Where should you go in Colombia if you want to get pampered and sleep in a high-end property? That’s an easy choice: you want to experience the luxury hotels in Cartagena.
I have been to this beautiful walled city (the historic part anyway) several times, plus we’ve had more visits from some of our contributors over the years. I’ve stayed in the historic center and on the outskirts and also cruised out to the blue water around the Rosario Islands. I’m sure I’ll be back for a vacation too as flights to Cartagena are often a great deal.
Colombia is a fast-emerging tourism destination that gets more popular every year. It’s a great value for those coming in with dollars or euros and the word-of-mouth buzz has translated into more media coverage in the glossy travel magazines.
While there are a few luxury hotels in the main cities and the Coffee Triangle, the biggest concentration of them are in Cartagena, the real jewel for upscale travelers. Since it’s easy to get there from the U.S. and Canada and the city is studded with good shops and restaurants in a walkable area, Cartagena is sort of a self-feeding ecosystem for luxury tourists.
This converted three-story mansion has 11 guest room set around a double interior courtyard and lush garden with a reflecting fountain, al fresco restaurant, sitting areas, an outdoor bar, small spa, and a large swimming pool shaded by massive trees. Since opening in 2007, the spacious, serene, and romantic Casa Pestagua has established itself as a classic in the historic center of Cartagena. In 2016 Casa Pestagua received the Relais & Chateaux certification.
Located a few blocks from the 16th-century Spanish Colonial fortress wall and the water beyond, Casa San Agustin is in the thick of historic buildings and enticing cafes. It combined three adjacent houses and has remnants of an original aqueduct that ran over the top. Two courtyards are in the spaces in between the original homes, one containing a swimming pool, the other outdoor dining space for the restaurant and bar. On the rooftop is a solarium with a view, comfy lounge chairs at the ready for catching some rays, showers nearby for cooling off again.
The Charleston Santa Teresa Hotel is in the historic center, combining a historic building with 12 rooms and a much larger newer building with larger rooms. At the top is the swimming pool pictured above, with terrific views of the city, the walls, and the sea.
The Karibana Beach and Golf Resort
This is the biggest luxury resort in Cartagena, located well outside of the center but next to the water and with a full golf course. The Karibana Resort first opened as a Conrad by Hilton and was built to those standards before later transitioning to different management. Click the link to see the full review.
This beautiful boutique hotel in the historic center has plenty of history, but has well-designed rooms with modern amenities, a nice courtyard restaurants, and a roof deck with views. The 24 suites and some of the public areas have decorations from around the world, giving it a cosmopolitan air. There’s a second pool in one of the courtyards, so it’s easy to find a nice place to lounge at Hotel Boutique Ananda.
If you want to stay at the prestige address in Cartagena, that would be the Hotel Sofitel Santa Clara, a “Legend” property in the collection, the highest available in the French Accor chain. This is a full-service luxury Cartagena hotel in a prized location in the historic center, with a highly regarded restaurant and a full spa. the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara offers the sense of place and history of many local boutique hotels, but with more facilities and smooth service from a large, well-trained staff.
If you want to earn or use some IHG Points, the Intercontinental Cartagena is a modern high-rise in a beach area, but not far from the center. Here you’ll get international business-standard rooms with plenty of amenities and charging outlets, along with a well-trained staff. It has a large infinity swimming pool facing the beach that’s long enough for laps.
This seven-unit hotel is small enough to feature every room on its website. La Pasion by Masaya is walking distance from the sophisticated restaurants and bars of the Barrio San Diego and located very close to the inquisition Museum, the Plaza Santa Domingo, and chic boutiques. Since it’s adult-only, you’re assured of calm and privacy as a couple.
Nacar Hotel Cartagena, Curio Collection by Hilton
This hotel originally opened as Tcherassi Hotel + Spa, named after and founded by a well-known fashion designer. She eventually sold to another owner and two properties got combined into Nacar Hotel Cartagena, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel. It kept many of its original design touches, but added a more internationally trained staff to the management mix that’s ready to cater to foreign luxury visitors.
Having coral reefs and tropical islands a short boat ride away from a colonial city with stout fortification walls is another plus when you stay at one of the luxury hotels in Cartagena. You can go snorkeling and beach bumming by day, bar hopping and wall strolling at night. There are great outdoor cafes with a view of postcard-perfect buildings lit up at night and you can ride a horse-drawn carriage down the narrow streets of centuries ago.
Most of the million–plus people who call the city home live far beyond the walls. So while there may seem to be as many tourists as locals in the heart of the old city, even on cruise ship days the foreign invaders don’t dominate the total. The beach resorts fanning out in both directions from the city walls have as many domestic tourists as foreign ones, with a good portion of those foreigners being from Latin American countries. A sun and fun vacation here has a far different feel than one in Cancun or Ambergris Caye.
See our full tour feature on the area here: Magical Cartagena and the Rosario Islands of Colombia.
Article by Timothy
Timothy Scott is the founder and editor of Luxury Latin America and has been covering the region as a travel journalist since the mid-2000s. He has visited each country we cover multiple times and is based in a UNESCO World Heritage city in central Mexico, where he owns a home. See contact information here.
