Last updated on January 16, 2024.

There are hotels in Pereira located in both the city center and in the entertainment district along Avenida Circunvalar. The budget options are very reasonable and even the luxury options can be affordable at times. 

This post does not cover the Movich Hotel, Sonesta, or Jardines de la Alhambra. I’ll rank the rest of the hotels here from our best experience to our worst:

 

GHL Abadía Plaza

A great option is the GHL Abadía Plaza, conveniently located in the heart of the city. It’s an affordable business class hotel with an excellent staff. They greeted us by name and went well out of their way to make us happy.

GHL Abadía Plaza
GHL Abadía Plaza

Rooms are a bit small but they’re super comfortable, soundproof, and the air conditioning is amazing (although it was sometimes quite hot in the hallways). Breakfast has a lot of options and the restaurant serves good food. Rates are good, and it’s often cheaper on the weekends because it caters to business travelers during the week.

Standard room at GHL Abadía Plaza in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Standard room
Standard room
Bathroom at GHL Abadía Plaza in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Bathroom

 

San Simón Hotel Boutique

San Simón Hotel Boutique, located right on Plaza de Bolívar in the city center, was a nice surprise. First of all, staff greeted us with a smile and were friendly and helpful throughout our entire stay. The valet parking service was a plus.

San Simón Hotel Boutique in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
San Simón Hotel Boutique

Secondly, the room was better than we had expected. We upgraded to a suite for a slightly higher price and loved the large space. Beds were very comfortable and there was a nice view of Plaza de Bolívar from the window. A kitchenette and small sitting area was just inside the door, and we loved the water pressure from the shower head. At night, there was a little noise from the bars on the plaza but it died down and we were able to have a quiet night of sleep.

Suite at San Simón Hotel Boutique in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Suite
View of Plaza de Bolívar at San Simón Hotel Boutique in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
View of Plaza de Bolívar
Bathroom
Kitchenette

In the morning, a decent buffet breakfast is served on the ground floor. We were able to get eggs to order as well as fresh bread, arepa, fruit, and coffee. For room service, the hotel works with the restaurant at its partner hotel, Hotel Soratama (see below), across the street.

Breakfast area

 

Hotel Castilla Real

An affordable hotel near the Movich and in a great location is Hotel Castilla Real. It’s at the beginning of Circunvalar and short walking distance from Plaza Victoria. They have a friendly and attentive staff who go out of their way to help guests. A decent breakfast is included in the rate.

Hotel Castilla Real
Hotel Castilla Real
Staircase

There’s also a very good restaurant on the ground floor, Salón Inglés, and a balcony on both the 2nd and 3rd floors with nice views.

View from Hotel Castilla Real in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
View from the hotel
View from Hotel Castilla Real in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
View from the hotel

The rooms are very comfortable and modern and feature soundproof windows and good air conditioning. WiFi is excellent, and the showers are amazing. The only drawback is that the beds, although comfortable, are quite small for two people. Also keep in mind that there’s no elevator. The rate is a great deal for the quality of the room.

Standard room
Standard room
Bathroom

 

Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso

This boutique hotel in the Casa de Alfonso Jaramillo, a restored mansion along Circunvalar, has done a nice job. The decorations inside the hotel lobby of Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso and common areas are beautiful, staff is friendly and helpful, and the location is excellent.

Casa de Alfonso Jaramillo
Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso
Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso
Lobby of Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Lobby
Reading room at Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Reading room

The rooms are a bit simple for a boutique hotel, but they’re clean and comfortable. We were missing a desk lamp, which was shown in all the photos before we booked. We also thought the bathrooms could use an upgrade.

Standard room at Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Standard room

Breakfast was served in a small open area outside our room. It was simple but good. We had fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee, arepa, and eggs served to order.

Breakfast area at Hotel Boutique Don Alfonso in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Breakfast area

The only real problem we had with the hotel was the noise. The bars located near the hotel play loud music until very late at night and it’s nearly impossible to sleep. It’s a shame because it’s a beautiful building and it has good potential. They could benefit from some soundproofing.

 

Olaya Plaza Hotel

On some occasions, I stay at the Olaya Plaza Hotel. It’s located a short walk from the Risaralda Government Building. At first glance from the street, it doesn’t look like much. In fact, it’s a little hard to spot. There’s a staircase under a sign with an “H” that indicates the hotel.

Olaya Plaza Hotel
Olaya Plaza Hotel

Once inside, it’s pleasant and modern. Rooms are clean and comfortable and a nice small breakfast is included. WiFi is hit or miss. Sometimes it can be great and other times it’s a bit choppy. It can also be very loud from the street noise outside and it often sounds like the cars are in the room. Sleeping with the fan on can reduce some of the external noise. The hotel isn’t in the best area, so take a taxi after dark.

 

Hotel Soratama

Hotel Soratama is another hotel that looks nice on the surface but needs a lot of work. It’s located on Plaza de Bolívar and features a very nice rooftop lounge with a jacuzzi and great views of the plaza below. A very nice buffet breakfast is included as well as a welcome drink at the lounge.

Hotel Soratama in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Hotel Soratama
Rooftop pool at Hotel Soratama in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Rooftop pool
Plaza de Bolívar from Hotel Soratama in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Plaza de Bolívar

The hotel staff was a mixed bag. The front desk staff was a little snooty and both check-in and check-out took an unnecessarily long time. They also tried to charge us for items that were never in the minibar to begin with, but it was cleared up by some paperwork done by the doorman who showed us to our room after check-in. The room we got was a suite at a bargain price, but it was dated and the bathroom definitely needed an upgrade. The air conditioning was great and the bed was comfortable, but the street noise was unbearable at times. I was also surprised that as a business hotel there was no iron in the room, although they provided us with one when we asked.

Suite at Hotel Soratama in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Suite
Suite at Hotel Soratama in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Suite
Sitting area in the suite

 

Gran Hotel Pereira

Gran Hotel Pereira is located just a block south of Plaza de Bolívar. The hotel was built in 1938 by Italian architect Giovanni Di Zitti Barbati (1903-1981) during the heyday of the railroad in Colombia. It was located on the main street visitors took from the railroad station to Plaza de Bolívar. Famous guests included politician Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (1903-1948), who visited in the 1940s.

Gran Hotel Pereira
Gran Hotel Pereira
Lobby of the Gran Hotel Pereira, Colombia
Lobby

I stayed at Gran Hotel Pereira twice, once in 2016 and again in 2022. The best things about the hotel were the wonderful staff and the absolute silence at night. I enjoyed being able to sleep without any traffic noise. After that it’s nothing to write home about. It’s well past its prime. For a supposed four-star hotel, there are much better options for just a slightly higher price.

Common area
Corridor

On my first stay in 2016, The room had no air conditioning, was very dated, and the bathroom was a serious problem. The shower flooded the bathroom, the shower head could have used an upgrade, the sink was clogged, and the toilet seat was loose. The towels were also very thin. In the morning, breakfast was included but it wasn’t very good. The juice was more like flavored water, and there was nothing else other than a choice of eggs and bread.

Breakfast room
Breakfast

Six years had passed between my stays and not much had changed. The room in 2022 was slightly better than in 2016. This one had air conditioning but was still very dated. Some of the furniture was falling apart and the carpet was dirty. The bathroom didn’t flood, but the shower head was still in need of a change. Breakfast was more of the same.

Room at Gran Hotel Pereira in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Room
View from our balcony
View from our balcony

 

Hotel Pereira Lago

For budget accommodation, I sometimes stay at Hotel Pereira Lago. It’s extremely basic. Actually, things are often in disrepair, the walls are paper thin, there’s no hot water, and some rooms don’t even have power outlets, but the staff is wonderful and friendly and do everything possible to make your stay comfortable. The best rooms are on the very top floor and are very good for the price.

Hotel Pereira Lago in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
Hotel Pereira Lago

 

Hotel Condina

Just a couple blocks from Plaza de Bolívar is Hotel Condina. The rooms are comfortable, clean, and completely silent at night. Breakfast is included in the rate.

Hotel Condina
Hotel Condina
Standard Room

I have two issues with the hotel that will prevent me from staying there again. The first is that we argued with staff for 10 minutes over the hotel tax that shouldn’t be charged to foreigners on a tourist visa. We won in the end, but they kept insisting that the law changed the week before our visit. The other is that the man who showed us to the room took an inventory of everything in it, including towels, the minibar, pillows, and the TV remote. We felt like we were being booked into a prison, not checking into a hotel. Those incidences left us with a bad taste in our mouths.

Lobby

 

Hotel Rosales

Listed as a four star hotel, it’s anything BUT. Hotel Rosales (formerly Hotel Posada Don Jacobo) near Parque El Lago advertised air conditioned rooms and comfortable beds, but had neither. There wasn’t even a table in the room to put our things on. The only nice thing about this hotel was the rooftop terrace where breakfast was served.

Hotel Rosales
Hotel Rosales

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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