We met Justin, an expat from Utah, at our Medellin Airbnb and he suggested Guatapé as a ‘must see’ destination for our travels. Located just a few hours east of town (a $9 bus fare), we arrived in the cutest town we’d seen so far — fairytale city of colorful houses and shops.

As to where to stay, Scott’s Google search for ‘unique experiences in Colombia’ pointed us towards 5-star Levit Glamping; located on the beautiful Guatapé reservoir. Since we are experiencing numerous ‘firsts’ on this adventure, glamping seemed to fit the bill.

We arrived in Guatapé on Monday around noon and, before boarding our boat to our glamping sight, we stopped by Café Fogoto for lunch. A typical Colombian meal of local grilled garlic fish for Scott and “Ajiaco” soup (chicken, rice, avocado and capers) for me was accompanied by a surprisingly delicious Limonada de Coco. Words can’t describe how yummy that was!

After lunch we jumped on a boat with a few other guests and headed across the water to Levit Glamping; a half hour later we arrived at our resort. And how magical it was! It looked like it belonged in a Hobbit movie. Strung along the hillside was a series of sleeping pods. These would be our home for the next two days.

At $150 per night, we got a glamping pod, guided hike (which we opted out of due to the rain), three meals a day and a private bathroom. We upgraded to a ‘Super Moon’ pod which included a private deck and ground-level webbed hammock. We also added two $30 massages, a bottle of wine and some snacks. A little over our budget, and pricey for camping, but worth it for such a unique experience.

The food wasn’t much to write about. The dinner menu looked like a lunch menu with sandwiches and a lasagna option (not recommended), but otherwise what you might expect for a camping experience — that you don’t have to shop for or prepare yourself.

The weather was nice (mid 70’s) during the day, but after sunset, the clouds rolled in and it rained. Both nights. All night. The first night was thunder and lightning which, at first, was romantic and then later, just plain scary.

Before and during our pre-ordered dinner, movies play in the main pavilion. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody (again) one night with the other ‘glampers’ and loved it. After dinner, a bonfire, with marshmallows provided.

The massage was good but…

Initially, the massage area was set-up in an open-air palapa next to one of three active construction sites on this property. Aside from the lack of privacy, the construction noise didn’t appear to be winding down anytime soon, and there didn’t appear to be any privacy curtains so when we questioned the location and the lack of privacy, the owners quickly made other arrangements down the hill at a more private site. That said, they were totally surprised to find out that we Americans usually take our clothes off — obviously not the custom in Colombia.

Between buzzing circular saws, worker’s musica, and ringing cell phones, this was not quite the restful experience we had hoped for. That said, a massage in nature is always a good thing.

The couple running Levit Glamping are totally charming and eager to please, and the overall glamping pod concept is truly unique and brilliant. All-in-all, we loved this experience but think it needs a couple of years of refinement before it’s classified as ‘5-star’ on Trip Adviser — in our humble opinion.