The most celebrated luxury hotel in Medellín — El Cielo Hotel by chef Juan Manuel Barrientos (Colombia's most famous chef and the face of molecular gastronomy in the country), where the 5-star property in El Poblado combines the finest hotel restaurant in the city (the El Cielo tasting menu is the most internationally recognized dining experience in Medellín), a rooftop pool, and the authority of a hotel created by the person who more than anyone else put Medellín on the international food map.
Why We Chose It
El Cielo Hotel is the project of Juan Manuel Barrientos, the Colombian chef who trained at elBulli under Ferran Adrià and returned to Medellín to open El Cielo restaurant in 2007 — the restaurant that, combined with Carmen, established the city's credibility as a serious culinary destination. The hotel (opened later as the restaurant's natural extension) occupies a tower in El Poblado whose design reflects Barrientos's aesthetic: contemporary, bold, art-forward. The property includes El Cielo restaurant (the signature molecular gastronomy tasting menu cited in Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants and was the city's first internationally recognized fine dining destination), El Bistro Tropical (the all-day café-restaurant in the hotel's front section, open from morning), an outdoor pool, and a fitness center. The hotel's primary appeal for guests who are not dining at the restaurant is its central El Poblado position, its design quality, and the service standards of a property operated by a team that understands hospitality at its most sophisticated level. For visitors whose primary goal is to eat the finest tasting menu in Medellín in the most curated hotel environment — El Cielo is the answer.
What Stands Out
- El Cielo restaurant: the most internationally recognized fine dining in Medellín — molecular gastronomy, Latin America's 50 Best consideration
- Juan Manuel Barrientos's hotel: the property created by Colombia's most famous chef — the hospitality philosophy is the same as the cooking philosophy
- El Bistro Tropical: the all-day café-restaurant for guests who want the El Cielo quality at bistro pricing
- Rooftop pool: the correct El Poblado position plus the outdoor swimming infrastructure that premium visitors expect
- For the visitor who came to eat: El Cielo Hotel solves the accommodation-restaurant pairing in a single booking