The Click Clack Hotel has a fun loving character all of its own. From tea cup light shades, to the indoor plant wall, everything about this hotel is unique.
If you ever visit Colombia (and I highly recommend that you do!), your first taste of the country will most likely be Bogota – the country’s sprawling capital. Once there, you will probably want to take a couple of days to see the city before moving out to visit Colombia’s other attractions. The city can be a little intimidating at first thanks to its large size and busy nature. Give it some time however, and you will realize that possesses a certain coolness that is worth discovering.
When deciding which part of the city to stay in, there are a couple of options. Bogota’s city center is long and thin, as it runs along the bottom of a range of hills which form the eastern boundary of the city. At one end you will find La Candelaria – the most historic part of the city, and home to the main cathedral and government buildings. At the other is the ‘Zona Rosa’ (the pink zone), the lively upmarket neighborhood where people come to party, and enjoy good food. This is where we chose to stay, and we settled on Click Clack Hotel as our choice of accommodation.
The middle of Zona Rosa is pedestrianized, and its streets are busy with people both during the day and night. You can find all sorts of high class restaurants in the area, as well as bars and internationally known shops such as Prada and Armani. It is also where many big companies and banks have chosen to set up shop, further adding to the prestige of the neighborhood. Many of Bogota’s fanciest hotels can be found here, so if you are looking for something a bit special, this is the place to come.
Click Clack fits neatly into this bracket, yet stands out from its corporate counterparts. Housed in a modern building on the edge of Zona Rosa, it prides itself on its unique design touches which together, give it a character all of its own. From the shiny animal faced coat hooks and closet knobs, to the interesting curios in the lobby area, there is so much detail. You know this place is going to be different as soon as you get your first sight of the exterior. Boxy glass sections offset metal walls, which have a pattern of irregular lines cut into them, to give the impression of a city street map…it’s pretty cool!
The multi-level lounge/restaurant/bar area was our favorite spot to relax and we spent quite some time there, taking in all the things there are to see, and avoiding the rain which was a constant feature of our time in Bogota. It takes the form of a two level mezzanine, with the downstairs lobby connected to the upstairs bar and restaurant by a large staircase. Its most prominent feature is the ‘live plant wall’ (not even an inch of wall is visible through the sea of green), which climbs up to the skylights. Perpendicular to this, there is another wall which has been divided into sections – each with its own collection of interesting objects. One is filled with the word ‘hotel’ in white wooden letters, another is a wine rack. A third forms a shelf on which sits (amongst other things), an antique diving helmet, a collection of vintage cameras, and some old books. The skylights ensure that the place is well lit, as does the giant teacup shaped light which hangs from the ceiling.
“If you’re into quirky design hotels with their own unique character, then Click Clack will leave you pleased with your choice of accommodation. ”
The quirky decoration continues on, to one of the hotel’s two restaurants - ‘Ciengramos’ - and it is a popular destination for locals as well as guests. The bar is a mish-mash of more plants, interesting pieces of framed artwork, and drinks bottles, while the walls and ceiling are made from wood and exposed brick. Another cool feature are the lights, which consist of filament lightbulbs hanging off metallic crane-like structures.
The locals don’t just come here for the design though, the food is also excellent! The concept is artsy (many of the dishes are named after famous artists), and there is no particular geographical location connected to what they serve. Instead, you can enjoy whatever the chef has decided goes well together - whether that is grilled squid with corn and onion, or smoked pear risotto. This is also the menu you order room service from, and we had some delicious sandwiches and fries ordered up to our room, a definite must.
“Even if you don’t end up staying at the Click Clack Hotel, go and have look – the rooftop bar is great and the cocktails are even better!”
The other restaurant is Apache – the rooftop hamburger joint with a western/comic book theme. It’s a slightly more casual place than Ciengramos, with simple wooden furniture and black and white photos of native Americans on the walls. The star of the show is the view though, and it has windows facing out in every direction. We watched the sun go down and the lights of the city come on, while enjoying a fantastic cocktail and some tapas. One night we had plans to go out, but couldn’t tear ourselves away from the place. It gets quite lively as it gets later, and a DJ started at 1am – even if you are not the clubbing type, it is still a great place to hang out if you don’t feel like venturing into the city.
Click Clack’s rooms are divided into clothes-like size categories from XS to XL. We went for an S room which, while not the largest, was nicely designed. The walls were white – as were the blinds and the desk – and this made the space feel more generous than it was. Of course, what really made it feel bigger was the huge floor to ceiling window which covered one whole side of the room. Through this we got a decent view of the surrounding city and it was extremely relaxing to watch and listen to the rain hitting the glass at night.
Alongside the restaurant and bar, the hotel offers a couple of extra services which you can take advantage of. They have a 24 hour chauffeur service which will collect you from the airport as well as taking you anywhere else you might choose to go in the city. The car is a BMW 320i complete with wifi – a luxurious way to get about! They can also organize five different types of massages which take place in the comfort of your own bed.
From the hotel’s front door, it is a short walk to the heart of the Zona Rosa and all the entertainment options it has on offer. The rest of Bogota is accessible by taxi or Uber and both of these are pretty inexpensive. It takes about 20-30 minutes to get to La Candelaria depending on the traffic and once there you can easily spend a day wandering around the beautiful old colonial streets. There are a few interesting museums here such as the Botero Museum (Botero is a Colombian artist known for depicting people in a comical and plump way), and the Gold Museum where you can marvel at some of the country’s pre-columbian works of art. Another fun thing to do is to take a trip up to Montserrat – a church at the top of one of the hills overlooking the city. The views from here are amazing!
“The location of the Click Clack Hotel makes it a great option for young people who want to stay in the heart of the action. ”
If you're into quirky design hotels with their own unique character, then Click Clack will leave you pleased with your choice of accommodation. Its location also makes it a great option for young people who want to stay in the heart of the action. Even if you don’t end up staying there, go and have look – the rooftop bar is great and the cocktails are even better!