The Great Escape to Cartagena, Colombia

When a colleague of mine invited me on a ladies trip to Cartagena, Colombia, I without hesitation said yes! As I mentioned before, I love to travel! Any opportunity to experience a new place and culture is always a go in my book. We spent four days in beautiful Cartagena, exploring the city, submerging ourselves in the culture, enjoying the amazing cuisine and even finding time to participate in a community service project. The entire experience was amazing and I can’t wait to visit again with my husband in tow.

I have to admit, I almost didn’t make it on this trip. Our itinerary was set 6 months prior but just as we were scheduled to leave, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) was made a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). I made the conscious decision to proceed with the trip despite family recommendations. The airline that had a 7 hour wait to cancel flights so by the time anyone answered we would have been half way to Colombia. In hindsight, I am glad I didn’t cancel because it was such an amazing experience.

Weekend Cartagena Itinerary

Thursday

We arrived at the Rafael Nunez International Airport in Cartagena (CTG) around noon where there was about a 45 minute wait to get through customs, but one of the ladies on our trip mentioned that it is usually a breeze to get through and the delay may have been due to coronavirus precautions. We were then taken to our hotel via private transport.

Where We Stayed:

We booked our stay at Allure Chocolat hotel by Karisma, a beautiful four-pearl boutique hotel set in the heart of Cartagena within walking distance to the historic walled city center and Getsemani. When we arrived however the manager informed us their computer system crashed and the reservations were cancelled. They instead had us stay at their sister property Allure Bon Bon hotel by Karisma, a short four minute walk away. The Bon Bon was a smaller hotel but just as amazing and we were able to enjoy the amenities of both hotels including all meals (free of charge) in addition to being refunded a night’s stay - Win! We enjoyed an amazing lunch at Allure Chocolat’s Restaurante Red Knife before freshening up and heading out for an incredible horse drawn carriage ride tour of the walled city and a scrumptious seafood dinner at El Santisimo.

Restaurante Red Knife - This is the restaurant of our main hotel where we enjoyed lunch everyday. They have 4.5 star rating on trip advisor and the food is amazing. If you end up here, try the grilled sea bass or salmon.

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride/Tour - We booked our horse drawn carriage tour of the walled city through Panamericana. Our bus picked us up at our hotel around 7pm and took us to the meeting point to board our carriages. Our tour took us through the walled city where we enjoyed street vendors and the well lit night scenery. We window shopped all the boutiques and shops from our carriage and were even entertained and serenaded by local artists. Our english speaking tour guide was amazing even though it was challenging to hear him over the horse trotting.

El Santisimo Restaurante - This is where the tour ended and where we had dinner. It is rated 4 stars on trip advisor but I could easily give it 5 stars. We enjoyed various seafood dishes that were all very fresh and seasoned to perfection. The restaurant also carries chicken and beef dishes to suit any palate. An inviting atmosphere with excellent service - the food was the best I’ve had in ages.

I do not remember the names of these dishes but they were all delicious! The menu on their website has not been updated so I can’t recommend the dishes by name, but rest assured they were all delicious.

Friday

This day was filled with exploration and adventure. The great thing about Cartagena is that almost anywhere is accessible by foot. We explored the neighborhood of Getsemani - the hip new community for soaking up local culture. Pizzerias and casual bistros serving up Colombian staples line the streets, which are well known for their vivid murals. Local artists and residents decorate the streets to bring an exquisite experience. Brewpubs, cocktail bars, and Salsa bars keep the party vibe going.

I really loved the colorful doors throughout Cartagena and learned about the significance of the door knockers. “A tal casa tal aldaba,” or “To each house its door knocker” refers to the practice of displaying a resident’s social status or profession on their front door through the design of its knocker. A knocker shaped as a fish or other sea creature meant the owner of the house was a member of the sea merchant community, or some other trade related to the sea. Lion head door knockers represented members of the army, militia leaders, and other protectors of the city. The clergy, meanwhile, marked their homes with knockers in the shape of hands. A home with a lizard-shaped knocker were those of high society members, typically with some kind of royal connection. In all cases, the size and quality of the door knocker was also demonstrative of the resident’s social status: If you wanted to show off your credentials to passersby, only a finely crafted big brass knocker would do.

When you walk through this close knit community you’re greeted by vibrant depictions of Caribbean life displayed on the crumbling stucco walls of authentic Spanish Colonial buildings. Almost every street is lined with Getsemani Graffiti with bright murals showcasing culturally significant images from the historic to the modern.

Actual mural of this Getsemani local painted by a Getsemani local artist.

As afternoon approached we headed back in the direction of our hotel to freshen up and get ready for our community service project - but not before having another delicious meal at Restaurante Red Knife.

After lunch we got ourselves freshened up and packed our luggage filled with dental supplies including toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouth rinses and floss. In addition we had school supplies including book bags, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, crayons, folder pages, puzzles etc to give to orphans of the orphanage located in La Boquilla. It was a deeply satisfying experience. It was the first time this orphanage had ever been visited from the outside and the first time that they’d ever received donations. The pastor was so thankful and grateful. This is easily one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

The experience of visiting the orphanage and giving back to the local community touched us all so deeply that we decided all of our travels together will have some purpose to it and bear a humanitarian side. Our travel group is now called Travel On Purpose (TOP).

After our community service project we took a historical walking tour where we learned all about the history of Cartagena and shopped for emeralds, coffee and chocolate.

Saturday

This was an early day, as we took a break from the busy city life to venture out to Rosario Islands. Our day started at 7:30am - our bus picked us up at our hotel and took us to the coastal town of Barú where we were whisked away by speedboat to the beautiful and picturesque Rosario Islands where we swam, snorkeled, sun bathed and enjoyed the local cuisine.

The boat ride going to Rosario Islands was smooth but the return was treacherous! The ocean was really rough and I acquired some bruises from holding on for dear life. Tip: If you do venture out to Rosario Islands, go very early and leave before 2pm. If you leave any later the seas may be too rough for you to return to Cartagena resulting in you spending the night on the Island.

Sunday

This was our last day in Colombia, it was bittersweet but we woke up early so that we could enjoy our last beautiful sunrise and delicious breakfast at Allure Chocolat. After breakfast we lounged around a bit before we were picked up and taken to the airport.

Entrance to the walled City. I sure will miss this view.

The next day Colombia closed their borders and travel in and out of the country was banned in light of the Coronavirus. We got out just in time.

Overall, I am very happy that I didn’t cancel this trip to Cartagena. I would go back in a heart beat! I am also happy to report that we have been back from our trip for 17 days and are all symptom and virus free. My husband and I are already planning to visit once the borders have re-opened.