Hacienda Buenavista

Surrounded by the verdant forest, meandering rivers and with the Central Andes Range in the distance, the Hacienda Bambusa is a traditional farm that raises cattle and grows cocoa, ginger, plantain, bananas and tangerines.

The main house, built in the vernacular style with bamboo guadua and clay tiles, has just eight rooms. Each has a private bathroom, balcony, a small sitting area and a hammock for lazy afternoons listening to the birds before dinner is served.

In the kitchen, chef Vanessa Quintana cooks up delectable Colombian tasting menus making the most of this fertile region’s produce.

Days can be spent exploring the hacienda and beyond with a range of activities and excursions such as hiking, horse riding, trips to cacao and coffee plantations, hot air ballooning or tours of beautiful local towns and nearby Los Nevados National Natural Park.

Surrounded by peaceful gardens and beyond these, tranquil countryside hills that ripple on forever, Sazagua is a lovely little boutique-sized guesthouse that triumphs in both comfort and character.

A surprising level of mod cons are installed in its ten very spacious rooms including WiFi and flat screen TVs, and there’s a small spa with a sauna and treatment rooms offering massages and other wellness remedies.

The house is in the style of a typical Colombian farmhouse with eclectic details such as colourful colonial tiles and furniture and indigenous inspirations and art, to more international antiques and furnishings. However, its wraparound balconies and central courtyards root the hotel firmly in the region and welcome in its serene views and laid-back countryside temperament.

The food is good and the menu is fairly bold for the scale of the hotel. The staff have also helped seal Sazagua’s reputation as being one of the best places to stay in the area, and are immensely friendly and helpful.