Medellín surprises everyone. You read the headlines, you book the flight anyway. Then you land and realise the city has been years ahead of the conversation about it.
This is a field guide for your first week. Where to work, where to eat, where to go out, and the one mistake every first-timer makes. It is not safety. It is altitude.
Start in Manila
Barrio Manila is the quiet, leafy corner of El Poblado, and it is where La Martina lives, on Calle 13. You are close to Provenza when you want a night out, and far enough from it to sleep. That is the point of two or three weeks here: your work routine carries on from day one, and there is still time for the city, the language and the people, without giving up a single deadline. Laureles makes a good afternoon out: wider streets, more Spanish, a different rhythm, and a short ride back to your room.
Your work week
Your stay includes coworking, so the video call you cannot lose has a proper home. For everything else there are three places to work in the house: your room, the rooftop, and the café downstairs.
- Coworking · included with your stay
- The rooftop · free most of the day, some of the best light in the house
- Nuestro Coffee and Bakery · at street level, open 7am to 5pm
Start the morning at Nuestro. Coffee, matcha hot or iced, pastries, and a table you can open a laptop at.
Your first nights out
Show your VIVUS pass, or mention VIVUS when you order, and these partners look after you:
- Mad Records / Bar Cool · a free shot with any cocktail
- Vibora Sound System · 20% off drinks
- Fresh Disco Retro · free entry
Coming soon: GOAT Sports Bar, Capri and La Fabrika Bakery. We will post the deals the day they go live. The full list, with maps, is in our partner directory.
Arrive alone, leave with people
Two nights a week, the squad goes out together. On Tuesdays there is a pre-party before Gringo Tuesdays, the city's big language exchange. On Saturdays there is a BBQ and a pre-game before a club night. RSVP on the events calendar and we save you a spot.
The altitude mistake
Medellín sits at around 1,500 metres. Most first-timers do not feel it on day one. By day three the runs feel harder, you sleep less deeply, you wake up dry. Drink more water than you think you need for the first week, and pace the hikes.
If you are already booked, see you soon. If you are still deciding, the rooftop is open and the coffee is on downstairs.