scene here. What impressed us the most was a public sign we spotted, which sets out the various police fines you can get: one of them was for homophobic abuse, which carries a fine of 657,000 Colombian pesos ($224). Whether this is actually enforced is another matter entirely, but the very fact that this is even in place speaks volumes!

We spent 4 months in Medellin, using it as a home base during our big trip in Latin America and loved it. This is our gay guide to Medellin featuring our favourite gay bars, clubs, gay friendly hotels to stay things to do.

Gay Bars in Medellin

Poblado is the main touristy heart of the city, with all the best restaurants, bars and hotels. In the evening, around Parque Lleras, it’s an extremely fun place to be, full of life, atmosphere and a few gay bars.

Bar Chiquito: this was our favourite gay bar in Medellin. It has yellow twin flamingo statues outside to welcome you. The staff are gorgeous and extremely friendly here. They also make delicious cocktails and have a large outdoor terrace. We loved coming here for evening cocktails before heading to one of the gay clubs in Medellin. Bar Chiquita is open on Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm till 2am and is located at Carrera 37 # 10-37 Local 205.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Highlights from the Medellin Flower Festival – Nomadic Boys

Medellin Flower Festival - Nomadic Boys

Pretty paisa boys everywhere, gorgeous weather and LOTS of flowers, what more could you possibly want?

Medellin’s Feria de las Flores is an annual festival that takes place end of July/early August and takes over the entire city. It started in 1957 as a party to celebrate and honour Colombia’s massive flower industry.

Today it has grown to become one of the country’s most popular festivals – a 10 days spectacle of parties, live music concerts, antique car parades, orchid competitions and more.

We came to the 60th Feria de las Flores in 2017 and absolutely loved it. If you’re heading to Colombia in the summer, we definitely recommend putting the Medellin Flower Festival on your bucket list. Here’s 5 reasons why…

A Parade Like No Other

The climax of the festival is the Desfile de Silleteros parade on the final day. It’s kind of like a gay pride parade, but instead of gays, it commemorates the labourers who used to hoist wooden silletas on their backs to transport their goods into town.

And it features flowers. Lots and lots of flowers!

Participants in the parade decorate wooden silletas with elaborate flower arrangements, which they carry on their backs for everyone to marvel at. Alongside it are commercial trucks, dancers and drummers.

The parade attracts thousands of people from all across Colombia who gather to watch this colourful procession pass through central Medellin. Everyone was smiling, euphoric and enjoying the party mood that reverberated across the entire city.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Medellin, Colombia: Botero Makes Me Happy – Globetrotter Girls

Fernando Botero - Dani After my visit to the coffee region, I finally made it to Medellin, a highly anticipated stop on my tour of Colombia, and I was lucky enough to know some locals who introduced me to the city’s nightlife (and kindly hosted me!). Not all of my plans to explore the city work out, however: the walking tour I was keen on taking was fully booked and the alternative I’d found didn’t happen (or I was at the wrong meeting point?), and every attempt to take Medellin’s famous cable car up into the mountains was rained out by afternoon downpours. What I did succeed to do though was visiting most of Fernando Botero’s bronze sculptures which are scattered around the city, with over 20 of them on Parque de Las Esculturas, right in front of the excellent Museum of Antioquia (which also features a lot of Botero’s art). The sculptures and the museum were both huge highlights in Medellin for me, because I adore the art of Colombia’s most popular painter and sculptor and had been looking forward to seeing his art in Medellin for years (really, years!).

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

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