9 Cartagena Hotels Inside the Walls, Not in Bocagrande

Cartagena's old city is enclosed by eleven kilometres of stone walls built by the Spanish over roughly two centuries to keep out English privateers. Inside them is a grid of balconied colonial houses, bougainvillea, shaded plazas and streets narrow enough that cars are a nuisance rather than a solution.

Three kilometres away, on a spit of reclaimed land, is Bocagrande: a row of high-rise condominium towers and chain hotels along a grey-sand beach that looks like Miami and is where a great many visitors end up booking, because the buildings are bigger and the rooms are cheaper.

Why the walls are the whole point

Cartagena is not a beach destination. The city beaches are grey volcanic sand with murky water, and the good swimming is an hour away by boat at the Rosario Islands. Booking Bocagrande for the beach is a misunderstanding of what this coast offers.

What Cartagena has is one of the most complete colonial cities in the Americas, and the way to experience it is to be inside the walls at the hours when the day-trippers and cruise passengers are not: early morning, and after about seven at night when the heat drops and the plazas fill.

The old city divides into two. The walled city proper, San Diego and Centro, is the grandest, with the cathedral, the plazas and the converted convents. Getsemaní, immediately outside one gate, was the working quarter and is now the more interesting one: street art, music in the Plaza de la Trinidad, and considerably lower prices.

The nine below are grouped that way.

Inside the walls

Converted convents and colonial mansions in the Centro and San Diego quarters.

Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena occupies a seventeenth-century convent with a cloistered courtyard, a pool in the old garden and a bar in the crypt. It is the grandest building in the city and the best hotel in Colombia.

Hotel Casa San Agustin sits in three restored colonial houses in San Diego with a courtyard, a rooftop pool and a library. It is smaller, quieter and more personal than its famous neighbour.

Casa Pestagua Relais Châteaux occupies a restored eighteenth-century mansion with a plunge pool in the courtyard and interiors that are the most opulent in the walled city.

Charleston Santa Teresa Cartagena sits on the Plaza de Santa Teresa with a rooftop pool looking over the walls to the sea, and it is the most complete large hotel inside the city.

Movich Hotel Cartagena de Indias occupies a converted republican-era building with a rooftop bar and terrace over the old town, and it is the best value among the larger hotels here.

Hotel Bantu by Faranda Boutique, a member of Radisson Individuals sits in a colonial house near the clock tower with a courtyard, a small pool and a family operation.

Amarla Boutique Hotel Cartagena occupies a restored house in San Diego with a handful of rooms, a plunge pool and complete quiet at night. It is the smallest on this list.

Getsemaní

Outside the main gate, five minutes' walk. The livelier, cheaper and more local quarter.

Ananda Hotel Boutique occupies a restored house with a courtyard, a rooftop and a position among the street art and the bars.

Hotel Casa Lola Deluxe Gallery sits near the Plaza de la Trinidad with a pool, simple rooms and the best value on this list.

What we have left off

The Bocagrande towers are excluded, all of them. They have larger rooms, sea views and lower rates, and they sit on a mediocre grey beach three kilometres from the only reason to come to Cartagena. Book them if the walled city is somewhere you intend to visit rather than inhabit.

What to do

Walk the walls at sunset from the Baluarte de Santo Domingo round to the Café del Mar. It is free, it takes an hour and it is the best thing in the city.

Go out at seven in the evening. The heat drops, the plazas fill, and the old city is at its best from then until midnight.

Take a boat to the Rosario Islands for the day for clear water and proper swimming, which the mainland does not offer.

Do the Castillo de San Felipe fortress early, before the sun. The Palace of the Inquisition explains the darker side of the city's history.

Eat ceviche, arepas de huevo and fried fish with coconut rice, and drink limonada de coco constantly.

Practical notes

Cartagena's airport is 15 minutes from the old city.

December to April is the dry season and the best window. May to November is wetter and much cheaper, with the rain usually falling in short heavy bursts.

It is hot and humid year round, typically low thirties with high humidity. Plan around the middle of the day rather than through it.

Bring cash for small purchases and expect persistent street vendors in the tourist areas; a firm and friendly no works.

Questions people actually ask

Is Cartagena a beach destination?

No. The city beaches are poor and the good water is an hour away by boat. Come for the colonial city.

Walled city or Getsemaní?

Walled city for the architecture and the quiet, Getsemaní for the atmosphere, music and value. They are five minutes apart.

Is it safe?

The old city and Getsemaní are heavily policed and busy at night. Apply normal city awareness and take a taxi late.

How many nights?

Three, four with a night on the Rosario Islands.

If you only book one

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