Hotel Almirante: Good location

The location of this hotel is great. Directly across from beach, 1 block on Calle 6 to a small grocery store, 1 more block to a larger upscale grocer. ATM directly across Calle 6. Lots of smaller restaurants in the close vicinity. Pool is shaded all day, so not a lot of sun-seekers there. Hotel better suited for adults vs kids.

Estelar Playa Manzanillo: Lovely resort

The resort is very well maintained and the staff are very nice. There is little to no English there, including the evening shows so having a bit of Spanish knowledge is helpful. The resort is approximately 20 minutes from Cartagena and at the time of writing this, the cost of a taxi was 40,000 Colombian pesos each way. They have a shuttle service that is complementary from the hotel however it is often booked full so if you want to use it, book early. The beach is very large and has sufficient  [... read more]chairs but it is not private so vendors will approach you - the massage ladies on the beach are very good at what they do. If you are vegan or vegetarian, this place is very difficult for food choices. I struggled with what to eat all week but my husband who eats meat tells me the fish was very good. The buffet is very small, so not a lot of food options. There are 3 a la carte restaurants but again, not many options in the vegetarian area. Overall we enjoyed this resort and mostly just enjoyed being in Colombia - it is a beautiful country and we can't wait to go back.

Cartagena Plaza: Terrific destination

Well staffed and very clean. Restaurant has different theme each night. Fresh juice bar is awesome. Hotel, beach, and grounds are well kept. Omelet station in the morning and pasta bar/grill station is very good. Also healthy food choices were refreshing. A/C worked well. Entertainment at the disco was fun.

InterContinental Cartagena Hotel: Lovely experience!

The Hotel InterContinental Cartagena de Indias is a lovely, relatively new, well appointed hotel located in Bocagrande...a ten minute taxi ride to the old city of Cartagena. Bocagrande beach is directly in front of the hotel. Security is provided at the front door of the hotel and in the lower reception area. The rooms all have a view of the Caribbean Sea, are well appointed and clean. We stayed in a standard room which offered the basic hotel amenities. The higher floors offer deluxe acc [... read more]ommodation for a slightly higher nightly rate which we didn't feel was necessary as we didn't intend to spend a lot of time in our room. Two small bottles of water are provided daily as people from North America really should not drink the local water. A coffee maker, tea and coffee are also provided. All rooms have at least a small separate seating area, ample closet space, drawers and room for storing luggage along with a private sectioned off bathroom with separate shower stall and toilet area. The public areas of the hotel are large, spacious, clean and extremely modern. Fresh flowers are displayed daily. All the staff that we encountered were professional and courteous. English is spoken at the front desk and you may be lucky to get a waiter or porter who can speak English as well. They are conscious of the need to provide this language service but take it upon yourself to learn at least basic Spanish in order to be more comfortable with what is transpiring around you. One major negative about the common areas of the hotel is that the air conditioning is run very cold and can be quite uncomfortable. This is especially true in the restaurant when attempting to enjoy a relaxing meal. The pool is extremely large but very shallow and is located on the sixth floor with a view of the Caribbean. The pool is surrounded by an abundance of comfortable lounge chairs. A separate smaller pool is provided for children. The water in the pool is quite cold and not as welcoming as one would hope. The area is kept very clean and well presented at all times. The food in the restaurant is truly excellent and not overpriced as is common when eating in a hotel. At the end of a long day, it is a true delight to enjoy a lovely meal that has a variety of offerings from pasta to fresh fish and typical Colombian dishes. The breakfast buffet was also excellent. Fresh fruit and everything that you could ever need or want. But, bring a sweater...they do their utmost to refrigerate you! And, if you think the restaurant is cold, try drinking in the bar...a frigid experience. We complained to the front desk about the level of air conditioning. They pointed out that it was hot outside like we didn't already understand that point having come from an extremely cold climate in Canada. They didn't seem to care. When we returned home, the InterContinental Cartagena sent us a survey to complete about our experience as well. It asked what we liked about the hotel and broke down their questions into items such as towels, linens, mattresses etc. But, they never asked what was wrong with the hotel or what they could improve upon. Guess they weren't interested in knowing anything but the good stuff... Another observation about this hotel is that there was a minority of English speaking tourists. When we inquired about any tours that the hotel might be able to offer, they were only able to provide us with a small, introductory book about the city but were unable to offer any organized trips. We had to find our own local touring company to accommodate our needs. So, you can't book any tours and there is no gift shop. This in itself tells us that the majority of their clientele are Spanish speakers from South America who may not require these services and/or corporate travelers who are at a conference or generally doing business locally. Overall, this was a very, nice positive experience but I would investigate other hotels in Bocagrande before deciding to book again.

InterContinental Cartagena Hotel: Great hotel and great city

The intercontinental hotel is a great hotel in an amazing city. It is right on the beach and if you don't you to go to the beach, the pool is great too. Staff is very friendly. Room is nice and clean.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Beautiful

This Hotel was absolutely amazing. The grounds were like paradise with beautiful flowers, palm trees and wild parrots flying around. The beach was clean and well kept. The rooms were spacious and fresh with lots of bright colors. The food was fantastic. There was always something to eat for everyone. I always felt safe and relaxed.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Great Resort

This is a very well run resort. The grounds are meticulously maintained, with beautiful vegetation, a variety of birds and the ubiquitous iguanas. The rooms are spacious, clean and well maintained. The food is very good at the buffet and excellent at the a la carte restaurants. The staff are professional and friendly. Having a Transat representative onsite helps a lot as well. Spending a day or more in the old city of Cartagena is strongly recommended: it is a unique place that you will not forg [... read more]et. The hotel offers a daily shuttle at a reasonable cost. Where there is room for improvement is how the beach is managed: the capacity of the resort seemed to be bigger than that of the beach, so it was always hard finding a spot on the sand areas; we ended up staying on the terraces on the side, which was not bad at all. But maybe with some rearrangement of the space the beach could be better. The more serious issue were the jetskies and the boats. The jetskies are constantly passing very close to the area cordoned for swimming (which could be bigger, by the way) trying to sell a ride and making a lot of noise and polluting the place: the smell of gas can be intense at times. On the last day two large boats maneuvered right in the swimming area: this was not only annoying but unsafe. Assigning an area for jetskies and boats away from the swimmers could be a simple solution. There seems to be space for that. I am not sure if that is within the powers of the resort as beaches in Colombia are public.

Estelar Playa Manzanillo: This was a great resort

The Occidental is a very very well designed and managed resort. We really enjoyed our stay. There were quiet areas for adults and more active areas for families and those who wanted music and celebration. Lots of places to sit and relax or join in activities like beach ball and dancing. The food was good - lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Entertainment every night. Several shuttle buses to Cartagena and back. The staff was very efficient and friendly. The smallest request was attended [... read more] to immediately. Thanks to our agent Bill Gentry at Tripcentral for suggesting this place.

Decameron Cartagena: Unbelievable

We had a great time the staff will go out of there way to help you. The pool and deck are amazing. The food is tasty and very enjoyable..The rooms May be small but clean and what do you do in you room sleep. It would have been nice if the wifi worked in your room but again it is a vacation. Would live to go back very soon

Decameron Cartagena: The resort is good

General feeling about this hotel is OK. The location and views from the both sides are beautiful. But the ground area is small for the amount of people in this hotel, also too noisy from the very close road to hotel. The public areas small, some times was not enough sits for a rest. Our room was small for 2 people but had balcony, that was important for us, not all the rooms in hotel have balcony ,but hotel's location and views was compromised. The cleaning lady kept our room clean. No small fr [... read more]idge in the rooms, so yours bottles of water in the room will be always warm. The Dinning Rooms (restaurants) are welcoming. The meal is good, you will have enough options for your choice. All staff in the hotel trying to be professional and keep you comfortable, but some times because of language barrier (not enough English speaking staff, no any booklets with some information about the place or trips) you will unable to get right information. Also very poor internet.

Decameron Baru Beach Resort and Spa: Good resort with wrong location

The hotel was lovely, the food was reasonably good but it was in the middle of nowhere! After 5 1/2 hours on a plane to get to Cartogena we had to take a bus for 1 1/2 hours to get to the hotel, half of it being on a pot hole gravel road! It is primarily a resort for weekenders from South America and day trippers! Very noisy with loud music on and off, mostly on, until about 10 at night with activity directors yelling into a microphone. Definitely not the place to go for a quiet vacation w [... read more]here you can relax!

Decameron Cartagena: Consistently Royal

The (Royal )Decameron both in Cartagena and in Baru exceeded expectations Rooms are comfortable and spacious Staff is welcoming warm and super friendly Very clean surroundings Food was beyond expectation very fresh and local and prepared in Columbia style This is our fifth stay at Decameron We LOVE it

Estelar Playa Manzanillo: Relaxing resort

The Occidental provides a relaxing stay in the sun. A great beach, with the opportunity to have long walks. The service is good, as is the food. The shuttle to Cartagena is excellent. The majority of quests are Colombians, and it makes for a nice ambience. The staff has sufficient English to serve non-Spanish speakers. Overall, a great place.

Estelar Playa Manzanillo: WARNING!!!!!!

Great pictures.....BAD idea. The staff are rude and incompetent. The rooms are definitely not as advertised. Most services have been sourced out to independent companies. The concierge service is actually a salesman for timeshares. Two people in our group contracted food poisoning or bacterial infection. This I realize is normal n Punta Cana but instead of fixing the problem they have managed to build a business on it. If you go to the Doctor for medication you are put into the system. Ambulance [... read more] to private hospital. Any number of tests, ultra sound and a recommendation to stay forr observation. Why? $$$$$$$ $1260.00 later for our little visit. We refused to sign papers that were all in Spanish so they let us go with just the medication they could have given us originally at the resort clinic. I don't usually complain but felt that I should warn people that this hotel is not where you want to go.

Las Americas Resort & Convention Centre: loved it!

very clean, friendly staff, staff who couldn't speak English tried to find someone who could, pools are kept very clean, beach is public and we didn't use. Food on buffet was same all the time but other restaurant was off the menu

Las Americas Resort & Convention Centre: Wonderful Resort & City!

Las Americas Resort & Spa Casa De Playa was absolutely amazing. Bright, clean, comfortable rooms. In-room safe included and easy to use with English instructions. ALL of the staff were wonderful, and would go out of their way to help! All staff spoke English quite well. Food and drinks were great! BBQ for lunch daily was amazing. Great for both couples and families. Beach is a little rougher water, more for walking or sitting on, but there were those who swam. Emerald Centre on site with great ( [... read more]and negotiable) prices! Make sure that you venture into the city! My6 year old daughter and I took a cab into the old city for 12,000 Colombia Pesos ($6US), and is it COMPLETELY safe! We would recommend and will definitely be returning again! Be prepared to leave a piece of your heart in Colombia! You'll fall in love!

Las Americas Resort & Convention Centre: Amazing city and great location

The hotel was in a great location. About $10USD to get to downtown and 5 minutes from the airport. Being a newer all-inclusive area, they are still figuring things out. The bars close early and there is no night-time entertainment. The beach wasn't well maintained and lots of locals trying to sell you things (more than usual). Both pools at the resort were awesome and both had pool bars. The convention centre, the newer hotel, was nice, however nothing there was included in our package. Food was [... read more] decent, but a lot of the same thing. Service was so-so. It was different than any other resort in the Caribbean I have stayed, as it was not entirely all inclusive. However, it was clean, safe and the price was right! Cartagena is an amazing city and there is lot's to do off the resort.

Las Americas Resort & Convention Centre: Amazing Resort

everything in this hotel is great rooms are very clean staff very friendly right on the beach, beach is clean very long beach you can walk for hours close to the airport very close to old Cartagena cabs are cheap

Las Americas Resort & Convention Centre: Not for those seeking peace and quiet

Food, accommodation, beach, staff - all fine. However, the hotel/convention centre had to have a carnival atmosphere every single minute of the day and well into the night. We had to move to another room one night in order to get some sleep from the performance taking place right outside our room. We simply could not get one solid night of sleep or quiet time during the day. A warning to others seeking some rest.

Estelar Playa Manzanillo: Lovely property & Friendly Staff = Fantastic Vaca!

This property is clean, well-manicured & very safe. All amenities are a short walk from your room. The rooms are spotless, the beds are a little hard, but there are a lot of pillows to make up for that. We had a few minor hiccups (safe was broken, patio door wouldn't lock) as soon as we notified the front desk, we had the issues corrected within 15 minutes. I would say that 95% of the staff we spoke to, did speak English. However trying a little Spanish did go a long way. I even got a Spanish le [... read more]sson or two...which helped! There are 3 a la carte restaurants & 1 buffet at this hotel. I was blown away at how good the food was at the buffet, there was a lot of selection & the staff worked hard at replenishing any items that were getting low. Also, if there is a piece of fruit or something you don't see, the staff always tries to accommodate & get it for you. We attended 2 of the 3 a la carts (The Grill & Nativo). Both had a large selection on the menus, with a salad bar to start. One night (Thursday) there was a "GALA" dinner around the main pool, with a variety of different food stations set-up. During dinner there was live music & dancers. It was a great night! There are 3 bars on this property, the quite pool bar, the beach bar & Mar Abierto. The pool bar & beach bar server a large selection of drinks, however they do not have blenders at these locations. But they both make fantastic Mojitos & Caipirinha's. After dinner every night we would go to Mar Abierto for a cappuccino, a few drinks & sometimes snack on the popcorn served there. Service was always quick, and the drinks were incredible. The bar staff definitely know how to make a cocktail! The pool staff were constantly cleaning the pool & testing the water. We usually would go to the quite pool in the afternoon. But the main pool is where all the activates take place. The beach is volcanic sand, and not your typical Caribbean water. The waves were fun to play in, and there is a lifeguard on duty. If you want to go to the beach do so in the morning, as the wind, waves & under toe pick up in the afternoon. We used the body boards, and even paid the $23USD for an hour surf lesson. There is a shuttle provided by the hotel into the Walled City – Cartagena. You have to book 1 day in advance, there are many different time slots to go into town & to come back to the resort. All the staff are friendly & helpful (Francisco, Johnny, Oswaldo, Diana, Lysander, Miguel). It didn't matter if it was a bus-boy, bartender, front desk staff or even the General manager. Everyone went out of their way to ensure we were enjoying our time at the Resort. This resort has top-notch service. I would most definitely visit again!!