Business Hotels in Cartagena

I loved the service and the great people—especially Gabriel Bulleestero (sp?) and Bernardo A. The restaurant is in a great location within the walled city, and there are lots of spots to sit and have a beverage nearby. The pool has many cabanas and loungers available. The food offerings at the breakfast buffet were very nice and palatable.

This my 8th time here since my bday 2021 and my 3rd birthday so I’m quite familiar w the hotel and staff. I truly enjoy all the amenities, location , ample parking , sauna and steam …on site spa…Yada yada yada. I had a problem last year and mgmt stepped up and went above and beyond to make me feel special. This time they had a convention and wound up giving away my reserved room ( I booked my flight 23 Nov 2023 soooo I’m positive I booked the hotel same day). Naturally they gave me the “corporate “ response but I was calm and insistent that I wanted equal or better to my first and only choice ( I’ve had the same executive suite all 8 stays ). I’d like to send a very special shout out and super big thanks to Valentina who I just met and to my buds Eduardo and Rafael for taking the extra time and patience to find me an even better choice….now I’m spoiled and canNOT go back to the regular exec suite, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; treat people w respect and it’ll come back tenfold and it’s people like those three that make the difference, not AI or Sr mgmt…the people on the front line. Thanks for continuing to make one guy feel special

The double room was perfect. The eternity pool was disappointing, there is no sun until midday as the pool is located on the west of the building and covered by it. When the sun finally shows up there are no umbrellas or any shady areas to protect you if you need to. The lone restaurant operating on the premises is hit and miss at best. The worse of it is the surroundings, the Calle 1 running in front of the hotel along the beach is always crowded with honking taxis. the sidewalks as most Bocagrande sidewalks are like obstacle courses, full of potholes, uneven, sometimes blocked by parking cars. The beach in front of the hotel is ugly with no running water or electricity, so most of the food or juices sold there are suspicious and should be avoided in my opinion. And lastly, the vendors and pedlers are a continuous nuisance, everybody tries to sell you something from trinkets to drinks but at least they are not aggressive, once you tell them to leave you alone they usually do so.

Location: City Center (Old Town Cartagena) is 15 min- 25 min away depending on traffic. If you don't care about seeing old town, then this may be ok. The hotel is located at La Boquilla next to a bad neighborhood, so be aware of people harassing you at the beach at all times, and keep an eye on your belongings. When you leave the hotel always walk to the right towards the city, don't go left or you may find yourself in a very bad location really fast. This is a special note to women traveling to Colombia. Hotel: Clean, food is ok not great, staff was friendly except for the people at the front desk. They seemed to be always busy, and behind their daily duties, so they will rush you, and not give you proper attention, they need at least another person at the front desk at peak hours. Pool is ok, service at the pool was good. They will ask you to provide a pass to get a towel, so don't loose the pass or the towel, you may get charged for it. (Not a fancy systems) Reminds me of hotels in Colombia back in the 80's when towels were a luxury. Beach: Biggest disappointment of the trip, water is dark, and the sand is gray/brown. You cannot see your feet with a foot of water on them. Note that as soon as you come out of the hotel towards the Beach there is a security guard from the Hotel at the door, part of his job is to advised you to watch your belongings, and not to buy anything from beach vendors. This gives you an idea of this beach. Forget about bringing your own umbrella or beach chair, there are vendors that have taken possession of the beach by renting umbrellas and chairs, if you don't rent from them, you will be left out to use a small portion of the beach very close to the water. My advised is to pay the $5 dollars and rent from them. Beach vendor will harass you all day long. Avoid buying food and always ask prices up front before ordering drinks or anything else. There are horror stories of people paying $25 for a Coke. I don't recommend this place for families, or for single women visiting the city, much better options in Bocagrande or Old town. The place is ok for single guys or business. Hope this helps,

Excellent experience. My 6-year-old son enjoyed the hotel too much. People are willing to meet any need for the experience to be unmatched. Having the possibility to enjoy the beach with all the security is something fundamental for the rest.

Excellent hotel and staff. Brand new with some amazing art work and decor. The view and ambience is simply beautiful. The only one problem I have which I know is being addressed is the last 1/2 drive to the hotel is literally thru some rough unpaved road which can make you car sick if you suffer from motion sickness. Besides that which I said is being addressed a must visit to relax and be one with nature if you are in Cartagena

The old 5 star hotel that stayed when I first came to CARTAGENA 10 years ago, was very impressed, especially for the courtyard layout, the swimming pool and the restaurant on the side. It arrived at around 10:00 am. It has been 28 hours flight and transfer from Beijing. It is really tired and I don’t want to wait until 3 pm (on the Intercontinental, I’ve received $50 for early check-in). The plan to stay; the front desk said that the room was ready to live, and agreed to advance the breakfast on the last day to the day, it is very rare, thank you! The front desk, restaurant and various services are very thoughtful, although the room looks old, still feel things Great value!

The hotel is excellent for families and couples. It has a variety of games for children. You can also use the pools of Torres del Mar, which is the hotel next door and belongs to the same owners. There is also an infinity pool on the 10th floor of Torres del Mar, highly recommended. The service is spectacular, from the lobby staff, waiters, cooks, gardeners. It was a wonderful experience. For the beach, the hotel provides chairs and umbrellas but you must pay a fee of 50,000 COP per day for it (12 USD Approx). Everything very clean. It is in a quiet area of Cartagena if you want to relax and enjoy the pools, the sun and the beach. The buffet-style breakfast was also spectacular with wide options of Colombian and foreign food. I would definitely go back again.

I was upgraded to this property from the OZ luxury hotel. I was pleasantly surprised by this action and enjoyed the larger room. I’m not sure what there is to complain about for this hotel. The staff were so friendly and attentive. The check-in process was easy and when we asked for recommendations for restaurants they were happy to help. Breakfast each morning was different Columbian cuisine which I enjoy when traveling. It was fresh with a good variety of choices. If the local cuisine is not your liking they make eggs to order which is a nice added touch. I loved being in the Bocagrande area it isn’t as busy as the walled city it is more of a beach town vibe. Uber to the other attractions ranged from $3-6. I can say I fell in love with this property and Cartagena and look forward to coming back soon.

I had higher expectations after staying at other Ibis locations such as in Rio de Janeiro (Posto 5). We stayed in a standard room with sea view which was a nice surprise. The air conditioning in the room was very silent and efficient but the beds not very comfortable. No fridge and I was told none of the rooms have a fridge. The room was of decent size and similar in that to other Ibis of that category. The window could not be really opened. On the bright side we did not hear any noise during our stay though the other rooms around seemed occupied. The space dedicated to the food (restaurant) was unappealing at best in my view. I found the breakfast to be rather basic. Maybe due to COVID there was no self service but people were served by the staff, which at times caused quite a line to form. Overall I found the staff to be rather cold. Not rude but not very friendly. This was true when facing staff at the reception, at the ”restaurant” and in general in the hotel (including cleaning staff). Possibly I got spoiled in Medellin where practically everyone is so friendly, welcoming and helpful... even more so in hotels. Also the reception staff seemed to have to follow complicated procedures probably aggravated by slow computers systems so the check in was not exactly fast. the location of the hotel is ok. It is an easy and rather quick walk to the old city and the airport is very close (in the other direction). The beach in front of the hotel, across the road, is typical for Cartagena, nothing spectacular but again I am probably spoiled. It was quite windy the two days and a few kite surfers visibly enjoyed both the sea and the wind.