Have you ever dreamed of sleeping in a bubble? I sure hadn’t. A cloud, definitely, but bubble never crossed my mind until coming across BubbleSky Glamping in Guatapé, Colombia. Nestled among the fincas of Guatapé, BubbleSky is a luxury glamping resort featuring clear “bubble” style tents.
Intrigued, and looking to glamp in Guatapé, I booked a bubble room to see what the hype was about.
BubbleSky Guatape Review: Luxury Glamping in Colombia
BubbleSky Guatape Location
BubbleSky has locations in El Retiro, Guatapé, and Altro Palmas. I visited the Guatapé location, which is located just a few hours from Medellín by car. Guatapé is one of the best day or weekend trips from Medellín. Read more about it by clicking here!
Guatapé is a charming town filled with colorful building, best known for its large inselberg called Piedra del Peñol. BubbleSky is roughly a 20-25 minute ride from the town by car, longer by tuktuk. Along the drive, you’ll pass beautiful views of Colombian fincas (farms). Guatapé is truly such a beautiful place, and this drive highlights it past what most visitors to Guatapé see.
Staying further out from town was a fun experience, however it didn’t come without some trade offs. The travel time between the resort and town was much longer than we expected, and inconvenient without having a rental car.
Click below to explore BubbleSky Guatape’s Location:
Booking.com
The Bubble Tent
BubbleSky’s signature bubble tents are just as cool-looking in person as they are in photos, but they don’t come without some…quirks. I’d be lying if I said that our experience at BubbleSky wasn’t a bit mixed. At the resort’s price point, we certainly didn’t expect mind blowing luxury, however the resort is considerably more expensive than many hotels in Guatapé and I still can’t decide if it’s justified.
Word to the wise: it’s basic physics, but very easy to forget that if you let air leave a bubble, it will deflate. Therefore, even if you have both the exterior door and door to the living space open at the same time for a little bit, the bubble will start to collapse. We accidentally did this, and ended up in a mildly comical situation as we tried to hold the bubble up and let it reinflate.
Bubble Tents – The Good
BubbleSky really thought through a lot of little luxuries that separate camping and glamping. Our tent had heated mattress pads (LOVED this), electricity (including several outlets), and included amenities such as a lookout net, hot tub, kitchen, and outdoor bathroom.
The bubble had a tunnel entrance where you could leave luggage, shoes, wet clothes, etc. leaving ample space to enjoy the living area of the bubble. BubbleSky’s rooms include small seating areas, which was also a nice touch.
Mattresses at hotels are always a mixed bag, but I can confirm that the mattresses at BubbleSky are really comfortable, made even better by the heated mattress bad. I had one of the best nights of sleep that I had while in Colombia there.
The most positive quality of the bubble tent was well, getting to stay that you’ve slept in a bubble tent. There’s something about booking a bubble in lieu of a hotel room that wakes up your inner child and brings a sense of whimsy to your trip.
Bubble Tents – The Bad
Here’s where the fairytale ends. While I wouldn’t say that all of the following was outright “bad,” it also wasn’t necessarily positive for a glamping resort that markets itself as a luxury experience. It all began when we showed up.
Reaching our bubble tent was easily a 10-15 minute walk up and down stairs on a gravel path. You may get lucky and end up in a bubble closer to the entrance, but if not, factor that walk into your travel time.
When we reached our tent, the first thing I noticed was that the view was nothing like the images. We were able to pick which tent we wanted when we booked, so I strategically chose the one that looked like it had the best view. Breathtaking, dramatic, and overlooking the nearby fincas.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, our campsite was totally surrounded by tall trees, no view whatsoever. Honestly, even if the trees were cleared, we would have been totally exposed as there’s a road on the opposite side of the valley from the resort. It’s a no-win situation. Other reviewers have mentioned having incredible views, but feeling completely exposed. Understanding that, my biggest frustration was just that the photos online for the specific tent listing looked so different from the view we received.
If you’ve read my post on traveling solo in the Maldives, you know that I absolutely love stargazing. Many glamping resorts advertise that they provide a night under the stars, but how many have totally transparent tents so you can watch them as you fall asleep? I was SO excited to catch a glimpse of the stars, but unfortunately our tent completely fogged up at night as temperatures drop overnight in Guatapé and the tent was still warm inside. This isn’t on the resort — the tents are clear plastic and the clouding is unavoidable with temperature changes.
Decorations
For an extra charge, BubbleSky has a few different decoration packages you can choose from. We opted to go for one, and were…disappointed, to say the least. The photos online highlighted a lovely looking decoration package, but instead, when we arrived, we got a few taped up balloons and a classic edition of internet vs. reality.
Let my mistake be your lesson — skip the decoration package and save the money for dinner at a local restaurant.
BubbleSky Guatape Amenities
The Kitchen
Each BubbleSky Guatapé tent has an outdoor kitchenette. You can bring your own groceries, or the resort has a room service menu of groceries and frozen meals you can order. The kitchenette is just the basics with a small fridge, sink, and grill — absolutely perfect for a short getaway.
Outside of breakfast, we really didn’t cook at BubbleSky. Even still, it was nice knowing that we had the option, and we enjoyed sitting in the cozy outdoor dining area.
Breakfast
BubbleSky provides ingredients for making a basic complimentary breakfast at your bubble, including juice, eggs, and sausage. Simple, but very much appreciated considering that the closest restaurant options are 30 minutes away in Guatape’s town.
Outdoor Bathroom
Let me start off by saying this — I LOVED this shower. If there’s one thing you take away from this review, let it be that BubbleSky Guatapé has amazing outdoor showers. During my 10 days in Colombia, I experienced more shower issues than I think I’ve ever had in a single destination, at luxury hotels, no less. Somehow, the only outdoor shower on the trip was absolutely the best one. Great water pressure, and plenty of hot water (no temperature issues here). For transparency, this was just my experience — some reviews have mentioned propane and water temperature issues.
The BubbleSky bathrooms have wired electricity, so no fear when trying to do your eyeliner past sunset — there’s lighting! I was excited to see that the bathroom had outlets for hot tools as well.
I do want to mention that the bathroom in our tent didn’t have a proper door, just a beaded curtain. The toilet probably the most inconvenient location it could be, being right in front of the curtain. It felt very jungle glam, but you may want to make sure that your travel companion is well aware of when you’re in the bathroom.
To my surprise, I loved that both the kitchen and bathroom were outdoors. I always get a little hesitant when I hear the phrase “outdoor bathroom,” but it was thoughtfully designed and surprisingly, one of the best bathrooms at a hotel that I encountered in Colombia. BubbleSky really nailed the little luxuries in both spaces, from the small, but comfortable dining area, to amazing outdoor shower.
Hot Tub
I’ll admit, I was skeptical that an inflatable hot tub would be all that nice, but it was honestly very comfortable! The hot tub was located just outside of the bubble, between the bubble and lookout net. The hot tub water at BubbleSky is the perfect temperature for Guatapé’s cool nights. Hot tubs at Guatapé are small, but the perfect size for two people.
Lookout Net
Maldives move over, BubbleSky’s overhang nets have arrived! Each room at BubbleSky Guatapé features a large lookout net. The tradeoff to the lookout net’s large size is that it’s lacking a view to look out to. By craning our necks, we could kind of see the nearby valley and fincas underneath BubbleSky, but unfortunately, the trees were thick enough to block the better part of the view.
Keep in mind that because those trees are so close, they attract a lot of bugs to the net, hot tub, and kitchen. While I was hanging out on the neck, I was bit from all sides. Bring lots of bug spray!
I visited Guatapé mid-November when the weather was still warm, but more mild. Having the shade all those trees provide would be a huge perk during warmer months.
WiFi
I hate to say it, but remote workers, this is not going to be the place for you. WiFi at the resort was slow and barely usable, but hey, glamping has to include some parts of camping, right? Get out into nature and disconnect, your devices can wait until tomorrow.
I could get usable cell service from the bubble (although signal also varied). So you’re not totally out of luck if you need to look up information or communicate.
Transportation
If you’re visiting Medellín, there’s a good chance you don’t have a rental car (and for good reason, it’s unnecessary there). To get to Guatapé from Medellín, you’ll need to hire private transfer, or brave it on the bus.
Should you happen to have a car, life is easy for you. The drive between Medellín and Guatapé is relatively straightforward. The only mild difficulty you’ll endure is when you leave central Guatapé, and head higher up towards the fincas. The road there is unpaved, and bumpy.
If you’ve taken a private transfer, getting around Guatapé from BubbleSky is going to be a bit more frustrating. The hotel has the number for one tuktuk (Guatapé doesn’t have any car taxis), who can only be described as semi-reliable. He picked us up one morning nearly an hour late, and massively overcharged us. Typically when luxury resorts have aided in arranging transportation for me, I’ve had a very positive experience, but not so much at BubbleSky.
If you’re looking for better transportation, dine at Donde Sam when you arrive in Guatapé. Should the owner, Sam, be there, make friends. He’s genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met while traveling, and helped us massively when we were having trouble in Guatapé. I cannot thank him enough, and look forward to seeing him one day in Guatapé again.
Staff
Our experience with staff was mixed. It felt like there was some level of disconnect between the BubbleSky company, and local staff at the resort. BubbleSky had a WhatsApp number for customer service, which was really helpful. They were very responsive and happy to help.
Staff at the resort seemed somewhat disorganized. It took a while for things to get done. As I mentioned in other Guatapé posts, we had an issue with the only ATM in town, and as a result were going to be late for checkout. I texted the WhatsApp number who assured me that it would be no issue at all and that they would communicate that to the resort to allow us more time, however when we arrived to the resort (managing to make it back a few minutes before checkout), staff were already at our bubble trying to clean. Aside from being a little extra stressful, it really wasn’t that big of an issue, more so just an example of the disconnect in communication.
Safety
BubbleSky is located in the jungle, away from Guatapé’s town. Is it safe?
Guatapé as a town is very safe, and the area where BubbleSky is located is very safe as well. As always, exercise caution while you’re traveling anywhere, but really, I felt very safe in Guatapé compared to other areas of Colombia.
Keep in mind that like the bathroom, the entrance to your bubble site also just has a beaded curtain, not a proper door. Despite knowing how safe the location was, this still made me a little on edge about our luggage and valuables (I would feel this way anywhere that didn’t have locks). It’s something to keep in mind as you’re packing for your trip, if you don’t feel comfortable leaving your valuables out all day. Again, this is glamping, and if we were just camping we wouldn’t have had a locking door either.
The Bottom Line
Would I stay at BubbleSky again? I don’t know. To be honest, next time I’m in Guatapé I’m planning on staying at the BOSKO. The location is much closer to town (we drove past it), the resort appears more built out, and the resort also has more consistent reviews. That being said, BOSKO also comes at a higher price point that BubbleSky. Unfortunately, the resort was sold out when I was in Guatapé!
I’d recommend BubbleSky to a traveler looking to have an interesting glamping experience on a budget, or those who really just want to do it for the ‘gram. Although BubbleSky is pricier than many local hotels, it’s still less expensive than its biggest competition, and offers a unique experience for those looking to stay a little closer to nature.
What to Do in Guatapé
No trip to Guatapé is complete without a trip to Piedra del Peñol. To read my guide on visiting Guatapé’s most popular landmark, click here.
View my full guide on the top restaurants and best things to do in Guatape by clicking here.
xx,
E
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