Cannúa
Cloudbusting cabanas
Cloud-forest fantasia
Hanging suspended over verdant valleys in the foothills of the Andes, Cannúa’s luxurious rooms and cloud-forest cabanas blend seamlessly into their remote mountain location deep in the Colombian countryside. Here, days are spent gorging on colourful plates of French-Colombian cuisine dressed in rainbows of edible flowers, unleashing your inner Attenborough on tropical-bird-spotting expeditions and going ga-ga over Colombian coffee, chocolate or rum at tasting sessions with expert local producers. Heck, you’re on vacation: why not pig out on all three? And if that doesn’t leave you in a contented stupor, those widescreen valley views – accompanied by a boozy signature Dr Cannúa cocktail – surely will.
Facilities
Rooms
18, of which eight are cabanas.
Checkout
11am. Check-in, 3pm. Guests arriving early can store luggage at reception and make use of the resort if rooms are not ready. You’re also welcome to stick around into the evening at the end of your stay if your room isn’t needed for new guests.
More Details
Rates include breakfast between 7am and 10am in the restaurant, where the selection of tropical fruits, homemade breads, jams and cheeses, house granola, eggs with arepas, juices, teas, and Colombian coffee is sure to set you up for the day.
Also
Facilities for guests with reduced mobility include one fully wheelchair-accessible deluxe room, plus two cabanas located close to the main building. An elevator makes for easy movement between the restaurant and the spa and bar deck on the floor below.
Free Internet Access
Laundry
On-Site Restaurant
Spa
At the Hotel
Free WiFi. In rooms: tea and coffee set, free bottled water, umbrella, flashlight, games, bathrobes, and organic Piel de Semilla toiletries.
Our Favourite Rooms
There’s no such thing as a bad view at Cannúa, where all 18 rooms and cabanas overlook the rolling San Nicolás Valley below. That feeling of being close to nature is further enhanced by sustainable design features that include exposed earthen bricks, reclaimed woods and handmade lamps. Widescreen wraparound windows give standalone cabanas the edge. Once inside, you might imagine yourself descending over an alien landscape in your own private spacecraft, especially after that second rum punch, sipped in your hammock at sundown, just as the forest frog chorus cranks up into full melodious song.
Spa
Massage, facials and other treatments such as coffee scrubs are available in the spa.
Packing Tips
Take along a decent set of binoculars and a guide to Colombian wildlife – essential reading for hikers and hammock-bound twitchers alike. Even though most of the hikes you’ll go on here will be guided, there’s no satisfaction greater than identifying this poison dart frog or that three-toed sloth yourself, or wowing fellow travellers as you confidently point out a colourful emerald toucanet or Andean motmot on the wing. A natural repellent for the less photogenic, ankle-biting critters is also recommended here. Respect the Cannúa ethos by opting for plant-based oils and patches over synthetic chemical sprays.
Also
That feeling of being at one with nature? You’re not imagining it. The architecture of Cannúa is based around the mathematical principles of the golden ratio, which also occurs in the geometric spiral arrangements of some plants and leaves.
Children
Little Smiths are welcome but the vibe at Cannúa is pretty grown up and there are no specific facilities for kids.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
You’ll have to get to the restaurant early to bag the best tables out on the terrace, with their sweeping valley views.
Dress Code
Get down with the eco vibe and rock your favourite recycled (or upcycled) organic cotton togs, coincidentally ideal for the daytime heat. Throw on jeans and a jumper for cooler evenings on the bar deck.
Hotel Restaurant
Cannúa’s French-Colombian restaurant serves up dishes that look like works of art and taste – possibly quite literally – like nothing you’ve eaten before. The chef’s vibrant masterpieces are strewn with colourful edible flowers and leaves plucked from the kitchen garden that very morning, as well as ‘lost flavours’ foraged from the mountains. For sustainability reasons, pork and beef are no-nos here, but carnivores can look forward to dishes including Colombian rabbit-loin stew and the signature slow-cooked chicken confit, served on a bed of arepa purée with a pesto made from non-traditional foraged plants. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus afternoon snacks like sandwiches and empanadas in the afternoon.
Hotel Bar
Chocolate-, coffee- and rum-tasting sessions on the bar deck vie to distract your attention, albeit fleetingly, from those endlessly dreamy vistas. The bar itself stays open until midnight, serving a range of local beers, wines and, of course, rums. Mixologists use the best of the mountain’s bounty to rustle up cocktails such as the signature Dr Cannúa, a medicinal blend of Bulleit Bourbon, organic honey, ginger, eucalyptus, lime, and smoked cinnamon.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served 7am–10am and the bar deck keeps the party going until midnight.
Planes
José María Cordova International Airport is 40–60 minutes from the resort. One-way transfers can be arranged for around COP200,000.
Automobiles
If wild mountain roads, hair-raising hairpin bends and occasional off-road action is your bag, you’d do well to rent a car at the airport and make the journey north to Cannúa yourself. Of course, once there you may decide you never have to leave the place again. But if you do, you’ll find having your own set of wheels handy for visiting local coffee plantations and colourful nearby towns like Marinilla and Guatapé. There’s free valet parking at the lodge.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
No-one’s going to think less of you if you take the understandable decision to spend your stay supine on the bar deck, lifting your head only to sip cocktails and squint sleepily at tropical birds as they flit to and fro between the trees. Indeed, hanging out at Cannúa is actively encouraged, and there’s a range of largely untaxing activities held right here in the grounds. For example, included with your stay is a short tour and talk on the lodge’s design and the owners’ commitment to the principles of permaculture. This is waaay more interesting than it sounds, an unmissable highlight delivered with great knowledge, passion and zeal by the owners.
You’re going to be spending a lot of time on the bar deck, and here’s why. As well as those delicious views, it also provides the glorious setting for a number of tasting sessions. Lovers of devilishly good chocolate, coffee and rum will be in clover at these expert-led showcases, which are liable to leave you legless or bouncing off the walls, depending on your favoured tipple.
Short hikes from the lodge include a free daily stargazing sunset walk and a wander along the pre-Columbian track that leads off the property. For something a little more challenging, book the extended version of the latter, which takes you some 15 kilometres across the mountains, meeting fruit farmers and native wildlife along the way. The hike includes a traditional Colombian picnic lunch and the chance to cool off beneath a 210-foot waterfall.
Other off-property activities sure to make your holiday snaps pop include releasing endangered baby turtles into the wild as well as paragliding over the Andes – and spelunking under them. Meanwhile, the colourful pueblos of Marinilla and Guatapé provide more traditional sightseeing options, including Spanish colonial churches, local guitar workshops and – in the Peñón de Guatapé – a great big 650-million-year-old rock protruding from the earth. A 708-step staircase, designed for those with nerves of steel only, weaves a path up its near-vertical face.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
