Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf and Spa Resort: Terrible Stay

We have been travelling about 4 times a year to the Caribbean and South America for the last 10 to 12 years and have been going predominantly to AMR Resorts (Zoetry, Secrets and Dreams). We are familiar with the brand and like what they offer in terms of high end resorts with unlimited luxury, extensive amenities etc. We have just returned from Dreams Karibana Cartegena Golf and Spa Resort and were very disappointed. The food options and variety available are extremely limited and there is a [... read more]bsolutely no top shelf drinks as claimed on the web site. Same with cocktails. The Coco Café here did not have the usual snacks (sandwiches etc), yogurt, different cookies, parfaits etc. They had same three types of ice creams (chocolate, vanilla and mango) which were also iced up. We went preferred but it was a complete waste of money. I would say that it is a scam to gouge extra money for below services claimed to be provided. • Daily continental breakfast service • Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres • Exquisite desserts and premium liquors • Access to Preferred Club lounge and bar All the above services are there but only in name, or at best skeletal. The only good thing they have going is the customer service which is excellent. Special mention of Yirley at Oceana, Margarita, Fabier and Rosmery at the Buffet, Yineth and Jose at the Lounge Bar, Mauricio at the Learn Spanish Class and Janivis and Luis at the Coco Cafe. The room service is also prompt and good. I would like to mention my experience at the Portofino. I was not allowed entry since I was in sandals, which was fine since they have a dress code which requires men to wear closed shoes. But this was not consistently followed. The hostess and the Restaurant Manager, Samir were very selective since we did see men being let in wearing sandals. When I brought this to the attention of the same hostess I was told these were patrons with foot issues but strangely we seen the same patrons in runners later during the trip. I also bought this to the attention of the senior manager available that evening, David (Sales Manager), who had what seemed like a friendly chat with both, the hostess and the restaurant manager Samir but failed to apprise/respond to us. David gaveme a talk about how important communication in this industry but failed to get back to us.

Grand Sirenis Cartagena: Not a resort yet

This hotel is quite nice and close to the beach but was lacking service. We had to go get our own drinks at the bar and we’re not asked if we would like more at all. Even taking our own dirty glasses up to bar and get refills. Bartenders did not know how to make many drinks and each bar was a different experience The food was excellent every night and had a great variety of different food options every day ,and the scenery and sights were awesome. There were very few workers who spoke English  [... read more]and they lacked restocking guests fridges The rooms were clean and maid did a decent job. There was very little entertainment other than dj and one evening had a singer for a couple hours. They seem to cater much more to the locals that were coming in. The one light was a young girl named Laura who was very helpful. She had to help the air Transat rep sell our excursion as the rep spoke very little English. You had to find all of your own transportation they had nothing going on a regular schedule to the city or the marina for excursions.it would be better to be picked up at the hotel for these. I would go back to Columbia again in the future as it is quite beautiful. Near the end of our visit some owner and managers showed up and things seemed to get a bit better. Finally had the cards for food names with English as well They didn’t have a good selection of options for beer and absolutely no rye whiskey and had to fight for cans of light beer that they only wanted to serve in rooms if you badgered the staff to bring them They usually never came No map or cards to make visitors aware of restaurants or service hours only one card at front desk Pools were clean and all areas were kept clean and tidy. If you want quiet and not too many people it was that as it seemed there was only maybe 25 percent occupancy even though they said they were fully booked Large amount of construction right next door worker Monday to Friday

Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf and Spa Resort: First trip to Colombia

We really enjoyed Dreams Karibana Cartagena. I was a bit worried after reading some on-line reviews, but everything was lovely. It is a small resort, so the buffet meals had fewer options than other resorts we’ve been to but the quality of the food was great. The pool was never crowded, and we had no problems getting poolside lounge chairs. The rooms were clean, but with a bit of wear and tear. We saw maintenance people on site most days, so I would guess the whole resort is getting a bit of a r [... read more]efresh. The staff was amazing. Very friendly - by the end of our week, we knew most of the entertainment crew. A couple downsides: there was no beach to speak of, apparently due to high water levels and we didn’t always have hot water for showers.

Hotel Caribe by Faranda Grand: Did not Disappoint

We chose this hotel for our first visit to Colombia because of the open air animal sanctuary and it did not disappoint. In fact, the animals at the resort were the highlight of the trip for me. When else can you wake up to beautiful weather, grounds and feed the deer, a toucan or a peacock? When we were lucky enough to catch a sloth making it's way to a tree...well that was it. It couldn't get any better! The room itself is a bit dated and the shower door didn't close which seemed to be a known [... read more] issue based on the wad of tape at the top of the door to try to get it to stay closed but this was just a minor annoyance. There is a window in the room looking out to the beach but unfortunately, it did not open. The lap pool was great for a morning swim which opens at 8am. The hotel has a large private area on the beach where you can relax in peace on a bed and there is never an issue finding an available spot. There is even a towel attendant so no need to bring one from the pool. The restaurant right next to is is convenient for grabbing a cocktail or a light lunch. The service was impeccable esp when I mentioned that my daughter had gotten sick and asked if a late checkout was possible. Not only was it not an Issue, they sent up a doctor and the manager immediately to see if they could help - all free of charge. I would definitely stay here again if and when I return to Cartagena.

Grand Sirenis Cartagena: Beautiful place.

This hotel was clean, quaint, and perfect. There were a couple of flaws but over all amazing. Staff were helpful and wonderful. While I feel they are still trying to figure out the all inclusive bit, their food everyday was great.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Remote

This was our 2nd time to Cartagena & I must say we were disappointed upon our arrival at the Decameron Baru. We found this resort to be very remote from the airport & downtown Cartagena. Our bus ride took 1hr & 45min which made for a very long day. We did not have hot water for the first 3 days. We had requested a kingsize bed and received a room with 2 twin beds. We found the rooms to be in decline. The drawers in the dresser were falling out, the hot water shower handle came off completely on  [... read more]2 occasions & pieces of the dresser doors were broken off , or rotting. The restaurant choices were minimal. We also upgraded our package to the “plus” package, which we found did not really have any benefits. Our “plus” member pool did not open until 10am & we still needed to book our restaurant reservations daily. We also found that the hotel staff were not very fluent with the English language, menus were in Spanish & if we asked a question regarding what ingredients were being used in a meal concerning allergies, they could not answer as they did not understand English. Overall this hotel is listed as a 4* resort, but we would rate this hotel as a 3*.

Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf and Spa Resort: Great time in Cartagena.

The hotel was amazing. The staff was also very good. We loved our room, as we could see the sun rise and set from our balcony. The food was awesome and we would return to this hotel in the future. I highly recommend this resort to anyone wanting a great vacation.

Decameron Maryland: Très bon resort

Location, services et le peuple. Possibilité de voir beaucoup différant culture. Les nourritures traditionnelle délicieux .La beauté de la nature et la facilité d'accès à toutes services. Le sentiment de sécurité et de tranquillité d'esprit

Grand Sirenis Cartagena: "A Wonderful Escapade Away From Snow & Stress"

The Grand Sirenis Hotel has a welcoming and well designed structural appearance. The grounds are well maintained and the colourful cascading bouganvilleas and other flowering trees/plants adorn the grounds and the interior building beautifully. The public areas are constantly kept clean as the maintenace staff work on these areas regularly and the lighting is adequate. This is evident also in the dining areas and the rooms. ****************************************************************** [... read more]**** Firstly, Sarah and I thank you for preparing our tickets to this South American country, Cartagena, Colombia, which we gather is a new Air Canada (AC) route. The AC staff handled accessibility passengers (Sarah and me) flying in/out very caringly in Toronto. Cartagena is a picturesque city with exciting events as you also mentioned. The beautiful coastline of beaches showcasing colourful umbrellas and cabanas, was a sight to behold as we drove to/from the hotel. We took a cab and strolled to the Walled City and Getsemani among other places, wherein the streets were adorned with their arts and culture merchandise. We got some brilliant and colourful scenes e.g. Palenqueras and wall murals. We tried to make the best of our vacation. Sarah and I have travelled to many countries over the years with minimal concerns. However, there were some issues that were not addressed to us seniors on this trip. Eden, we will endeavour to mention what our mini adventures were: "Check-Mig" form must be submitted between 72 hours and one hour before departure. We spent undue time completing this form as the site was unreliable. We constantly got "kicked out" with a "402" error and had to resubmit many times as the data we input reverted to incorrect information. Stressful and frustrating! When we arrived at the Grand Sirenis Hotel,we got our keys and first entered a "moldy-smelling" room not easily accessible on the ground floor. We discovered a queen size bed for 2 but needed 2 twin beds. However, we took action and approached the Front Reception Desk personnel (FRDP), who moved us to the third floor. Again another "smelly" room with a queen size bed. We were not pleased and returned to FRDP. On this occasion, we were given a third room which was fortunately located on the ground floor, easily accessible with a mini fridge and safe with twin beds. This was to be our home away from home for 7 days. Guess what! Due to the visits and time duration ensuring we were well equipped, it was late and we were tired. Before going to bed, we deserved a shower to discover we had only two hand towels and a bathmat, which we used until the next morning. What other surprises await us! The following days were spent on the beach walking and enjoying the sunny weather and/or meeting visitors/guests imbibing blue margaritas, mojitos, coffee and agua in the two/three bars. This too was somewhat disappointing as often the drinks were "watered down" or there was a lack of ingredients: Rum! ginger ale, beer, etc. The bartenders/servers were not knowledgeable enough to make the drink concoctions, so we freely advised them what was needed. We had the pleasure of an A La Carte evening dinner and our expectations were not met as at the 8:30 p.m. seating, the meals requested were no longer available in Entradas, the Main Course and Dessert. Also, the drinks!!! This was devastating! On this special occasion, we were celebrating a meeting for the first time. As luck would have it, we left the hotel early for downtown, skipped lunch and returned for an appetizer before our Grand Dinner at 8:30 p.m. Thank goodness, there were guests who were liberally sharing information re free shuttle bus service availability. We had read on-line and through TripAdvisor that there was this service. We enquired but were not told about this service and went twice to/from the hotel and paid different fees for this service, where none of the drivers was English speaking. Our Air Canada representative, Christian met us at the airport. He was very curt/abrupt with little public relations expertise. This was the first and last we saw of him. It is true, he told us to contact him if we had questions or needed assistance, but nothing more. I think at least he could have given us a 15-minute welcome presentation when he dropped us off and mentioned how to travel into town, what was available and to whom at the hotel we can direct our questions to obtain favorable answers. We know this info may be available on-line, but some seniors are not tech-savvy. We finally found an information screen on our walking path through the corridors. The screen was usually off when we first approached it. When lit, the advertisement moved fast to take a photo and to know what activities were available for the day. The info shown was only in Spanish. The daily itinerary for the hotel activities could be easily displayed on our tv sets upon opening. Also, it would be appreciated if they had other information on the tv: checkout information, layout of the hotel areas, how to access tv in your language of choice, special events to attend, etc... The meals (breakfast/lunch/dinner) were satisfactory but replenishing the empty trays. Was this due to lack of staff? or out of stock? The food crew appeared short staffed on certain days as it took some time to get a cup of COLOMBIAN java to start. One of their biggest exports after emeralds - Coffee! The cleaning staff was better equipped and were always welcoming. We recommend a Hospitality Desk for a communicative, pleasant, knowledgeable part-time staff/college volunteer student for a minimum of 2 hours in the morning and 1 hour following lunch, simply to handle key questions as the FRDP is busy with incoming/outgoing tourists. Eden, in totality, it was a good holiday with a rating of 6/7 of 10. We encouraged them to learn English and helped them with a few key words to remember. This email is to mainly highlight where some weaknesses exist and how to better manage for an efficient and smooth running of a big hotel to be one of the best in the world.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Big beautiful resort.

The facilities are well laid out at this spectacular location. We selected superior accommodations and it was well worth it. Specialty restaurants every night. The food at the buffet and the restaurants were excellent and we are foodies. Service was excellent throughout. The beach is simple and accommodating. There are four spectacular pools. At times loud music and events at the main pool as well as the beach are unnecessarily loud. Hard to have a relaxing vacation at a spectacular resor [... read more]t with the frequent laud noise including from patron’s speakers.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Big beautiful resort.

The facilities are well laid out at this spectacular location. We selected superior accommodations and it was well worth it. Specialty restaurants every night. The food at the buffet and the restaurants were excellent and we are foodies. Service was excellent throughout. The beach is simple and accommodating. There are four spectacular pools. At times loud music and events at the main pool as well as the beach are unnecessarily loud. Hard to have a relaxing vacation at a spectacular resor [... read more]t with the frequent laud noise including from patron’s speakers.

Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf and Spa Resort: Loved our vacation/resort!

We would 100% recommend this resort! The location is amazing, the attentiveness of the staff, the food and the genuineness of the staff is top notch! We upgraded to the Preferred Club and we’d do it again.

Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf and Spa Resort: Nice Resort

We enjoyed our stay at Dreams, the rooms, grounds and service was what was expected. We had the preferred package, and I would say there really was not much of a distinction between the two levels. The preferred pool and area was enjoyed by all guest regardless of your level, as there was no way of determining the levels. If you ordered a drink or meal from the grill your room number was taken, that was how they would know. However if you did not order anything then you could enjoy the up graded [... read more] pool. We would not purchase the preferred level at this resort, we would go back. The entertainment was hit and miss, would be great if the Kids were entertained at night in a different area, instead of at the lobby bar. You will also be treated to a " United States of America" themed night, yes, that is correct. As we are Canadians we did not attend.

Grand Sirenis Cartagena: Fantastic place to stay

Enjoyable experience overall. Nice resort with all the amenities...food was splendid and pool was perfect. Rooms were modern, cleaned daily, and washrooms had great water pressure. Close to the beach and 20 minute can ride to old "downtown" Cartagena. I would definitely go back!

Grand Sirenis Cartagena: Not Quite as Promised

This resort is primarily geared to Columbia guests. Only the front desk staff speak English. No information on activities or facilities are available in English at the resort which made things a little tricky. That being said staff are all friendly and do a good job. The furnishings and decor are as pictured online. Very nice. The bed was comfortable and shower large and good water pressure. Food was tasty but we only had access to main buffet and lounge menu. There is an a la cart [... read more]e restaurant but we were NOT permitted to use it unless we paid for the meal. This is different than what was promised. There is construction of a new building happening adjacent to the hotel. Construction is somewhat noisy during the day but not ridiculous. However, there was a smell of sewage at times coming from the site. We were lucky that are rooms were not in the vicinity of the construction but half of the rooms are. Although, we did have a wonderful vacation, I would recommend that you choose another hotel.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Very nice resort but too remote

The hotel is very nice on all aspects: ground, beach, room, staff, restaurants. However it is too remote, there is nothing outside of the resort. The closest city of Cartagena is 1h30 taxi when traffic is smooth, could take 2h. Taxi fares are expensive. Rooms are spacious, there is no internet from the rooms, only at lobby. It is somewhat inconvenient but not a show stopper.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: What a great experience!

This resort was fantastic! It had all of the amenities we were looking for. The beach, the pools and grounds were beautiful. The food was great. Breakfast was our favourite. I would definitely recommend this resort. Our one week stay was over much too soon.

Dreams Karibana Cartagena Golf and Spa Resort: Great Resort!

Very clean room, beautiful lobby, amazing view, good restaurants, kind and caring staff! Pools need to be maintained and cleaned more often. Just make sure you have your black tea with you, they only serve coffee in the morning.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Pleasant Vacation at the Decameron Baru in Colombia

We had oceanfront rooms and it was worth the extra expense. The beach, spa and decor was top notch. The food was average for a four star hotel. For English tourists there is a language problem. We did not expect everyone to speak our language but the hotel could solve miscommunication problems by having wi fi working in the a la carte restaurants allowing guests to use a translation program while ordering. We were allowed breakfast in the Italian restaurant and instead of having an omelette, I h [... read more]ad to come in with a picture (taken in my room) of a fried egg because the day before I couldn't get that communicated to my waitress. Some dinners were also a problem without access to a translation program. Our air transat rep was amazing and we booked a tour of Cartegena with a guide that was great. Again if you are an English speaker, it was tough to share a tour and lower the cost. There were more French speakers sharing tours - we paid more for a private tour. We did have the most amazing lobster dinner ever (and we have had a lot of those ) in Cartegena courtesy of our guide bringing us to one of his favourites and leaving us there for an hour. The hotel is about an hour from the city and airport. We signed up for a tour of an amazing aviary (this tour was cheaper because there was no guide and we shared the cost with about seven French speakers) Entering Colombia is a pain because of an immigration form you have to fill out on a poorly designed website. I figured it out after a few problems - but some people were paying $80 or higher to have a company do it for you. One huge gothca for me was not realizing you had to go through the same thing when leaving the country and I only found out when stopped before going through security. My phone was not allowing me access to the website and it was an unexpected hassle.

Be Live Experience Cartagena Dubai: Good for the Price

I had read the reviews and did not have high expectations. Hotel Dubai is not a Mexico or Dom Rep type of all inclusive . it is room and food and drinks . No entertainment but great location. short taxi ride to walled city which is incredible. Short walk to shopping and casinos in Bocagrande. We felt very safe walking or in taxi. Beach not great but pool , and sauna was very nice. Only one buffet restaurant but food was tasty especially some of the home made soups and fish. Great fresh fish. li [... read more]mited salads but fresh fruit. Red wine from Spain was excellent. Pool bar was fun. bar tenders made good drinks. Lobby bar had great cappuccinos. We had problem with hot water in shower. They couldnt fix so agreed to change room and gave us a bigger room. one bell hop spoke some english and helped us book two tours. One to National Bird avairy which was great and also to the pink sea and convent on the hill. the pink sea was really pink. I did not have high expectations but hotel Dubai was better than expected.