Bogota hotel near airport?

[Montrealer]

Can anyone recomend a decent hotel near the Bogota airport.  I have an overnight layover there today for about 10 hours and don't feel like staying at the Sheraton because it's way too overpriced for the 10 hours.

Something around $50 - $60 USD would be better, and close to the hotel, and of course clean and safe.  Anybody?

[Looking4Wife]

Monty:

My wife and I just stayed at La Casa Doña Flor.  It is a Bed & Breakfast about 15-20 minutes from the airport, 2 blocks from the embassy.

Despite what the website says, she only charged my wife and I $80,000 pesos per night.

The website is www.viva2100.com

If you stay there, tell her the vegetarian who just stayed there to get his wife's visa recommended you.

NOTE:  Thanks to Gary Bala for suggestion it previously.

If you stop by the taxi booth at the airport, they will give you a ticket for $13,400 pesos to the B&B.  Although the taxi driver "hustled" me on the return trip for $15,000 pesos.  The money is insignificant, I'm just tired of being hustled but it certainly wasn't enough to make a big deal about it.

Also, if you want more suggesttions, you might try www.PoorButHappy.com

[P Daddy]

If you stop by the taxi booth at the airport, they will give you a ticket for $13,400 pesos to the B&B.  Although the taxi driver "hustled" me on the return trip for $15,000 pesos. 

You call 1600 pesos more getting hustled???  Please, that's about 75 cents...

Un-fu*&ing-believeable....

[Looking4Wife]

PD:

1.  If the guy has a RATE CARD DISPLAYED showing the cost, and I have a PRE-PRINTED TICKET showing the cost, and he charges me EXTRA, what do you call it?

2.  If you go to order a coffee for $1, and they ring it up purposely as $2, what do you call it?

3.  Did you even BOTHER to read the rest of the paragraph you excerpted from me?

The money is insignificant... it certainly wasn't enough to make a big deal about it.

[P Daddy]

PD:

1.  If the guy has a RATE CARD DISPLAYED showing the cost, and I have a PRE-PRINTED TICKET showing the cost, and he charges me EXTRA, what do you call it?

2.  If you go to order a coffee for $1, and they ring it up purposely as $2, what do you call it?

3.  Did you even BOTHER to read the rest of the paragraph you excerpted from me?

#1.  Did you negotiate a price when entering the cab??  Did he have a meter??  Your fault if you payed more...Plus the driver is NOT obligated to charge the price on the pre-printed ticket to the return trip to the airport, that is only for taxis LEAVING the airport, not returning.

#2.  Buying coffee at a coffee shop and negotiating a cab fare are two different matters...comparing apples with oranges...

#3.  YES IT WAS SIGNIFICANT TO YOU OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO MENTION IT...

I feel sorry for you that you think that 75 cents is getting hustled.  YOU failed to negociate a cab fare up front...the cab driver charged you HIS price...not YOUR price.

Do you know how these cab drivers struggle to make a living??  They make SQUAT...the poor guy probably has a wife and kids to support...shame on you for feeling that you were hustled...Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a Reverend in a church, or do I have you confused with someone else??  If not, excuse me...

The majority of the time I take a cab, I always round up, and tip the guy the difference.  You should have tipped the guy the 75 cents and be done with it....

Again, shame on you...

[Looking4Wife]

#1.  Did you negotiate a price when entering the cab??  Did he have a meter??  Your fault if you payed more...Plus the driver is NOT obligated to charge the price on the pre-printed ticket to the return trip to the airport, that is only for taxis LEAVING the airport, not returning.

#2.  Buying coffee at a coffee shop and negotiating a cab fare are two different matters...comparing apples with oranges...

#3.  YES IT WAS SIGNIFICANT TO YOU OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO MENTION IT...

I feel sorry for you that you think that 75 cents is getting hustled.  YOU failed to negociate a cab fare up front...the cab driver charged you HIS price...not YOUR price.

Do you know how these cab drivers struggle to make a living??  They make SQUAT...the poor guy probably has a wife and kids to support...shame on you for feeling that you were hustled...Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a Reverend in a church, or do I have you confused with someone else??  If not, excuse me...

The majority of the time I take a cab, I always round up, and tip the guy the difference.  You should have tipped the guy the 75 cents and be done with it....

Again, shame on you...

PD:

I will repeat myself once, and only once more for your benefit:

A.  The MONEY was insignificant... not an amount to make a big deal about.  HOWEVER, the principle of not being honest with his fare is significant.  Is this an acceptable form of business practice in your line of work?

B.  As far as asking me if the guy had a meter... again you are showing selective reading of my post.  I already stated that he had a PREPRINTED RATE CARD which showed the price he SHOULD have charged.
 
C.  You don't like the comparison between charging for coffee and cab fares because it doesn't support the petty argument that you assist on trying to create with me.  Even if we were LITERALLY talking about price gouging on APPLES and ORANGES, charging a price different then what is advertising is still false advertising... oh by the way, I notice you avoided my question that I asked twice, "What would you call it?"

D.  Yes, I am a preacher.  Yes, I would have felt sorry for the guy if he had invoked HONESTY and said that he needed extra money for his wife and kids.  I would have gladly given him a lot more than the money he hustled me for... had he only asked honestly... as I often do for the folks in Colombia, when they simply ask.

In any event, you may continue this debate by yourself.  The last word is yours.

I was simply trying to help Monty find a hotel for the night.

I love you P Daddy...

[P Daddy]

PD:

I will repeat myself once, and only once more for your benefit:

A.  The MONEY was insignificant... not an amount to make a big deal about.  HOWEVER, the principle of not being honest with his fare is significant.  Is this an acceptable form of business practice in your line of work?

B.  As far as asking me if the guy had a meter... again you are showing selective reading of my post.  I already stated that he had a PREPRINTED RATE CARD which showed the price he SHOULD have charged.
 
C.  You don't like the comparison between charging for coffee and cab fares because it doesn't support the petty argument that you assist on trying to create with me.  Even if we were LITERALLY talking about price gouging on APPLES and ORANGES, charging a price different then what is advertising is still false advertising... oh by the way, I notice you avoided my question that I asked twice, "What would you call it?"

D.  Yes, I am a preacher.  Yes, I would have felt sorry for the guy if he had invoked HONESTY and said that he needed extra money for his wife and kids.  I would have gladly given him a lot more than the money he hustled me for... had he only asked honestly... as I often do for the folks in Colombia, when they simply ask.

In any event, you may continue this debate by yourself.  The last word is yours.

I was simply trying to help Monty find a hotel for the night.

I love you P Daddy...

Again I say, if the money was insignificant, you wouldn't have integrated it into your post (a large part of it I might add)...

I'm soooooo sorry that getting hustled for 75 cents was such a big deal to you...even though the taxista was within his bounds to charge you 15,000 pesos...

I get so disgusted with gringos who travel to third world countries and accuse the locals of ripping them off, especially for such petty amounts as 75 cents.  And especially when these folks are just scraping by to make a living...again PREACHER, shame on you...

I have one question for you preacher...would Jesus get bent out of shape if someone "hustled" HIM for 75 cents??  Would it EVEN enter his mind??  Or would HE be happy that someone who was less fortune got an extra 75 cents to help out his wife and family??

YOU, my friend are the reason that I am not impressed when someone says they are a born again Christian...I am basically a heathen, and I seem to have more Christian values and compassion than you...

Have a good night!!!

[Calipro]

Monty:

My wife and I just stayed at La Casa Doña Flor.  It is a Bed & Breakfast about 15-20 minutes from the airport, 2 blocks from the embassy.

Despite what the website says, she only charged my wife and I $80,000 pesos per night.

The website is www.viva2100.com

If you stay there, tell her the vegetarian who just stayed there to get his wife's visa recommended you.

NOTE:  Thanks to Gary Bala for suggestion it previously.

If you stop by the taxi booth at the airport, they will give you a ticket for $13,400 pesos to the B&B.  Although the taxi driver "hustled" me on the return trip for $15,000 pesos.  The money is insignificant, I'm just tired of being hustled but it certainly wasn't enough to make a big deal about it.

Also, if you want more suggesttions, you might try www.PoorButHappy.com

Taxi fares vary slightly depending on if it is a Sunday or Holiday or even if you haled the cab off of the street or called them to pick you up. There are cabs in Bogota that only work for certain hotels and they charge at least 20% more than a regular cab.

[Ray]

Do you know how these cab drivers struggle to make a living??  They make SQUAT...the poor guy probably has a wife and kids to support...

           

[papi]

i was thinking about staying at the Capital hotel until they heard by gringo spanish and quoted me $300K pesos for 1 night. That is a months rent!! I now just stay at Nelson's place. The taxi from the airport to Nelson's is $20K pesos and about 30 minutes

[fathertime]

Seems like harsh treatment for the man even if "Hustled" was too strong a word to be used in those circumstances.  L4W seems like he has always meant well and been helpful here.  Just my 2c...

Fathertime!

[papi]

well, i am not a fan of taxi bandits either for that matter no matter what the amount

[Looking4Wife]

Seems like harsh treatment for the man even if "Hustled" was too strong a word to be used in those circumstances.  L4W seems like he has always meant well and been helpful here.  Just my 2c...

Fathertime!

Thanks, Fathertime, I reallly appreciate it.

[P Daddy]

Seems like harsh treatment for the man even if "Hustled" was too strong a word to be used in those circumstances.  L4W seems like he has always meant well and been helpful here.  Just my 2c...

Fathertime!

Well, unfortunately, the cabbie who supposedly "hustled" the Preacher, isn't here to defend himself.  What everyone needs to understand is, the Preacher could have hailed 10 different cabs from that locale to the airport, and probably would have been charged 5 different fares, all within 75 cents plus or minus.

I was in Bogota last week at my apartment, and took a cab to the airport.  Each time I go I pay between 13,000 and 15,000 pesos, never the same.  And when I get charged 15,000, I don't complain, because I know that the cabbie isn't trying to hustle me, plus it's less than a buck's difference.  The Preacher just doesn't understand how cabs work in Colombia and how fares vary form day to day and cab to cab.  Now, if he was charged 20,000 pesos, THAT might be considered hustling...but who hustles someone for 75 cents??

My question has always been, what would Jesus do??  Would HE grumble over 75 cents??  Or would he turn the other cheek and bless the cabbie, and maybe even give him a tip...What do you think Preacher??

[papi]

WWPD? (What would papi do)...he tips the honest taxis

[sean126]

If anyone wishes to continue baiting and turn it into a flame....please use the flame room.