Atha Ka'i Ecofinca Hotel ★★★★★

A Pond You Can Swim In, an Hour East of the City

The road east out of the Medellín valley climbs through coffee country and then drops into the municipality of Concepción, one of those Antioquian towns that keeps its whitewash and its church square and very little else. Atha Ka'i is a working idea of a finca rather than a hotel: rooms with private balconies looking at the mountains, a bar, a kitchen, and at the bottom of the property a pond you swim in, reached along a boardwalk, with a strip of sand at one end that the house calls its beach. It is the sort of place that makes the drive out feel like the beginning of the stay.

Why It Works

Three things. The water is natural rather than tiled, which changes the character of an afternoon and is the reason to choose this over the many fincas with a rectangle of blue. The kitchen has an actual position, organic ingredients and international cooking rather than the standard resort card, with breakfast offered in more than one tradition. And the house is set up for people who arrive with a dog and stay a while: room to run, a hot tub and a sauna for the cool evenings at altitude, and reception that will speak to you in English, Spanish, French or Italian.

Why This Location

Concepción is not a destination, and that is what makes this address work. You are surrounded by hills, streams and coffee, about fifty kilometres from José María Córdova airport and further from the noise of the city, with the Parque de las Aguas water park thirty-odd kilometres away if the party includes children who need a day out. The classic Antioquian circuit, Guatapé and its rock, Rionegro and the colonial towns, sits within a comfortable drive. For an animal the point is simpler: no traffic, no pavement, and a property big enough that the walk starts at the door.

Fast Facts

• Price: Upper mid-range

• Vibe: Rural, green, quietly comfortable

• Rooms: Rooms with private balconies over the mountains and the water, each with a kitchen corner and a fridge

• Best For: Long countryside weeks, families, couples, travellers with a dog and a hire car

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: The boardwalk out to the swimming pond, and the small beach at the end of it

• Dining: Organic international cooking on site, with continental, Italian or American breakfasts, and a bar

• Amenities: Swimming pond and pool area, hot tub, sauna, bar, parking, airport shuttle, multilingual reception around the clock, dogs welcome

• Attractions: The town square of Concepción; Parque de las Aguas, 34 km; José María Córdova airport, 53 km, with Guatape and Rionegro on the same side of the valley

Rooms With Balconies, and What They Look At

The rooms are built around their outdoor space. Each has a private balcony, and the difference between one room and the next is what that balcony faces: mountains on one side, the water on the other. Inside they are equipped for staying rather than passing through, with a fridge, a coffee maker and an oven, air conditioning for the warm middle of the day and a safe. Bathrooms are private and modern. Ask which aspect you are being given when you book, because at this address the view is not a detail, it is most of the product.

An Organic Kitchen in the Middle of Nowhere

Eating on site is the practical option out here, and the house has made a virtue of it. The cooking is described as international fusion built on organic ingredients, which in Antioquia means the produce comes from a short distance up the road. Breakfast is offered in continental, Italian or American form, which is a small thing that says something about who stays here. The bar handles the evening. Reception runs around the clock in four languages, so arranging a late arrival or a table is not a negotiation.

Bringing a Dog to an Antioquian Finca

This is the format that suits a travelling animal best: land rather than corridors, a ground floor that opens outside, and no lobby to cross. Dogs are accepted, and the layout does the rest. Two practical notes. The property has open water, so a dog that swims will find it and a dog that does not should be watched near the boardwalk. And you will want a car: the nearest town is small, the airport is fifty kilometres away, and there is no useful public transport for an animal on this stretch of road.