First off – I wanted to thank everyone for all of their interest in our Colombian Honeymoon! It was such an amazing trip and we are so happy that we sparked a few people’s interests in traveling to this amazing city! I worked incredibly hard on the itinerary for our honeymoon and I am so excited to share. We also wanted to state that we felt very safe in all the places we went and stayed. The Colombian people couldn’t have been nicer and we feel very lucky to have gotten to experience their home.
Please see below for our recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, where to drink and where to party!
I also wanted to quickly state in the beginning that Colombia is extremelyyyy affordable! So if you wanted to budget a bit more on where you stay you can definitely do that. For instance beers were around $1.50, wine around $5, cocktails around $7. We never spent more than $75 on a meal out (which included drinks, apps, main course!). It was pretty shocking how cheap everything was! This is just something to keep in mind! (Also, definitely not a bad thing to brush up on your Spanish before going!)
WHERE TO STAY
From our personal experience I recommend staying within the walled city for a few nights, then expanding your trip to a few nights on the beautiful island of Baru! I will only speak to where we stayed below, but know there are many boutique hotel options in Cartagena as well as Airbnbs! You really cannot go wrong staying anywhere within the walled city. It is all insanely beautiful!
In terms of getting to the walled cities hotels/airbnbs from the Cartagena airport we simply took a taxi! The taxi was $4 but because our driver was nice and quick we tipped him a $20. The taxi stand is located right outside baggage claim and really easy to find!
Hotel Santa Clara: If you are looking for a more resort type environment for your trip this is such an amazing option! The vibes at the pool are super fun, with lots of people as well as servers coming by often for drink/food orders. The staff also went above and beyond when they found out it was our honeymoon! We are talking rose pedals everywhere, towels shaped like swans and chocolate covered strawberries. LOL.
Casa San Agustin: I first came across this gorgeous boutique hotel when scrolling Instagram. I was totally taken aback by the architecture and just how stunningly romantic the scenery was. We immediately booked it and were just so unbelievably happy to of stayed here! It was definitely a more intimate vibe but so perfect for a honeymoon or couples trip.
Las Islas de Baru: We took a boat from Cartagena directly to Las Islas de Baru ! The boat was about 45mins and was provided by the hotel. I will say the boat ride was BUMPY. We ended up not taking it back because I got pretty nauseous so just keep that in mind when choosing your transportation to and from Baru. Other than that our stay at Las Islas was wonderful! They were so kind and really go above and beyond to make sure you are happy! You get around the resort by golf cart or bike (provided by the hotel) so once you are there you are pretty much set! For transportation back to the airport we took a private car which was about an hour and a half but the car was wonderful – clean, comfy and nice! They also provide a complimentary bioluminescent tour with your stay which was a super fun excursion. 🙂
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
(Note: We did not have any reservations prior to going to Cartagena! We walked in everywhere and were fine!).
Carmen Restaurante: This was the dinner we really tried to splurge on! Everything was so delicious and the beef dishes melted like butter when you cut into them. Even though we tried to splurge I think we still only spent about $80! A must hit when in Cartagena. The vibes were 10/10!
Alma Restaurante: Alma is attached to Casa San Agustin and even though it’s a hotel restaurant it’s still rated as one of the best in the city! If you aren’t able to stay at Casa San Agustin while in Colombia then I recommend at least having dinner here. The watermelon cocktails are also to die for!
Le Cevicheria: This was the most recommended restaurant to us prior to leaving for Colombia! It was so popular that we got there 15 mins before it opened and waited in the rain for them to let us in!! It did not disappoint and all of the seafood dishes were wonderful! This would make a wonderful lunch spot on your trip.
La Juma Cartagena: A great sports bar option in the walled city! We were there while the World Cup was on, so we watched all of the games from here! Cheap beer, tons of TVs and great vibes.
Cafe del Mar: This is a great spot to hit up before dinner! We went to watch the sunset and have a few drinks/app’s. It is beautiful and really big! Definitely more of a touristy spot so just be prepared for that.
El Baron Cafe: If looking for a really yummy craft cocktail in Cartagena – than this is your spot! We spent a few of our evenings after dinner at El Baron and were truly obsessed! The bartender’s are amazing/hilarious and so talented and the intimate vibes are just EVERYTHING!!
Alquimico: Another top recommendation (and for good reason!). Alquimico is rated as one of the top 50 bars in the entire WORLD. It is designed beautifully with three floors, that all have different cocktail menus and themes. Through our experience I would plan to get a drink on each floor and end on the rooftop! We went on a Thursday night (it’s only open Thursdays-Sundays) on the early side so it wasn’t in full club mode yet but still so much fun and perfect for us!
El Arsenal: This was the only lunch spot we went to that was outside of the walled city! It’s super cute with great food and they give you a rum tasting with each meal!
WHAT TO DO
Playa Cholon: The day we spent at Playa Cholon was probably our favorite day of the entire honeymoon! We truly never even sought out to go here but our complimentary boat driver from Las Islas asked if we wanted to siesta (nap) or fiesta (party) that day and we of course said FIESTA! (We were on our way to Las Islas private beach which was the siesta option lol). The best way I can describe it is as a Colombian tailgate! Boats pull up and tie together and everyone just parties! We had a private serve (Primo!!) the full time so he would get us food, drinks, etc and it was truly the most perfect day! This would also be a really fun option if going on a bach/bachelorette to Cartagena!
Shopping in the Walled City: There was so much amazing shopping in Cartagena as well! Just walking around you will find tons of cute shops and boutiques!
Boat Day to the Rosario Islands: If you aren’t spending any time on Baru then I would recommend a boat day to the Rosario Islands! There is so much to see and do outside of Cartagena that is all accessible via boat!
Pictures with the Famous Fruit Ladies of Colombia: They are positioned in a lot of places around the walled city just make sure to pay them after the photos!
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