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

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.

"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.

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!

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.