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Cartagena Travel Reviews

Review Details for: Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia

Title: Caribbean Spice

Posted By: Matt

Gender: Male

Age: 30 to 45 years

Trip date: Dec 2005

Overview : I stumbled across Cartagena on one of my South American whirlwind solo trips. I have seen my fair share of seedy and dangerous locations around the world, and generally I don’t scare easily, but I have to admit I was intimidated by Colombia’s reputation of violent drug cartels and leftist guerrilla factions snatching up stray Gringo’s and holding ‘em for ransom. I’m sure there's plenty of violence in Colombia, and I do not doubt the stories, but I’m here to tell you that my experience was one of pure adventure, fun and culture – no on even tried to kidnap me.
Things to see and do : Cartagena is a beautiful walled colonial city divided up into, by my best estimations three parts; El Centro, Boca Grande and the residential district. El Centro is the heart of the old city where you will find colonial buildings and houses among the winding narrow streets. There seems to be a beautiful plaza around every corner where you can sit at an outside café and drink coffee, beer and smoke cigars. There are charming building with balconies and beautiful churches. I highly recommend spending some time just walking around El Centro. Boca Grande is the more modern, high rise apartment building, cond style living right on the beach. Boca Grande is probably a little more hip than El Centro and definitely has a better night life. It’s situated right on the beach and there are several restaurants with patios, beach bars and an occasional casino. Boca Grnade is a short (and cheap $2) taxi ride from El Centro. So ended up staying in a hotel in El Centro and taking taxi’s to Boca Grande to go to the beach or go out at night. That worked well for me but many people prefer staying in Boca. The Beach in Boca Grande is not that great because the water is a little dirty, but it draws a good crowd and it’s a wonderful place for people watching and talking to the locals. If you want to find beautiful water and beaches you will have to take a boat to Isla Rosario, a series of small islands about 45 min offshore. There’s spectacular scuba and snorkeling. If you’re a scuba diver I recommend talking to the folks at Dolphin Dive School in El Centro. These people will do you right. For other things to do, you might want to check out La Pompa – the mountain monastery. The trip is worth the spectacular view alone as you can get a birds eye view of the old city.
Hotels and places to sleep : I stayed in El Centro at a Bed & Breakfast called Casa La Fe (www.casalafe.com). Casa La Fe is English owned and very nice. The owner was helpful with making phone calls and using the internet. I only stayed a couple nights at Casa La Fe because it was actually more than what I needed and it was a little expensive. I move to Centro Hotel (www.cartagenainfo.com/centrohotel) and was pleased with this no-frills hotel located right in the center of the old town. I highly recommend this hotel for the mid-range traveler; it’s clean and cost about $30 US per night.
Eating and drinking : You can eat for cheap in Cartagena, but I recommend spending a little extra because the food is fantastic. I recommend Restaurante Pelikanos on plaza Santo Domingo.
Bars, clubs and nightlife : The best night life seems to be in Boca Grande. If you want to dance, chase women and stay up all night your best bet is Boca Grande. There are a few cool loungy bars in El Centro that I liked. Look around Plaza Santo Domingo and you will find some good spots.
Shopping and things to buy : Rum & Cigars of course
Dangers and annoyances : Cartagena, particularly in El Centro, has a large population of street hustlers. The economy in Colombia is a little messed up so a lot of the people are poor. If you’re sitting at sidewalk café in a plaza you will be repeatedly approached by people wanting to sell you cigars, coffee, drugs, anything and everything. I recommend being generous and taking it in stride.
Additional comments : One last thing, Colombia probably does have a bad rap, but I would advise using caution when going out in the deep bush or jungle. Just use common sense and do some research before you go and you will no doubt have an excellent trip. If you want to ask me any questions feel free to send a note and say hello.
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