An important feature of Extended Stay Colombia is we engage our very large community to share what they feel are the things that make Living Big in Colombia.

I have been living in Colombia full time since 2005 (over 18 years) and I have a long list of things that make my life easier and very enjoyable that I simply didn't have in the USA...

Even if you are only going to be here for 30 days on our Get to Know Colombia program, it is probably worth buying the Black & Decker pressure cooker.

So here are mine as well as input from our Colombian Community (click image to go to website)

2nd Most Biodiverse Country in the world. Incredible number of species of fauna and flora. As of 2021, around 63,000 species are registered in Colombia, of which 14% are endemic. The country occupies worldwide the first position in number of orchids, birds and butterflies, second position in plants, amphibians and fresh water fish, third place in species of palm trees and reptiles and globally holds the sixth position in biodiversity of mammals.

National, State and local Parks: most of which are free or only have a very small charge. We will list the top parks and information. Here is a super website to start. https://www.kuodatravel.com/national-parks-in-colombia/

Colombia ranked 3rd most beautiful country in the world: The Monkey.Com website in the UK and Forbes magazine in the U.S. have decided that Colombia is the world’s third most beautiful country (after Indonesia and New Zealand) in a recent joint survey of 50 nations around the globe.  Colombia earned third place thanks to total score of 7.16 out of 10 on the natural beauty scale on the basis of diverse climate, culture, geography, flora, and fauna. The big South American nation also boasts a variety of landscapes, from the Andes mountains to the Amazon rainforest. In addition, Colombia was cited as the best located country of the western hemisphere ranking above destinations such as Mexico, Ecuador and the United States.

Beaches: Colombia has like 1,000 miles or something of coastline on the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean plus San Andres and Providencia, Rosario Islands (Cartagena) so the amount of beaches you can visit could be a remake of the classic 60´s cult film The Endless Summer. 

Sunsets: I am sure there are lots of places to see beautiful sunsets like in Cartagena but one of the best places in Colombia has to be Manizales.

Rainbows: One of the best places in Colombia has to be Manizales...afternoon rainstorms usually start in the east and move west so the afternoon sun is shining back to the east creating double and triple rainbows..

Cycling: You don't need to join a gym although they are everywhere (see below)...buy yourself a good bike and a Helmut and take off...cycling is super big in Colombia with great bike shops all over the place.

 El Gran Langostino. We order 4 packages of salmon (2 strips per pack) for $25,000 COP each....so a little over $6 and it's more than enough for the two of us...hard to beat $3 each for a great lunch. Cook on the grill or in the air fryer. Jumbo shrimp uncooked in the shell too..I think it´s about $50,000 COP but its good for 2 or 3 meals. If you know other good places to buy seafood, let us know !

D 1 Tiendas:  Great discount grocery chain which has exploded in growth with stores all over Colombia. You could probably get by just shopping at D1; they have so many things and everything is good. Gonna see if I can make a video highlighting my fav D 1 things like their smoked bacon and granola.

Mercaldas:  An excellent local grocery store which keeps growing is Mercaldas. We usually just buy beef, pork and chicken as they have good butchers and quality products. We also like their fresh fruits and veggies...they do a nice job overall. Very nice stores in San Marcel and Palermo.

Carulla:  If you are from the USA and wanting to have a Publix or Kroger grocery store experience, the closest you get in Colombia is Carulla, a nationwide chain. They have a lot of imported products you can't get anywhere else but there is a price to pay. We go on Saturdays for their discounts on beef and pork. You need to get the Carulla credit card to max the discounts. Fridays are wine specials like buy 2, leave with 3. My recommendation is go there for the high quality and only buy if on sale.

Olla-Multicoccion-BLACK-DECKER-5.7-Litros-12-funciones:  The top money-time saver ever invented for the kitchen has to be the Black & Decker pressure cooker. The super recipe booklet included will turn you into a master chef. All the recipes are easy to follow, quick and delicious. Hint: do not put too much water. This cooker does not lose as much water as most pressure cookers so don´t overdo the water.

Oster Air Fryer:  Without a doubt the runner-up (or photo finish) kitchen money-time saver ever invented and only $430,000 COP ( $111 ) at Falabella. There are many brands. I liked our Oster better than this one but they are all similar. 

Uber:  One of the top  money-time saver ideas was Uber. Nothing against taxis in Colombia. They employ lots of people and generally are ok but Ubers, in general, are much nicer cars and cheaper. I'm not sure the legality in Colombia so what they ask you to do if you are alone is ride in the front seat. Download the app and save.

Spago:  True Italian, nice place. Bistronomia (Bistro-Gastronomia) Concepto que consiste en elaborar platos gourmet compuestos de ingredientes de alta calidad servidos en un lugar casual a un precio asequible. Manizales and Pereira

Carlos Lachona:  Great typical Colombian fare...only open Fri Sat Sun and always packed but no long wait. In Chipre, Manizales. Arepa de choco lo is unreal and of course the lachona. The portions are huge. Very good service too. 

Bakaria Panadería Gourmet:  Bakaria started out in a small local in Alta Suiza and has since expanded to Mall Plaza and Fundadora CC and a new fancy bakery/sit down restaurant in La Florida. This could be a big potential nationwide franchise. One of the best things about Colombia is all the wonder bakeries...tell us your favorites ! For dinner, we like chicken pastries, arepas or empanadas we warm up in the Air Fryer with a fresh cup of coffee. These are sold everywhere for $2 or less. So a great dinner for 2 for under $5.00.

Crepes & Waffles: One of the most successful chains in Colombia is Crepes & Waffles. The restaurants are everywhere (mostly in large shopping centers), are very attractive and good service. The food is very consistent too. I always order either the chicken or the salmon Caesar salad. The menu is extensive and make sure you leave room for the delicious deserts which are really cheap in my opinion. 

Medellin´s Top Restaurants:  Let´s get this out of the way...these are tops but very expensive. Not listed in any particular order to avoid a food fight. The sheer number of high end top ranked restaurants tells you how good Medellin cuisine has gotten.

• El Cielo
• Carmen
• X O´s
• OCI.MDE
• In Situ
• La Provincia
• Moshi Sushi Bar
• Herbario
• Hatoviejo
• Andres Carne de Res
• Sambobi Bistro Local
• Mamba Negra
• Colossal
• Oni
• Alambique
• Runico
• Ritwal
• Dos Santos Cantina
• El Botanico