Depending on your plans and your company you might prefer to stay in one place or another. For example when we travel with our children we choose quiet locations near to the beach, but when we travel alone we prefer to stay in the city center near to all the restaurants and bars. So here we are going to explain the different areas in Cartagena so you can have an idea and choose wisely according to your plans.
OLD TOWN OR WALLED CITY
In the old town or walled city there are many amazingly beautiful and charming hotels. Remodeled old colonial houses and turned into high end boutique hotels are the main attraction of this area. In most of this hotels the pool is not very big and the common spaces are not big either, but the atmosphere is unique; you feel like in another epoque. They are elegant and charming, but not so child friendly. There are a couple of bigger hotels like Santa Teresa or Santa Clara which used to be monasteries, so they have big pools, fine restaurants and lots of amenities.
Regarding the things to do, in the old city you have many restaurants and bars and most of the monuments and landmarks, but you don’t have the beach, so if your plan is to go to the beach in the city, you might reconsider staying here.
This area is very crowded all year round, but it’s worth it.
BOCAGRANDE
In Bocagrande you can find the big chain hotels, right in front of the beach. These hotels have hundreds of rooms, big pools, big restaurants, convention centers, etc. Most of them are brand new and have very cool views of the sunset and the bay of Cartagena. Transportation is very easy and the old town is not far away, it’s just 5 minutes away by car or 15 – 20 minute walk.
These hotels are more fun for families because kids have more things to do, and more space to play. The beach is also right across the street, so it’s a lot easier.
There are a couple of very good restaurants in the area, so if you don’t feel like going to the old town you can still walk to a nice restaurant and have a quiet dinner.
ZONA NORTE
The North Zone is a bit further away but it has a very wide beach. In this area you will find chain hotels too with all the amenities like in Bocagrande, but if you want to go to the city you will have to take a longer ride than if you are staying in the other areas and definitely can’t go walking. There are a couple of excellent restaurants in these hotels.
In this beach you can do water sports. Kite surfers love this beach because it has nice winds, and families too because the beach is better than the ones in the city.
You can choose this area if you want to go to the beach, a calmer location than the ones in the city center and don´t mind being a little far away from the center.
ISLANDS
If your only plan is to go to the beach, relax and swim or dive, then you must stay in one of the beautiful hotels in Islas del Rosario or Tierra Bomba. Some of them have also very cool beach clubs where you can party as well, but indisputably will not be near to the city. Islas del Rosario is 1 hour away by boat and the latest you can leave to the mainland is around 3pm. This islands have the most beautiful beaches and the nicest waters. Tierra Bomba is closer, it’s just 20 minutes away from Castillogrande, but it is also not allowed to travel after the sunset. Here the water is clearer than in Cartagena and the beach is nicer too, but not as nice as in the Rosario Islands. Hotels are very cool and have live music in the evenings, it’s a good place to party.
In this area some hotels are for adults only, so check if you are traveling with kids.
