Ecohotel El Refugio Boutique

Adventurous mom traveling with 2 children (10 & 12). We are a Latin-American family. + PROS: Great room options for different budgets and needs. While it IS a hotel that focuses on being conscious of the environment, the accommodations are comfortable, the bedding is soft, the AC potent and not too loud and there is everything that you would find at a regular hotel. + Jhuliana and her darling mother are a power-team of hospitality. The are present, kind, welcoming, and ready to help you and your family/travel group have a great experience in the Amazon. They are locals and live in the hotel so they know the area, the people and know what to watch out for as well. I was very impressed that Leticia is a safe city but also super impressed that Jhuliana would lovingly guide me as to how to stay safer and who to trust openly - especially when it came to transportation and tours (@Amazonasparaviajeros). + Breakfast is plenty. While the variety is not ample, the offering is plenty - eggs to order (I varied from omelets, to tomato and onion scramble, and then pan fried), bread with butter and yummy jelly, juice and coffee and fruit (papaya, orange and banana). They are happy to accommodate your needs within that offering, but don't make them guess what you may need. Just ask with a kind smile and the are glad to see you happy! Plus there is a supermarket down the down with veggies, fruits, cereals and anything else you may want for your needs. + Location. El Refugio is centrally located in Leticia just a few blocks away from everything you need - restaurants, a supermarket called Hiper, pharmacy, shopping for basics that one may have forgotten and even a few places to get a cocktail and cool down. Transportation is easily found. The city is not very big so getting around is easy (even to and from the airport which is less than 10m away by tuk tuk) - CONS: (as in: CONSIDERATIONS) * The central location means that there will be city sounds all around, especially during holidays. So bring earplugs if you are a light-sleeper like myself. (I use foam ones and they work like wonders. Plus, the amazon is not a destination to go relax so with all there is to see, experience and do, one is tired at the end of the night). * Another consideration is the accessibility. While MOST places in Latin America (and the EU) are different than hotels in the US with their elevators and large openings, it is important to know that breakfast is on the 4th floor (nice view) and there is a wooden staircase for the last floor. * The other consideration is that the hotel doesn't have an actual pool; It DOES have a nice tub (on the 3rd floor) but it has to be "rented" for an additional, considerable cost. THIS WAS NOT AN ISSUE!! I took my sweaty self and two teens a few blocks away to Hotel Real Amazonas, paid $15,000 Colombian pesos and enjoyed their big pool and spacious outdoor area until we got tired (they close the pool for non guests at 5:00 pm).

We were told that the only air conditioned room was a very small room with one full-sized bed that was so hard that it was like sleeping on the floor and one twin bed which was creaky but softer. There is NO hot water tap in the room (sink or shower) so, cool showers for a week. No place in the room to unpack, no drawers no place to hang anything, one shelf about 1'x2'. Only two outlets, one of which was occupied by the TV and fan plugs. Four levels, but no elevator. In the middle of town on a very noisey street. The window to the hallway and the window in the bathroom both had about an 8" space at the top open to outside, so the A/C was struggled against a flow-through of warm air. WiFi was very weak and slow. The staff were helpful and pleasant.