Casa Yahri

Style

Tailored to thrill

Setting

Vintage Colombian Andes

Living like a local reaches luxury heights at Casa Yahri in Barichara, a refined boutique stay of just four rooms that’s also available for exclusive use. Overlooking the town and surrounding countryside, all the way to the Chicamocha National Park, this period casa sits on a series of terraces and is an indoor-outdoor idyll of sun decks, vista-backed pools and rustic-luxe interiors. Everything from days out to dinner can be tailored to your wishes, ensuring an immersive break where the luxury is in the finely-tuned detail. Its wild whereabouts, too, in the Colombian Andes, add to the casa’s ravishing, remote appeal.

Facilities

Rooms

Four – two of which are suites.

Checkout

Noon. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability and an extra fee.

More Details

Rates include a buffet-style breakfast of fresh bread, arepas, cereals, fruit, eggs, and avo on toast.

Also

The historic nature of the casa and its terraced layout, linked by stairs, make it inaccessible for wheelchair users and – combined with Barichara’s cobbles – mean you’ll need a reasonable level of fitness for this one-of-a-kind stay.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

Room Service

At the Hotel

Free WiFi, paid laundry service. In rooms: ceiling fan, air-conditioning, TV, minibar, coffee machine, tea-making kit, free bottled water, and (Colombian) LeMaître bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Exposed brickwork, gnarled ceiling beams and flagstone floors are the simple backdrop for antique furniture, carved headboards and flashes of bright color throughout the casa. There are no favorites here – which you prefer will depend on the company. For couples, either of the suites, Aratoca and Chicamocha, come with oodles of space, indoors and out, and are distinguished by the plunge pool at Chicamocha, and the vast terrace and outdoor shower at Aratoca. For families, the neighbouring Guane rooms that share a terrace are ideal.

Poolside

When you overlook acres of rolling Colombian forest, with mountains looming on the horizon, only an infinity-edged pool will do – and in the case of Casa Yahri, the chlorinated lap pool stretches the breadth of the communal salon at the entrance to the house. There are sunloungers for basking, woven tables and chairs for time out in the shade, and a neat square of a spa pool to one side for when you prefer your panoramas with bubbles.

Spa

There’s no spa at Casa Yahri but staff can arrange a Tibetan sound therapy or yoga session, as well as your Smith Extra relaxation therapy.

Packing Tips

Be inspired by the artisanal charms of your surroundings to bring embroidered, hand-dyed or embellished dresses and tops, as well as room-to-pool slides, and walking boots for exploring the region’s abundance of hiking trails.

Also

WiFi at Casa Yahri can be unreliable, so this is not a stay you want to depend on for remote working.

Children

Welcome. The adjacent Guane rooms are ideal for families, although this is a stay suited to older children able to navigate the casa’s many stairs and unfenced terraces.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

The dining table in the poolside salon is a convivial spot with the casa’s finest views at any time of day.

Dress Code

Home rules apply: there’s no need for formality.

Hotel Restaurant

Casa Yahri’s far too casual and intimate to have anything as formal as a restaurant, but Doña Blanca presides each morning over a breakfast of fresh bread, arepas, cereals, fruit, eggs, and avo on toast, served with coffee or hot chocolate. For dinner, you can either ask the concierge to book you a table in town, or arrange for a chef to prepare a special menu a casa.

Hotel Bar

Unlimited soft drinks are included with your stay, you only pay extra for alcohol, and as well as a selection of wine, beer and spirits stocked in the poolside salon, there are beers in each minibar.

Last Orders

Dining times are decided in collaboration between guests and staff.

Room Service

By day, staff are happy to bring drinks, snacks and more substantial plates to your room or suite, as required.

Planes

Palonegro Airport in Bucaramanga is the nearest international hub, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from the hotel. Staff can arrange a private transfer including a stop at a coffee farm, lunch, and a cable-car trip over the mountain canyon (price on enquiry).

Automobiles

There’s no private carpark at the house, but street parking in town is available a five- to 10-minute walk from your lodgings.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Casa Yahri’s staff excel in curating tours and experiences that’ll immerse you in the local scenery and culture. Learn about Colombian cuisine with a cookery class (and lunch), or try your hand at local artisanal crafts, such as ceramics, clay painting, weaving or adobe construction, with a private workshop. Guided tours are on offer around Barichara, to a coffee farm, or the archeological museum at Guane. For bird’s-eye views of the canyon, take a cable car across it, or sign up for paragliding its thermals. Hiking itineraries vary in difficulty and duration but range from a four-hour stomp along the Camino Real to Guane, to a full day on the trail from Villanueva to Jordan featuring rafting on the Chichamocha and a picnic lunch. A guided horseback trek through stunning countryside is yours to saddle up for. And if ‘four legs bad, two wheels good’, mountain biking trips can be organised, too. A casa, make time for yoga sessions or massage therapies.

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. .