Cartagena de Indias is quite possibly South America's most beautiful colonial city. The coastal city is Colombia's top travel attraction. The old town of Cartegena de Indias is immaculately preserved, with numerous beautiful plazas, churches and old buildings to marvel at. There are also many boutique shops and emerald stores. Cartegena is a very romantic city to stroll around and explore - allow two whole days for city tours to take in the main travel attractions. The city can get extremely hot and humid during the day, which might put off certain visitors.
Cartagena's Beaches
Cartegena's city beaches are generally quite murky and overcrowded, and visitors will be hassled by numerous hawks and vendors. The beaches are particularly un-relaxing during Colombia's peak tourism season.
Head out of town to find the best beaches - the beaches at nearby Playa Blanca are much cleaner and more pleasant, but they are full of pushy hawkers trying to sell goods and generally spoiling an otherwise relaxing beach. There are a couple of basic places to stay on Playa Blanca beach, such as Campamento Wittenberg (email: wittenberg2000@hotmail.com). Bocachica beach, on nearby Tierrabomba island is another good option - you can arrange a day tour quite easily which should also visit the nearby ruined fort. Estelar has a decent hotel on Tierrabomba Island. Alternatively, consider taking a boat tour to the beautiful nearby Rosario islands, where you might even consider spending a couple of nights. If you're looking for a beach resort in Baru (about 1 to 2 hours West of Cartagena), consider the new Hotel Agua, Sport Baru or Playa Scondida.
Attractions around Cartegena
Just outside of the city itself, there are numerous tourism attractions to appeal to the visitor. The small nearby village of La Boquilla has a good beach and the nearby mangrove swamps are good for birdwatching tours. There's also a few golf courses nearby.
Another travel highlight are the volcanic mud baths at Volcan del Totumo, which are two hours away from the city of Cartagena. Your hotel can easily arrange a day tour for you.
Sailing Tours from Cartagena to Panama
From Cartagena it's increasingly popular to travel by sailboat through the San Blas Islands to Panama. See the section on Colombia to Panama routes for advice.
Cartagena's Boutique Hotels
There's two distinct hotel zones in Cartegena: the old town and the more modern Bocagrande. The old town is a far more beautiful area to book a hotel in, with many delightful old colonial buildings that have been converted into boutique hotels. Details of hotels in the old town and links to their websites follow:
Santa Clara - possibly the best hotel, this is were the famous stay (eg. Bill Clinton) in Cartagena (from $400).
Casa Del Arzobispado Hotel -an excellent, top of the range small hotel.
Charleston Santa Teresa - another top of the range option, rivalling the Santa Clara (from $270).
Casa El Caratero - a hip, boutique option with lots of press mentions (from $200).
La Pasion Hotel - Stylish & funky, with a beautiful roof top swimming pool (from $200).
Casa del Curato - mid range, a safe bet with stylish rooms in a 18 century mansion (from $110).
Casa Quero - another boutique hotel.
Alfiz - 17 century colonial house converted into a boutique hotel, it gets very good hotel reviews (from $150).
Bantu - another boutique (from $120).
Casa la Fe - small bed and breakfast with just 14 rooms and a swimming pool (from $160).
Casa India Catalina -16 room boutique hotel.
Casa Veranera - "stylish, uber chic and intimate" boutique hotel (from $190).
Hotel 3 Banderas - great value (from $75).
Casa Viena Hostel in Getesemani (the colonial old town), a good hostel for backpackers.
Hotel Marlin - another decent backpackers choice.
Cartegena's Bocagrande district, overlooking the sea, has a range of more modern hotels. Most are high rise luxury hotels with swimming pools and a range of amenities. The Cartegena Hilton hotel, Capilla del Mar and Caribe Hotel are just a few suggestions for your vacation. If you prefer a smaller hotel in Bocagrande, try Hotel Da Pietro (from $75), which is simple but good value.
