What’s a Cartagena vacation like?
Before a friend made the recommendation, a Cartagena vacation was not on my radar for a fifth wedding anniversary trip. Honestly, I didn’t know much about the nation of Columbia outside of what American pop culture taught me. I’m glad my wife and I took our friend’s advice and went to see for ourselves. Cartagena, Colombia is an absolute gem, and I’ll definitely be going back.
How do I travel to Cartagena for Vacation?
You can’t start your Cartagena vacation without getting there first! Fortunately, this isn’t hard. Colombia’s doors are wide open for tourists, and there are plenty of ways to get to Cartagena. As always, I searched out the best “hacks” to get there.
Getting to Cartagena from the United States
Fortunately for me, there are lots of direct and short layover flights to Cartagena from the East Coast of the US. For the departing flight, we opted for one with a short layover in Miami (that also gave us a chance to hang at one of our favorite Centurion lounges).
The return trip was a little trickier. I had a tough time finding return flights at a price I was willing to pay, so I decided to give the “book two separate flights” travel hack a shot. I booked seven months in advance and was terrified of a connecting flight change that would make the layover a nightmare. To avoid this, I gave us a full 24-hour layover and we stayed at the Hyatt Place Miami Airport East.
US-Cartagena flight booking details
Our bookings went as follows:
PHL to CTG - Booked via the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel portal, which always redeems at 1.5 cents per point. The cash ticket price was $186.12 per person; I paid 12,408 points per person.
CTG to MIA – Booked via the British Airways partner award booking portal. I paid 9,000 Avios (transferred Amex Member Reward points) + $90.57 USD in flight taxes/fees per person.
MIA to PHL Booked via the British Airways partner award booking portal. I paid 9,000 Avios (transferred Amex Member Reward points) + $5.10 USD in flight taxes/fees per person.
I don’t remember how much the cash prices were for the return trips, but I don’t book anything for less than 1.5 cents per point (with any cash I had to put up like those pesky flight taxes/fees factored in).
Hotels/places to stay when traveling to Cartagena for vacation
Our accommodations in the Cartagena area were a lituation!
Day 1-4: Las Islas
Our Cartagena vacation didn’t start in the city itself, but rather Las Islas, an eco resort a brief trip out of the city. We booked through the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) portal, so we also got free breakfast (more on that later), late checkout, free transportation, and a few other perks.
Getting to Las Islas from Cartagena
There were three options for getting to Las Islas from Cartagena: car, boat, and helicopter. We cheaped out on the way there and took a car; we decided to “pay the five” and got a boat on the way back. I absolutely recommend paying extra for the boat (the price difference was like 20 bucks). The ride over the water was much more relaxing and the view of the city we got along the way was incredible, whereas the car ride was just a car ride with few notable views. We also got stopped on the road and had our bags searched by the police during a random traffic stop, which wasn’t pleasant. The helicopter was about double the cost of the car, but wasn’t available due to the weather.
Las Islas location
Although it’s not far from Cartagena, which is all concrete, glass and steel like every big city, Las Islas is still in the jungle. Every direction you look features lush trees, shy but friendly wildlife (even the raccoons were cute!), clear-blue water, and white beaches.
Getting around Las Islas
Because of the seclusion, you’ll get more of a typical resort experience, with everything you do being on the property. The property is walkable, but still pretty big. Each bungalow gets a set of bikes to get around. You can also call a golf cart to drive you places.
Accommodations at Las Islas
Las Islas offers two general options: a treetop or seaside bungalow. We opted for the treetop, and it was worth it! Some of the treetops had a pool and we tried to get that Amex FHR free upgrade, but it didn’t work this time around 🙁. That, however, did almost nothing to dampen our experience. The views we got in the morning, afternoon and at night were all breathtaking: Almost-unrealistically lush treetops, sparsely dotted with other bungalows, and breaking into an endless blue sea.
The rooms themselves were also gorgeous. The pictures are 100% accurate.
Things to note about the accommodations:
If you have trouble with stairs, do NOT book a treetop bungalow. Get a seaside bungalow instead. There are quite a few stairs on the treetop bungalows and there’s no other way to get up, whereas the seaside bungalows are ground level.
The shower water isn’t ice cold, but it doesn’t get hot.
Eating at Las Islas
First of all, I’mma talk about that breakfast. That breakfast? That breakfast! From the atmosphere to the food itself, everything was perfect. This was not only the best breakfast I had for my entire Cartagena vacation, but the best hotel–and maybe restaurant–breakfast I’ve ever had. There was a mix of local delicacies and foods Yankees like me are more familiar with. But I opted for the local foods! My favorite was their pan de bono (just ask for it and enjoy; you’ll thank me). The breakfast area was right on the water in an open-air bungalow, and features a short walkway that lets you take a dip in the ocean after your meal (know how to swim if you do this, as the water is deep).
Lunch and dinner were also awesome. There wasn’t a single meal that I didn’t enjoy, and the spaces were beautiful.
Activities at Las Islas
We didn’t get to do everything, but there’s so much to do, you probably won’t either! Here’s what we did:
The spa at Las Islas
They have a full-service spa where you can schedule massages, dip in the pool, and use the steam shower and sauna. This was my first steam shower experience and I want one!
Cooking class at Las Islas
When you show up for the cooking class, they take you into the kitchen of the dinner restaurant and show you how to make a ceviche. It was a lot of fun and our instructor was great. However, while the cooking class was a lot of fun, I wouldn’t do it again. The ceviche didn’t sit well with my stomach, and I found out after the fact that foreigners often have trouble handling the local ceviche.
Private island visit at Las Islas
Here’s where the resort lives up to its namesake (Las Islas translates to “The Islands” in English). Throughout the day, you can hop on a boat and ride out to one of their private islands, where you can hang out on the beach, relax at the pool, get a drink from the bar, say hello to the wild peacocks, or just enjoy the serenity. If you get hungry, you can also order food to be delivered from the mainland.
Bioluminescent plankton tour at Las Islas
Forewarning: dress as if you’re going into the ocean (you will be). Also, if you go if you’re afraid of the dark, or of being in the ocean after dark, skip this one. After dark, we rode out on a boat to one of the islands, hopped in the ocean, and got to see some glowing plankton. You had to stick your face in the water and swish around to see them. It was pretty cool. We’ve heard that there are much better bioluminescence experiences out there, where the water just glows as you pass over it. We’re excited to give them a shot.
The gym at Las Islas
If you’re like me, and try to make at least a moderate effort to exercise while you’re on vacation, then you’re probably wondering if they have a gym. They do! It’s pretty much the same as any hotel gym, so don’t expect to do any heavy lifting.
Tours of Baru from Las Islas
Las Islas offers tours of the neighboring town, Baru. We didn’t get a chance to do this, but we wish we had–especially after our tour of San Basilio de Palenque ended up being the highlight of our Cartagena vacation (more on that below).
Doing nothing in particular at Las Islas
What’s a vacation without a little relaxation? The environment at Las Islas was perfect for just hanging out. We lounged; we aimlessly walked and rode our bikes; we swam; we slept.
Cost to stay at Las Islas
Cost for 3 nights at Las Islas: 1,203 - the $200 Amex FHR credit = $1,003
Day 4-8: Hyatt Regency Cartagena
This one will be brief, since most of our time was spent outside of the hotel. That being said, our experience at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena was wonderful–tied for the best Hyatt Regency I’ve ever stayed at (it was the best, but the Hyatt Regency New Orleans I visited 6 months later was similarly awesome).
Accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena
I always ask if there are any upgrades available at check in, because sometimes a hotel will hook you up for free. The Hyatt Regency Cartagena did not. However, they did offer to upgrade us from a standard room to an ocean view residence and get breakfast daily for $40 USD per night. We went for it, and it was worth it!
The residence we got was a one bedroom apartment with a balcony overlooking a line of beaches and an expanse of blue sea. We were leery about paying for breakfast at a regular hotel, but the breakfast here was worth it. Definitely the second-best hotel breakfast I’ve ever had, behind only Las Islas!
Activities at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena
The spa
There’s a spa. My wife said it was nice, but that it was hard for her to not be disappointed after her experience at Las Islas.
Pools at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena
There were multiple pools on different floors; they were all great with amazing ocean and city views.
The gym at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena
Typical hotel gym. Nothing else worth noting here.
Overall experience at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena
Like I said, this is more of a traditional hotel experience, so outside of room service, hanging at the pool, and taking in that breathtaking balcony view, there wasn’t much else we did at the Hyatt.
Cost to stay at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena
Original cost for 5 nights at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena (regular ocean view room, king bed): $600 USD
Cost after upgrading to an ocean view residence: $800 USD
How much does a Cartagena vacation cost?
If you’re used to vacationing in places like the United States, then you’ll find Cartagena to be a very inexpensive place to visit. To be clear, less expensive does not mean inferior–a combination of lower cost of living and a favorable USD-COP exchange rate are the reasons. Here are a few examples of how you’ll end up paying less:
How much does it cost to stay in Cartagena?
The hotels are inexpensive, despite being just as good as, or better than, their U.S. counterparts.
For reference, the Hyatt Regency Crystal City’s Ambassador Suite, a vastly inferior accommodation (I’ve been there myself) to the ocean view residence currently costs $434 per night during a date range when the Hyatt Regency Cartagena costs $266 per night (61% less) for the same ocean view residence we stayed in.
If you’re even more budget-conscious than I am, you’ll find a similar trend for prices across the board, including for vacation rentals and hostels.
How expensive is the food in Cartagena?
Let me put it to you like this: We went to one of the fancier restaurants in town. My wife ordered more drinks than she should have. We both ordered multiple appetizers and two of the most expensive meals. And we only paid about $50. In the U.S. we’d have racked up a bill over $120 at a similar restaurant.
How expensive is it to get around in Cartagena?
Because we had to get a taxi most places, this is where the low cost of our Colombian vacation really stood out. There were times we’d travel clear across the city in rush hour traffic and pay around $2 USD.
What is there for me to do when I travel to Cartagena for vacation?
The main Cartagena fort (Castillo San Felipe de Barajas)
Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is an awesome sight to behold. When you’re not lost in the impressiveness of the architecture, it’s easy to imagine how terrifyingly flustering it must’ve been to attack such a structure.
If you get that creeping feeling of doom when standing at the feet of the imposing fortress, know that it’s not just in your head. This place was so impregnable that it was key to defending the city against an army of nearly 30,000 British troops with a garrison of only about 3,000 Spaniards.
This is a must see when you travel to Cartagena.
San Basilio de Palenque (just outside of Cartagena)
Visiting San Basilio de Palenque, or Palenque for short, was by far my favorite part of my Cartagena vacation. To understand why, you’ll first need a quick history lesson.
How was San Basilio de Palenque created–and why does that matter?
Have you heard of Haiti (probably)?
What about the Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian revolution (if you’re from the U.S., probably not)?
What about Benkos Biohó and the rebellion by enslaved people that resulted in the town of Palenque (if you’re from the U.S., almost certainly not)?
The Haitian revolution is the most important rebellion by enslaved people in history. It stripped France of one of the most important colonies in the Americas, resulted in the wresting of the Dominican Republic from the hands of Spain, and is probably the biggest reason why the Louisiana purchase happened.
I knew about the Haitian revolution from my own studies (U.S. grade schools don’t teach about the Haitian revolution, despite its influence on the Louisiana purchase, which gets taught ad nauseam), but I didn’t know that while Haiti’s revolution is the most important, in the Americas, Palenque is the first successful one. In fact, I didn’t know Palenque existed at all.
In short, in the 1600s, a group of enslaved people fled Cartagena. When the Spanish tried to force them back, they fought back. And they won. They were so successful that they started to expand, freeing as many enslaved Africans in the area as possible; this terrified the Spanish so much that they agreed to leave the town in peace if they would stop expanding. Some consider it to be a partial inspiration for the Haitian revolution.
What is San Basilio de Palenque like?
Learning this and seeing the town at the same time was a breathtaking experience. There’s so much to say that I may do a separate article about Palenque itself. But for now, here are a few highlights:
I ate, without exaggeration, the best fish I ever had (the recipe won the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards; deservedly so)
We took boxing lessons in the same gym that legends like Antonio Cervantes (he’s from Palenque, which I didn’t know) trained
We learned that palenqueras (the ladies with colorful dresses and hats full of fruit) come from there
We learned that they have their own language
My wife got to taste their local rum (I don’t drink, so I missed out on this one)
We got to taste their locally-made candy
We got to see how they use herbal medicine alongside contemporary medicine
TLDR: Your Cartagena vacation must include a trip to Palenque. Gold star to my wife for booking a tour of this town. Be sure to tip your guide!
City tours of Cartagena
There’s so much to see in Cartagena that I highly recommend doing a tour of the city. A good guide will show you some hidden (for tourists) gems to eat and drink at, lead you to some beautiful scenery, and teach you some cool history.
If you opt to take a self-guided tour, I’d recommend heading to Cartagena’s Walled City, an area that’s surrounded by colonial-era fortification walls. There’s plenty of history, shopping, food, etc inside. There are also some great views of the ocean and city from the tops of the walls themselves.
Nightlife in Cartagena
The nightlife in Cartagena is fun. There are plenty of different bars, lounges, and clubs to choose from. My favorite area was a strip of bars near Plaza Cervantes, just inside of the Walled City.
Beaches to visit for a Cartagena vacation
Cartagena’s Bocagrande Beach
This was my least favorite part about our Cartagena vacation. It wasn’t a bad experience. Just nothing special. When you’re trying to just relax, you’ll be accosted by aggressive peddlers trying to sell you wares, give you foot rubs, and show off their rap skills. If you don’t shoo them away, they’ll expect payment for their “services”. The beach itself wasn’t bad–family friendly with warm, blue waters, but the peddlers will dampen the experience for anyone looking for some beachside solitude.
Other Cartagena beaches
My wife and I heard about other beaches with more relaxing experiences across town, closer to Baru, and a short ferry ride out, but we didn’t get a chance to visit them. Also, there is a beach just outside of the Hyatt that is supposed to be relaxing as well, but it was undergoing construction when we were there.
How’s the food in Cartagena?
Incredible! (pretend like I said that with a Spanish flourish). There wasn’t a single meal that I either didn’t want more of, or ate so much of that a sleeping coma was inevitable.
The seafood options were especially good–as I mentioned in the San Basilio de Palenque section, I ended up having the best fish of my life on this trip.
As I mentioned in the Las Islas section, avoid the ceviche. It’s delicious, but not worth risking the stomach ache.
What’s the weather like in Cartagena?
Like many tropical Central and South American locations, Cartagena has two seasons: Rainy and dry (more on that below). Unlike many tropical countries, which get battered by hurricanes annually, Cartagena rarely gets hit by any sort of extreme weather.
What’s it like to travel to Cartagena for vacation in November?
Mid November, when we visited, is at the tail end of the rainy season in Cartagena, but this wasn’t a deterrent at all. It rained nearly every day, but rarely for more than ten minutes. Most of our time there was hot and sunny. This is apparently how most of the rainy season goes–some of the locals even complained when it rained for a whole hour, because it almost never gets that “bad”. The set of images below is a great example (they were taken within an hour).
Is Cartagena a good place for Black people to travel to?
Let’s put it like this: When I just stood there and kept my mouth shut (I can’t speak Spanish, and even if I could, I’d butcher it with my American accent), people thought that I was a local; more importantly, they were nice to me, even after finding out that I’m a darn Yankee! Also, there’s an incredible wealth of Afro-Latino heritage like the tour of San Basilio de Palenque to enjoy; the locals love discussing and celebrating this, which was extremely refreshing.
When you travel to Cartagena for vacation, what else is nearby?
As I mentioned, San Basilio de Palenque and Las Islas are outside of the Cartagena city limits. When we go back, we also plan on finding out what else is nearby, as well as checking out the Rosario Islands, a national park with preserved coral reefs, snorkeling, and white beaches.
TLDR: Should you plan a Cartagena vacation?
Absolutely! Cartagena is one of my favorite places to visit, and I hope to return soon. If you like any of the following, you’ll enjoy Cartagena too:
Beaches
Interesting history
Incredible food
Cool buildings
Fun nightlife
Warm, predictable weather
Inexpensive trips
