Going to your finca (country home) for the weekend is a Paisa way of life. Many times it is just family, sometimes family and friends and often a whole group of friends to party. There are some very elaborate fincas in Medellin Antioquia but most are more like weekend lake or mountain homes in the US. Somewhat rustic and more of a lodge typ of structure.
Well, Medellin Travel Guide began asking around about fincas that were available for rentals, either by the room or the entire finca. Afterall, why should the Paisas have all the fun. We were very surprised at what we found.
Many of the fincas in the surrounding area around Medellin (Copacabana, El Penol, Andes, Santa Fe de Antioquia, Rio Negro and other small communities are actually finca hotels, bed and breakfast types of places. We became intrigued and decided to visit one close to Jose Maria Cordoba Airport in Rio Negro with the aid of a local AgroTourist company. What we found was not only a pleasant surprise but it turne out to be a very worthwhile use of our time.
We visited Siete Cueros (it means seven skins…more later). The main house is like a big hostel. It has 4 rooms but only two of them would really be usable. The other two are equipped with bunkbeds for families with children. Then, there were 4 cabanas. Cabana del Agucate (avocado), Cabana Siete Cueros, and Cabana de Paja (Straw Roof) These were all former care takers residences that have been converted to rooms. They are all very rustic, especially Cabana de Paja but you are only going to be sleeping in them. They all have hot water, double beds, small kitchens, living rooms and dining areas (well, Paja is more of an outdoor balcony dining area).
What became even more interesting was meeting the owner. He used to live in the US for almost 15 years and spoke very good English. I asked about the history of the place (and about the name…Promise, I’ll get to it). He was the original owner of 35 years ago and built the first house on the property. It consisted of…get this….20,000 Cuadras (blocks) of property. They mainly raised agricultural products and some cattle. He began subdiving the estate and selling large tracts to friends, neighbors and people from Medellin that wanted to build fincas. Much of the progress came to an end during the Pablo Escobar era when the owner and his family moved to the US. They were delighted to return and resume their Paisa country lifestyle. The owners wife is a very pleasant lady and the staff of the finca hotel were quite delightful as well. We had a simple dinner of “Carne en el Trapo” which is like a filet mignon wrapped is a cheese cloth that has been rubbed down with salt and other spices. They throw it right into the flames of a fireplace and let it cook until all the cloth has been burned away. They then slice off the burned outer layer of meat to get to the juicy and succulent inside of the filet. Interestingly enough, there was an ample supply of well done, medium, medium rare and rare pieces to go around to suit everyones taste. Also inclued were salted potatoes, salad and green beans. No one went hungry.
The owner offered to show me around some more and I found a very large outside patio where one could throw a huge party. ” Wouldn’t it bother the neighbors?” I asked. He smiled and said, ‘There is only one and they don’t mind”! Also discovered a huge steam room that could easily accommodate 15-20 people, lush grounds that are actually used for raising avocados and ferns for use in flower arrangements. The are also two very small but stocked lakes (he plans to do some additional work on these)
So, I finally got around to asking him about the name. You see, Cuero is Spanish for leather or hides. I asked, “Why did you name the place 7 hides?” He smiled and said, “It also means 7 skins”. I was almost afraid to ask but he volunteered. Seems there are 7 very unique trees on the place. Flowering trees that rival a bogainvillea in colors but is much larger. It’s bark resembles a birch tree and does in fact look like thin layers of skin. I think he realized my relief and just chuckled.
It was a wonderful experience and hopefully I will be able to return with a group of friends for a weekend fiesta at our very own Medellin Finca Hotel. We now have a large list of finca available for rent and have posted our first three on the web site at www.medellintravelguide.com/medellin_fincarentals.html We will be adding more frequently (there are about 50 to choose from).
MTG
