IC Medellin Master Thread [merged]
 

Can anyone offer a review of the IC Medellin? Looks to be a lot more expensive than the Four Points Sheraton in town. I'm sure the IC is a better hotel but is it better enough to justify 2X the price?

Neighborhood-wise I think I drove by the IC. It's in a completely residential area high above El Poblado right? Are there any restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. in walking distance or do you have to cab it from the IC to anywhere of interest? While the Four Points is no great shakes as a hotel, the price is right and I thought the location pretty good... Trying to decide if "upgrading" to the IC is worth it to me.

Excellent IC
 

I've stayed there each year for the last 3 years. The Dana Carleton is supposed to be the best, but I love this place. They just spent big $$ to remodel. The hugh pool is even better, the refurbished rooms are very nice and the views are nice on a clear day. You're just minutes from downtown but it feels like you're in the country. Decent onsite restaurant, very good breakfast buffet, and the staff is outstanding.

Three years ago the hotel needed refurbishment but even then I still liked it because of the pool and location. I had just joined PC so received a standard room. Two years ago i got a slightly nicer room as a Plat PC. This last November, I was upgraded to junior suite (newly refurbished suite) as an Ambassador. They also gave us club floor privileges. That stay alone was worth the $150 to join Amb. and I didn't use my BOGO cert there because I waited to use it at a more expense IC.

Just across the street is Hato Viejo - excellent food at reasonable prices! Halfway down the hill are more good restaurants. Cabs are plentiful and very cheap.

The service was so good that I wrote IC about my stay. Now that I'm a RA, I can't wait to go back.

Price increase from last year
 

Your comment about the IC being double than the Sheraton surprised me as it used to be only slightly more. So I checked a couple of dates for this year, and they raised their prices substantially.

I booked last year at 120/night and now the lowest price is 163 for a king. If you intend to use the many hotel facilities, then it's still worth it. Hugh pool, tennis, health club, lounges, etc. Because of the upgrade I'll get, I'm definitely going back to the IC. The junior suite is slightly nicer than the junior suite I had 2 weeks ago at the Baltimore IC.

Any comments about the options of $US90/night standard room for an Ambassador at the IC Medellin versus 5000 PC points at the HI Express on the current Points Break list? Is the location of the HI good?

Thanks

I, too, am curious about the two properties without consideration of pointsbreaks for the latter. Specifically, I wonder which location is better for tourism. Reports here are very favorable about the IC. How is the quality of the HIX?

Last year my wife stayed at the HIX for 8 days with the pointbreaks. While she liked the new HIX, she prefers the IC. The HIX doesn't have a pool and their breakfast buffet doesn't compare to the IC. The best part about the HIX was the "mini-suite" includes a kitchenette. For tourism, it really doesn't matter since the 2 are less than 10 minutes apart and cabs are very cheap.

here on a pointbreaks deal. it's about a 5 out of 10. the service is great and you can't beat the climate here.... but the hotel itself is pretty run down. to bad because it's a really nice city.

Are you getting free internet?

yes...slow wifi...but free.

thanks !

I am going to book 4-6 nights on PB for mid-Jan,
although the PC website has been down (is it me?) for 4-5 hours now.

I just stayed there again in Nov for 5 nights. Wireless Internet was fast, free and available throughout the grounds. I didn't think it was run down, in fact they spent the last 4 years improving the place. In the past, paid to stay here, but this last time used pointbreaks.

The restaurant by the pool is good, Hatoviejo across the road is better and San Carbon just down the hill is very good.

njfan,

...like i said. the service is very good here. the city is very nice. and the restaurants are also good and i am sure the people working here are trying the best with what they have...

...but there are stains on the carpet everywhere, the tv is 13 inch and probably bought ten years ago, forget about pay per view. once a day, someone smoke weeds near the intake of the air conditioner and it whaffs into the room (you can decide if that is bad or not...), the bathrooms are very small and drab and the shower heads are really old and have so much deposit on them, only a couple of stream of water come out. the lounge chairs and cushions by the pool are a bit dirty....i could go on...but this hardly seem like a place that is improving over the past 4 years if they can't even replace something as simple as a shower head.

the people working here are great...but if you think the hotel itself stands up to other intercontinental properties....you are sadly mistaken..

What, if any, benefits did you enjoy as ambassador on the pointbreaks stay?
Thanks.

Same question here. I have Royal Ambassador. If I book using the pointbreak, can I expect standard RA treatment (not that I know what that is as I haven't booked a room as RA yet).

Warning: Don't try to snort the talcum powder in the washrooms! It really is talcum powder...