Calle la Casona · a family house since abuelo
That is exactly how Daniel introduces it: “Daniels guesthouse. A house with a story.” Here it is, told only with what he has written himself. No made-up anecdotes, just the chapters he shares with anyone who asks.
A long time ago
Daniel’s grandfather built this house on Calle la Casona a long time ago. He never quite finished it: as Daniel puts it, the situation in Minca at the time got in the way. Some houses are completed. This one kept a little room for the next chapter.
“My grandfather built this house a long time ago, but he never finished it.”
Childhood visits
When they came to visit as kids, Daniel and his brothers slept in bunk beds here. Those are the very bunk beds guests sleep in today. Daniel restored them when he restored the house, which might make them the most well-travelled furniture in Minca without ever leaving it.
“The bunkbeds that I rent out are the same bunkbeds that my brothers and I used to sleep in when we visited as kids.”
Later
Because of the situation in Minca at the time, the family moved away to another city. For some years, local people rented the house at a cheap price. The house waited, the way houses in the mountains do: rain on the metal roof, the big tree getting bigger.
Nine years
Daniel lived in the United States for nine years. Somewhere in those years, a long way from Calle la Casona, he started thinking about the house. (It also explains the very good English that guests keep mentioning.)
“After living in the states for nine years, I started thinking about this house.”
The phone calls
He called around and asked the family what they wanted to do with the house. Nobody seemed interested in keeping it. So Daniel said the simplest sentence in this whole story: he was interested.
“No one seemed interested in keeping it, so I said I was interested.”
2015
Daniel moved back to Minca (in 2015, according to his Google listing) and restored the house, bunk beds included. Then he decided it should not be only his home: it could also be a home for travellers.
Year from his Google listing; Daniel can confirm
Today
Today travellers cook in the kitchen, swing in the hammocks, wander a couple of minutes down to the river and lose at chess. Daniel lives here and is happy to tell you what he knows about the history of Minca and of this house. Ask him. That is the whole idea.
“My place is not a hostel. It is a home where we can live together.”
Hostels are built for travellers. This house was built by a grandfather, slept in by brothers and restored by a grandson. Travellers came later, and are welcome.
“My little guesthouse is also my home.” Daniel lives here. You are a guest in a house, not a number in a booking system.
In Daniel’s words, it is a house like any other in Minca, so when you stay here, you live like the locals: corner shops, dirt lane, neighbours, roosters.
One four-bed dorm and two private rooms. Small enough that by the second evening everyone knows who makes the best guacamole.
Ask about Minca, ask about the house. Daniel has said he is happy to tell you what he knows, and guests say the conversations are half the stay.
A hand-drawn cutaway of the spaces you will share: open any spot to see the real photographs and what guests and Daniel say about it.
A sketch of the house’s spaces, not a floor plan. Photos are real; their exact positions in the house are not.
The lane
Daniel’s own directions end like this: third house on your right, a white house under the big tree with wire fencing. The lane is unpaved, quiet and shared with neighbours, dogs and the occasional moto.
Front porch
Plastic chairs in sunset colours, plants in painted buckets, a barred door that is usually open during the day. This is where arrivals get the first “¡bienvenidos!”.
Common room
The heart of the house: hammocks strung between the beams, gymnastic rings for anyone feeling strong, a wooden table where chess nights happen, and a hand-painted sign that says LESS do MORE. Guests mention a speaker for music too.
Kitchen
Stove, fridge and freezer, kettle, pots, pans and utensils: it is Daniel’s own kitchen, so it is properly equipped. Shop in the village, cook here, eat together. Guests have made guacamole from the avocado tree and lemonade from the garden limes.
Bunk room
Four beds, its own bathroom, and the bunk beds from Daniel’s childhood visits. It closes with a curtain rather than a door.
Private rooms
A twin room for two and a room with three single beds, each listed as ensuite. Simple, fan-cooled, yours for the night.
Bathrooms
Every room type has its own bathroom. The water comes down from the mountain and, guests report, comes out cold. Daniel’s view, more or less: great for the immune system.
Painted walls
The DANIEL’S sign with its feathered wings, the @danielsminca frame, a wall that says Live every moment, Laugh every day, Love beyond words. The house speaks in hand lettering. This website borrowed the habit.
Garden & terrace
Hostelworld lists a garden, an outdoor terrace and panoramic views. Guests add details: limes, an avocado tree, the odd evening fire, and sunsets that turn the whole ridge pink.
Music corner
Daniel lists hand-drumming sessions on Hostelworld: cumbia, tropical, reguetón, salsa, merengue, champeta. “Write me to set up a time,” he says. A keyboard turns up on Instagram too.
Daniel says he is happy to tell you what he knows about Minca’s history and this house’s history. Bring questions. Maybe bring a chessboard too.
Source: Hostelworld · Google Maps
