Colombia was amazing! It was the perfect warm destination to visit in the winter months to escape the cold.
It was also very cheap to get to from Denver flying Spirit. The red eye to FLL is tough but still can you really beat $300 roundtrip?
We started our Colombia vacation in Cartagena. The city was beautiful and inviting. It was colorful and loud. The port city that was known in the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias was easy to explore by foot and easy to navigate. Though it is a country that has dealt with great crime and corruption we felt safe. We stayed in Getsemani which is a city just outside the walled city. It is an up and coming neighborhood in Cartagena that has great food and an exciting night scene.
While in Cartagena we wanted to explore the culture and see the city as well as relax. We stayed at Casa Lola which had an amazing rooftop pool that we enjoyed most of our sunsets on.
On our first afternoon we explored and ate lunch at La Mulatta and had amazing fish soup and a mix seafood plate with arroz con cocoa which is coconut rice; a classic Colombian dish. We were off to a great start!
We finished the night at Donde Fidel with new friends drinking Club Colombia beers and watching the hustle and bustle of the Plaza de Los Coches.
The second day we made a tourist mistake and went to Playa Blanca. While it was beautiful it was insanely over crowded and has been ruined by tourism. I had read about how you can get oysters fresh from the ocean and massages, but what sounded like a dream was truly a nightmare. People coming up constantly bothering you to buy things. I would truly say don’t go. We made the best of our noisy crowded beach situation and then headed back to the city on a really bumpy boat ride but that was the highlight of my day. It was so fun, but if you are afraid of fast boats and bumps, don’t go.
We spent happy hour at Cafe del Mar to watch the sunset. It is set up on the wall with the perfect view of the sun dipping into the sea. This is a popular spot so go early to get a table. We then went to Carmen for dinner and had a fancy tasting menu experience. The food was delicious and creative. After we enjoyed cocktails at El Baron for drinks in Plaza San Pedro Claver.
The next day we visited the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas which is the fort just oustside the city. We were able to walk and melted in the Colombia sun and humidity. Wear a hat and bring water! The fort was large and was the perfect way to see all of Cartagena from the top. We and walked around the city with a guide learning more about Colombia’s culture. We also had lunch at the iconic La Cevecheria which seriously did not disappoint. We had incredible ceviche that was tart, smooth and fresh and the best fish sandwich ever—buttery and salty from a almost teriyaki like sauce and thick baguette to support it.That night we finished our trip at Club Havana.
The next day we departed for Santa Marta sad to leave Cartagena behind.
I don’t want to read your post, what should I know?
- Do visit a beach, but don’t visit Playa Blanca- do more research there us! There are lots of awesome beaches!
- Have happy hour on a roof
- Have happy hour at Cafe del Mar
- People watch at the outside tables of Donde Fidel
- Watch salsa inside of Donde Fidel
- Eat at La Cevecheria
- Walk up Castillo San Felipe de Barajas for an amazing view of cartagena
