TRAVELism Edition #12: Medellin

ism / ˈizəm / noun
a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy, typically a political ideology or an artistic movement.

“A city that chose innovation over inevitability.”

— Medellin frequently described by urbanists, architects, and cultural commentators

Welcome back, travelers—

Travelism exists to go deeper. In a world where travel is easier than ever, we focus on places with substance, culture, and point of view. Local-driven, high–low, and intentional. No paid reviews. No filler. Simply your smart travel brief.

Today we’re headed to Colombia. Founded in 1675 as a quiet colonial settlement, Medellín has since become one of Latin America’s most studied urban transformations.

Once defined by violence, the city has spent the last three decades rewriting its narrative. Civic innovation, design-forward infrastructure, and cultural pride turned adversity into a global case study in renewal.

Today, Medellín feels confident, creative, and forward-looking. Shaped by its past, but no longer ruled by it.

With 10+ direct flights from major U.S. cities, Medellín has never been more accessible. In this edition of Travelism, we explore where to stay, the dinners we couldn’t stop talking about, and the experiences that reveal why this city hums with energy.

Medellín is electric.

Vamos,
Logan & The TRAVELISM Crew ✈️

Medellin, Colombia: Resilient. Innovative. Energetic. Lush. All wrapped up with confidence.

The vibe: Modern and resilient, creative and sun-washed, where lush hills frame a confident, design-minded city that’s musical, layered, ambitious, and unmistakably alive.

Homebase: El Poblado is Medellín’s polished playground, where leafy streets meet modern towers, rooftop bars, and design-forward hotels. Cafés spill onto sidewalks, nightlife hums after dark, and creative energy feels effortless. Upscale yet relaxed, it’s the city’s most cosmopolitan neighborhood and an ideal base for exploring by day or night comfortably.

Click Clack Hotel Medellin: Delivering a stay that feels modern, playful, and alive with Medellín energy. Chic design and leafy greenery blend with social spaces, a rooftop pool and bar, multiple dining options, and a vibe that bridges urban sophistication with relaxed, sociable comfort.

Why it’s cool: The greenery-softened design and social energy blur hotel and hangout, making the lobby feel like Medellín’s living room.

Now let’s dig into what stood out most — from the lobby scene and the rooms to the poolside energy and the restaurants that keep the hotel humming day and night.

The lobby sets the tone immediately. You’ll grab a cocktail, settle in, and momentarily forget about check-in. It’s vibey, social, and feels less like a hotel lobby and more like an invite to the city’s coolest living room.

The Suites
At The Click Clack Hotel, standard rooms are clean, minimal, and dialed in with everything you need for a Medellín stay. If you’re up for a smart splurge, the suites deliver real payoff.

Expect contemporary design, vibrant art, and thoughtful amenities paired with city views and a playful, modern edge. Suites come in four sizes, L, XL, 2XL, and 3XL — and honestly, there’s no wrong choice.

Click Clack Kitchen ☕️🍳
The hotel’s all-day anchor. Relaxed, polished, and social, with crowd-pleasing plates, strong coffee, and an easy rhythm that works from breakfast through late afternoon bites.

Egeo 🫒🍷
Mediterranean-leaning and buzzy. Coastal flavors, shareable plates, and a lively bar where dinner often stretches longer than planned.

Mekong 🌶️🍜
Moody and spice-forward. Thai-inspired dishes, bold flavors, and a low-lit, date-night vibe that contrasts nicely with the hotel’s social spaces.

La Deriva 🌊🍤
Seafood-driven and breezy. Fresh plates, coastal energy, and cocktails that feel right at home near the pool and rooftop scene.

Social and sun-soaked, where cocktails flow, music hums softly, greenery frames the deck, and afternoons drift easily into golden-hour conversations and skyline views.

Your Perfect Pool Day: Keep it light and refreshing. Order a spritz or gin-and-tonic, pair with ceviche or grilled skewers, and finish with fresh fruit as the afternoon slides into sunset, overlooking the Medellín skyline above.

🔮RITWAL mesa & mística
Dinner feels intimate and intentional, where ancestral Colombian flavors meet modern technique, candlelit energy, cocktails, and plates designed to linger.

What to Order: Trust the staff. Order the tasting menu with seasonal plates, paired with a mezcal-forward cocktail; highlights include slow-cooked proteins, fermented sides, and desserts rooted in Colombian tradition, heritage.

🔥Mamba Negra
The vibe is moody and high-energy, blending bold Latin flavors, creative cocktails, candlelit tables, and a late-night vibe that feels effortlessly cool.The Mamba Negra bar, considered one of the 100 best in the world in 2025

What to Order: Start by sharing small plates like the tostada de tomatina and crispy rice with atún fresco. Then move to the grill. The ribeye Angus napado en mantequilla avellanada is rich, generous, and perfect for splitting. The cocktail program is dialed in, the wine list is deep. Trust your server.

🖤 Zombra
Minimal, moody, and modern. The scene feels sleek and cerebral, where modern Colombian cooking meets artful plating, low lighting, confident service, and a buzz that lingers after dark.

What to Order: This is a small-plates dinner by design. Zombra even uses hand signals to gauge your hunger level. The menu shifts seasonally, but lean into the fresh seafood and don’t skip the succulent pork T-bone. We gravitated toward the natural wine list over cocktails and didn’t look back.

🌆Cannario Rooftop
Elevated and social, where skyline views, shareable plates, polished cocktails, and sunset energy turn dinner into an event. The gastrobar sits atop Hotel Blues Living Suites and always listed as a local fave.

What to Order: Begin with shareable small plates. The Zante prawns, bathed in a creamy sweet-and-sour sauce, are worth ordering twice. Don’t skip the risottos, especially paired with a crisp white or an Aperol Spritz as the sun slips behind the skyline.

Across our travels, few places deliver rooftop culture quite like El Poblado in Medellín. Pools, DJ-led sunsets, and skyline lounges feel woven into daily life here. These are three we love, though truthfully, there are a dozen more that could have made the cut.

🍸Etro Rooftop – Elevated Elegance
A cinematic terrace above the city with 360° views, refined cocktails, and an intimate, ambient vibe that turns sunset into a full sensory moment. Chic and curated.

👙La Deriva Rooftop Bar – Social & Stylish
A relaxed, polished rooftop with great views, seafood bites, and weekend pool-party energy — perfect for daytime drinks, sunset grazing, and laid-back social vibes.

👩🏼‍🎤Envy Rooftop – Luxe Pool Lounge
The quintessential Medellín rooftop destination. Swim in the aquarium-style pool, sip creative drinks, dance to live DJs, and soak in panoramic views right in the heart of El Poblado nightlife.

🍾 Bodega Wine Bar
Intimate and unrushed, with thoughtfully curated bottles, knowledgeable pours, and a relaxed hum that invites lingering conversations long after the first glass.

What to Order: The best wine bars know excellent meats, cheeses, and bread. The beauty is in the simplify. Order a mixed charcuterie and cheese board with olives and warm bread, then let the staff pair a natural red or crisp white by the glass.🧀🥖

🍳Le Brunch
Delivers a lively, sunlit morning ritual with polished plates, excellent coffee, social energy, and an effortlessly stylish crowd easing into Medellín’s slower, indulgent side by late mornings here.

What to Order: Go for the Eggs Walffles Benedict, paired with fresh juice and a strong Colombian coffee. If you are craving local, the arepas achieve legedary brunch status. Add mimosas if you’re lingering into late morning.

🚠Metrocable Ride: This isn’t sightseeing, it’s civic design in motion. Medellín’s cable cars connect hillside neighborhoods to the city core, offering sweeping views and a firsthand look at how infrastructure reshaped daily life. The beginning is just a short taxi ride from El Poblado neighborhood.

👟Walk Comuna 13: Once isolated, now expressive. Murals, music, and escalators tell a layered story of resilience and rebirth. A guided walk adds context, nuance, and respect to one of Medellín’s most powerful neighborhoods. Our guide Julio with @Medellina Experience is excellent!

☕️Countryside Coffee Tours: This is Colombia and if you are looking for the next Juan Valdez, then we have the tour for you. Skip the long trek to the Coffee Triangle. Just beyond Medellín, small fincas offer tastings, harvest stories, and a deeper appreciation for Colombia’s most famous export, all wrapped in lush scenery. We recommend Cafe Ravelo.

Takeaway: Medellín rewards curiosity. These experiences don’t just show you the city, they explain it.

Medellín rewards curiosity with innovation, design, food, and soul, blending lush landscapes, complex history, and modern energy into a city that feels alive, optimistic, accessible, and endlessly engaging for travelers who value context and culture.

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