Featured Hotels near El Totumo Volcon, Santa Catalina

The complimentary shuttle to town is not allowed to be used by people checking out. I was not informed of this until trying to board the shuttle when I was blocked and made to pay for a hotel taxi which only goes to the airport. Keep this in mind when planning to leave the resort. The all-inclusive does not include snacks at many of the cafés and also does not include café drinks like cappuccinos. Those all cost extra. Much of the staff speaks little or no English so it was hard to understand what the staff were saying. Pools and beach close way too early, beach closes before sunset and pools close before dinner has even started. Don't expect to take any moonlight walks on the beach either, as they post security to keep everyone out. The beach has a VIP area, but it is very similar to the normal area. Both the beach and pool have beds for all guests. Restaurants do not serve appetizers or desserts, those are both buffet style from a buffet split across all three dinner restaurants. Additionally the native food restaurant is not open to eat inside, instead it uses the same venue as the breakfast buffet. I was informed that the tennis courts are closed, the gym is still open though. The beach bar and poolside bar are really just one bar which is located away from the beach and outside the pool area. TVs in the room do not accept USB or wireless input so remember to bring your HDMI cords. Slow service at the breakfast buffet and dinner, though the food was good. The rooms were very nice and spacious, I had the Junior Suite. AC worked perfectly. Laundry service is extremely costly, over 80 USD for one load of laundry. The spa has many services and is priced pretty similarly to other spas in Cartagena. Option to book a room with a private hot tub is only available on their website, from what I can find. (The company website, not the specific hotel's website) I would only recommend this resort at the 55% discount I got when booking it.

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.

We had a good stay (one night) and would have no problem staying here again, it's just that there are better hotels (Hotel Las Americas) and the hotel needs some TLC. There is a pool, but it needs some deep cleaning to remove the algae buildup (common issue with pools in humid Cartagena). It's warm and big, and very Las Vegas esque, but it just needs cleaning. Dining is excellent. Breakfast was great. The service was A+. Very nice all around. The rooms are modern, spacious and very comfortable, but they just need some TLC. The shower in our room leaked out into the bedroom (very strange arrangement where you can see into the shower from the bedroom via a floor-to-ceiling window). The shower could use some new tiling too. Location is very good, being in Morros you are only 5 minutes from the airport. Of course you are very far from the old city if that matters to you.

We stayed for 3 nights on a last minute trip to Cartagena. The staff was very accommodating to our needs and the room was very nice. There is a small restaurant in the hotel as well..that's what is keeping me from giving 5 stars. The food is fine, but the service was not great. Waited for almost 20 minutes for someone to take our breakfast order. I think they are just understaffed. But overall, I would recommend the hotel. Close to the airport and the beach. Be warned - if you are not familiar with how things work in Cartagena - when you go to the beach, you will be approached by several locals offering all kinds of services - be prepared to pay quite a bit if you accept. If you don't want their services, be insistent or they will not leave you alone!