I spent three weeks in Bogotá this last April walking through the city and I didn’t suffer any kind of robbery, nor I met someone who suffered one. This said, there are some places where you need to be cautious at night (La Candelaria). Keep your belongings in sight at all times and don´t move in empty areas. Talk with the local people, they will advise you wisely. The best place to stay is Chapinero Alto.

Not sure what you want to hear. The data on the internet almost unanimously agrees Bogota is unsafe for travel.

• Pickpocketing is rampant https://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/bogota/safety
• You can’t walk outside at night
• Robberies occur regularly

Why not go to Medellin instead?

I spent three weeks in Bogotá this last April walking through the city and I didn’t suffer any kind of robbery, nor I met someone who suffered one. This said, there are some places where you need to be cautious at night (La Candelaria). Keep your belongings in sight at all times and don´t move in empty areas. Talk with the local people, they will advise you wisely. The best place to stay is Chapinero Alto.

Not sure what you want to hear. The data on the internet almost unanimously agrees Bogota is unsafe for travel.

• Pickpocketing is rampant https://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/bogota/safety
• You can’t walk outside at night
• Robberies occur regularly

Why not go to Medellin instead?

@julien1 You need a PIP it mean admission and permanence permit Colombia Migration will seal your passport date of admission and authorized days of stay that will be for 90 days extendable, until completing 180 calendar days in total 6 months.

I’ve used NODO (nodo.space), it suited my needs just fine. Internet was fast enough for video calls without fail, and the people were very friendly.

I realize this is way after the question was asked, but in case anyone is searching for coworking spaces now…

I’ve tried Epicenter and it’s fine, but felt a little too sterile for my liking.

Have just discovered a newish one that I love, http://www.siembracoworking.com/, which is on Calle 10 in Poblado, so it couldn’t be more central (depends where you live though, of course…)

Anyway, super friendly staff, free coffee and they put on lots of cool events like language exchanges, pub quizzes etc. Very reasonably priced as well.

I just got to Medellin, and I’ve been going to Epicentro this week. I really like it. I’ve used several coworking spaces in the U.S., and it’s pretty comparable. You get a hot desk that you can safely leave your things at all day. The people there are friendly too (although I didn’t speak to others much as my Spanish is limited).

From what I can tell 9010 doesn’t exist (or at least their website is not live anymore).

I’m moving out of Poblado this weekend and over to Laureles, where there aren’t as many coworking spaces. Will be checking out this place: http://www.ondasmedellin.com/coworking/

You need to find a place close to where you are living. My place has decent internet and there is a outdoor cafe and museum 3 blocks away that I have been hanging out in. Planning on trying here this week http://coworking.laneros.com/

A friend of mine writes for Medellin Living and he reviewed this place: http://www.medellinliving.com/9010-coworking-space/. I worked from home while I was in Medellin, so haven’t personally experienced it. Good luck!

Atom house is another. I worked out of my company office when I lived in Medellin so I was only there for a meetup, but people seem to like it. It will not compare to what you experienced in Bali.

Yeah i was in Mexico this year during spring time and some parts were pretty muggy. Getting the CA earlier is a priority. Each place we will stay will be for about a month so ill book April soon to get that locked up. I didnt think of Semana Santa. Thanks for the heads up.

Ill have to look at CR again. Your suggestion is what Im interested in and if CR can do that pretty easily i would love it. There are lots of things to see/do there.

Thanks everyone for the input!

Ryne

I spent February-April in Cocles, just south of Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica, a couple years back – there is surfing there and around, it has a diverse population (not too Gringo-touristy) and it would fit your budget. I had great Internet (a software developer rented my place before me). Just beware if you’re staying anywhere in Latin America over Semana Santa (Easter week) you might run into availability problems, so you’re being smart to investigate now. However, I showed up and found a place on the spot – as long as you’re booking for several months you should be OK. Anyway, this area is the Caribbean and jungle, so fairly humid, but in Feb. you’d be hitting the nicest and driest season. It is paradise – the wildlife is amazing, right out your back yard. Howler monkeys in trees just a few meters away were my morning alarm. I loved it there.

It’s interesting to read about folks’ Nicaragua experiences though – I didn’t make it there, just to the border a couple of times. I heard it was less safe than CR, but didn’t really investigate. Thanks for sharing.

I’m not a fan of CR myself (too touristy) but I’m a huge fan of Nicaragua! Same landscape, people, food, etc. as CR, and about 1/2 the cost. $1500/mo there will be more than enough. The surf is great in CR but it’s packed with gringo’s, as you mentioned. Nica has slowly started to develop some of that but it’s a long ways off. There are still plenty of breaks where you’ll be alone in the water (or maybe with a few other people)

Nica is extremely safe. Safer than even CR I believe. Gangs / drugs are not the problem there that they are to the north of the country. The people are extremely warm and friendly.

Internet is OK. Honestly it’s slow. A good connection is about 10mbps but a lot of beach hostels, etc. will be a bit slower. I routinely work from the coasts of Nica, hold skype/hangout/slack meetings, etc. It’s fine, but if I were to try and download huge files, I’d probably pull my hair out.

I admit I’m a bit biased. I love Nica, travel there 4/5 times per year, do business there, and have become a legal resident there (mostly for business purposes). However because of this I’m super familiar with the country. Avoid San Juan del Sur (gringo’s) and you should be in store for a pretty authentic experience.

Hey, I posted something similar here you may want to check out.