Hotel Güembé
Km. 5 camino a Porongo Zona Urubó, Santa Cruz Bolivia
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About
4.0
#1 of 3 campsites in Santa CruzLocation
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Relax and enjoy tropical nature at its fullest. A great place to meditate and recharge your energy and your spirit. Very comfortable and cozy rustic cabins and rooms surrounded by a natural oasis just 7 kilometers from the city. Once you enter the resort, you completely forget there is a big metropolis just a walk away. Feel free to blend in with nature and do all kinds of healthy activities for the whole family!
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Bar / lounge
Golf course
Mini golf
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids club
Secured parking
Wifi
Pool with view
Outdoor pool
Restaurant
Snack bar
Poolside bar
Board games / puzzles
Business Centre with Internet Access
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Gift shop
Non-smoking hotel
24-hour front desk
Private check-in / check-out
Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Room service
Safe
Microwave
Minibar
Refrigerator
Room types
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Trendy
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Km. 5 camino a Porongo Zona Urubó, Santa Cruz Bolivia
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 38 out of 100
38
Viru Viru Intl Airport
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Detailed Reviews
I've stayed in the biocentro Guembe for a week now. The place is simply...amazing: The restaurant is very rustic and yet the sophistication of their cuisine could well be found on any 5* restaurant.
The property consists of an "ecoville" styled geopark fully featured inside a natural park full of natural swimming pools, great bars, and wonderfull accomodation, specially taught for the family and relaxation .
Currently the biocenter offers the best butterfly collection arround.
At night the enviroment gets really romanic, so a dinner in two is by far the best program.
From the city of Santa Cruz, it shouldn´t take more than half hour getting there.
Really like it! I'm really glad to have found such a place in Bolivia :-)
The property consists of an "ecoville" styled geopark fully featured inside a natural park full of natural swimming pools, great bars, and wonderfull accomodation, specially taught for the family and relaxation .
Currently the biocenter offers the best butterfly collection arround.
At night the enviroment gets really romanic, so a dinner in two is by far the best program.
From the city of Santa Cruz, it shouldn´t take more than half hour getting there.
Really like it! I'm really glad to have found such a place in Bolivia :-)
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Date of stay: December 2010Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I never thought I could find a so ecologic hotel in Bolivia. This hotel respects and take care of the animals, and all living forms in general in a very outstanding way, from their special place for butterflies to the birds place, another special place for 4 or 5 forms of bees and their guides tell you all they know about them, you can see they love nature. You have a little lake where you can rowing a boat, you can see turtles taking the sun while you row your boat. The place is so calm, no city noises at all. The amboro pool is phenomenal. The only thing I suggest they could improve is the breakfast because last time I was there, the included breakfast is not buffet. Rooms are excellent, modern TVs, soft beds and clean rooms in general. All attractions inside the hotel are free. 100% recommended. I almost forget, there's 10 or 15 small pools where you can really enjoy the place besides the two big ones.
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Date of stay: May 2013Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent last weekend at Biocentro Guembe, we had been there before on a day trip and the grounds are truly amazing. Staying there was something else at $200+ a night, it was truly disappointing. When we entered our cabin the smell of insecticide was so strong that the kids started coughing. We went to the pool and approached the bar to order something to drink at noon and we were told that the gentleman who made the drinks had gone to lunch, so you must wait for the staff to have lunch before you can. After staying at the pool, which is truly beautiful, we decided to have lunch. When we checked in we were told that the restaurant was open until 10pm, it was 4:10 p.m. and we asked to be seated and they said the buffet was served til 3:30pm, I told them I wanted to order from the menu and the young lady told me that we should go to the poolside bar because they reopened at 4:00pm , I mentioned the time and she said wait let me ask. She returned with menus and 10 minutes later we had to get up and leave the resort to eat in town, because they never returned to take our order. We ended up leaving the other day before lunch, because the installations are 5 star, but service is less than a star. I recommend visiting, but only for the day.
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Date of stay: August 2012Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
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Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aesthetically, what a beautiful resort. But the clear pools, placed within beautifully landscaped flora, are not enough to save what was once, perhaps, a top notch resort. While there is certainly enough to do--with the nice walking tour, the aviary, the butterfly exhibit, kayaking, and the 12+ swimming pools (albeit, some of these pools are less than 100 sq/ft)--the service at the resort is abysmal, and I would argue that it is bad beyond redemption (for the price, that is).
As a traveler, you realize that you are bound to come across some bad customer service experiences. Most of these experiences are forgivable; staff, like all people, have bad days. But what I experienced in my three days at the resort was not a matter of one or two incidences. There were systemic problems--a culture of bad customer service, especially in the restaurant and to a more limited extent at the front desk. Customers are made to feel like a burden, and service is beyond slow. This is no Disney resort, despite similar pricing. Smiles on the faces of the workers were incredibly uncommon. I understand that this may be reflective of poor working conditions (bad management?), and I am sympathetic. But alas, you--the potential patron of this establishment--are probably more concerned about what you get for what you pay. Your mileage may vary, but consider that our experience was pretty consistent.
As far as food goes, I'd recommend taking a taxi to central Santa Cruz. The restaurant business is blooming and there are many fantastic options. What you get at the resort is mediocre, yet priced like a resort. Perhaps better customer service would make the food a bit more tolerable?
There are some redeeming features, as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this review. The tour guides were enthusiastic and the grounds are very well kept. You get to see quite a few birds up close and personal. Kayaks are free to use. The pools are very relaxing (yet the blaring music is a strange juxtaposition).
All in all, come to the resort for a day. Come early, play all day, and leave for the city.
As a traveler, you realize that you are bound to come across some bad customer service experiences. Most of these experiences are forgivable; staff, like all people, have bad days. But what I experienced in my three days at the resort was not a matter of one or two incidences. There were systemic problems--a culture of bad customer service, especially in the restaurant and to a more limited extent at the front desk. Customers are made to feel like a burden, and service is beyond slow. This is no Disney resort, despite similar pricing. Smiles on the faces of the workers were incredibly uncommon. I understand that this may be reflective of poor working conditions (bad management?), and I am sympathetic. But alas, you--the potential patron of this establishment--are probably more concerned about what you get for what you pay. Your mileage may vary, but consider that our experience was pretty consistent.
As far as food goes, I'd recommend taking a taxi to central Santa Cruz. The restaurant business is blooming and there are many fantastic options. What you get at the resort is mediocre, yet priced like a resort. Perhaps better customer service would make the food a bit more tolerable?
There are some redeeming features, as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this review. The tour guides were enthusiastic and the grounds are very well kept. You get to see quite a few birds up close and personal. Kayaks are free to use. The pools are very relaxing (yet the blaring music is a strange juxtaposition).
All in all, come to the resort for a day. Come early, play all day, and leave for the city.
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Date of stay: December 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Güembé is a beautiful biopark and resort located in the outskirts of Santa Cruz, a 45 minute drive from the center of the city. It has an aviary, a butterfly garden, a terrarium, and an orchid garden. There are monkeys, turtles, bees, serpents. iguanas, sloths and more. The tour guide explained that the animals they have in the sanctuary have been rescued from people that keep them as pets. In Bolivia, it is illegal to keep this kind of animals as pets. I was pleasantly surprised to see the resort part of the park, with its beautiful swimming pools, cabins and lagoons where you can go kayaking.
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Date of stay: February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We went here for the day to have a relaxing day after all our travelling, and relax we did!! There are many swimming pools and the natural ones are really nice, many of them and lots of sunbeds too. The many waterfalls add a naturalistic touch.
The actual animal exhibits are ok but not quite what I expected. Not that many butterflies and we couldnt see many birds in the aviary - we did see macaws and a toucan. We also saw a sloth which was really cool!!
If you want a relaxing day then I would definitely recommend Biocentre Guembe but if you want to see lots of animals you may be a bit disappointed.
The actual animal exhibits are ok but not quite what I expected. Not that many butterflies and we couldnt see many birds in the aviary - we did see macaws and a toucan. We also saw a sloth which was really cool!!
If you want a relaxing day then I would definitely recommend Biocentre Guembe but if you want to see lots of animals you may be a bit disappointed.
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Date of stay: February 2013Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
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Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The place is 9 km ouside santa cruz, just a short taxi ride away. It has lovely swimming pools, a great aviary and a butterfly park. The areal also encompasses a hotel and a massively overpriced restaurant. Entrance is 140 bob. You are frisked at the door and any food you might carry will be taken away from you. The pools and lounge areas are good. But do not be mislead: there is nothing eco about this place. Plastic everywhere and the monkeys and a tapir are held in zoo conditions. If bored with santa cruz, go there for a pool day but not much more.
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Date of stay: March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Most of the people who attended us were either tired, annoyed or rude. One was blaming us for not bringing the Migration green paper with our passports, even though I called them twice to find out specifically what were we supposed to bring and if a photo ID was enough? And they NEVER mentioned the green Migration paper! They basically didn't wanted to allow us the entry (even though we had already payed for a suite)!
They also have this very complicated system where you have to check in twice a day and they change your armbands three times during a 2 days stay. And all the time they make you feel like if they were making you a favor (for paying the extra expenses, for allowing you to use their pool towels for 2 days(!), for coming to change your armband, etc...).
I recommend the "guided" tours. However it is better if you are a group of more than 2 people, because otherwise you'll get a shorter tour where they jus allow you to discover the place on your own.
They also have this very complicated system where you have to check in twice a day and they change your armbands three times during a 2 days stay. And all the time they make you feel like if they were making you a favor (for paying the extra expenses, for allowing you to use their pool towels for 2 days(!), for coming to change your armband, etc...).
I recommend the "guided" tours. However it is better if you are a group of more than 2 people, because otherwise you'll get a shorter tour where they jus allow you to discover the place on your own.
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Date of stay: March 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very nice resort. We loved the surroundings and the park with the butterflies and the parrots, ape and some other animals. They have a number of pools and a lot of things to do. Unfortunately the water was freezing as we where there in winter (July). The rustic cabin was ok, but I found the 2900 Bs per night (after winter reductions) to be expensive. We had a great buffet and the restaurant was good but not excellent.
We only stayed one night and I would say that you should stay 2 nights to have time for everything.
The resort has free wifi with a decent speed considering what you have at other hotels in Bolivia. They were doing constructions around the pool area.
The information in the reception could have been better. We had to ask for pool towels and I guess my Spanish isn't very good because they gave me cards for welcome drinks? So I got a drink and a towel but I couldn't get the drink in the pool bar - had to go to the restaurant. There is only one restaurant and no other options for meals in the area.
But the city is still pretty close and they have a taxi service so it's easy to get a cab to town.
We only stayed one night and I would say that you should stay 2 nights to have time for everything.
The resort has free wifi with a decent speed considering what you have at other hotels in Bolivia. They were doing constructions around the pool area.
The information in the reception could have been better. We had to ask for pool towels and I guess my Spanish isn't very good because they gave me cards for welcome drinks? So I got a drink and a towel but I couldn't get the drink in the pool bar - had to go to the restaurant. There is only one restaurant and no other options for meals in the area.
But the city is still pretty close and they have a taxi service so it's easy to get a cab to town.
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Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Its lovely here for the day. They really should sort the food out though and think about the service side of things. Both let the place down badly. Also, not sure that deafening party music and eco resort make a good mix. Visit during the week if you want a more relaxing visit
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Date of stay: April 2015Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
"There are cabins for couples or single people and for groups or families. They have all the amenities, hammocks and they are lovely."Read full review
"The suite de luxe was very nice, nice patio and far from the noise of the restaurant."Read full review
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Biocentro Guembe
LOCATION
BoliviaSanta Cruz DepartmentSanta Cruz
NUMBER OF ROOMS
14
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Claim Your ListingHOTEL GÜEMBÉ: See 19 Reviews and 281 Photos (Santa Cruz, Bolivia)
Frequently Asked Questions about Hotel Güembé
Which popular attractions are close to Hotel Güembé?
Nearby attractions include Biocentro Güembé (0.05 km), Catedral de Santa Cruz (7.2 km), and Plaza 24 de Septiembre (7.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Hotel Güembé?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Hotel Güembé?
Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Hotel Güembé?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and a poolside bar during their stay.
Is parking available at Hotel Güembé?
Yes, free parking and secured parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Hotel Güembé?
Conveniently located restaurants include KAO by Sach'a, As de Copas, and Sach'a Huaska.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Hotel Güembé?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Hotel Güembé offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers a business centre, meeting rooms, and a banquet room.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Hotel Güembé?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Spanish.
Is Hotel Güembé accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.