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Go to Colombia but don't leave CARTAGENA!!!!!!

First-Timers Guide to Cartagena

This is only my opinion so please take it with a grain of salt and remember, for me cartagena is the only place in colombia that matters. I love the beach and I love the people.

First off, orientation there's really 4 areas to Cartagena that concern the tourist,... they are in order of importance, Boca Grande/El Laguito, Centro, Rosario Islands and the Sprawling Metropolis of Cartagena to the east.

Boca Grande / El Laguito: This is where you'll see high rise apartments on a penisula similar in a way to veradero or cancun. Its where all the beach people go. The North west side of boca grande is one long strip of beach and is the beach where everyone goes. The Boca Grande beach at the south-west corner gets the busiest and is called playa hollywood. A block south east of the beach is the avenida San martin this main drag is where you'll find the promenade full of restaurants and stores for the tourist crowd. This Road ends at the South-East end where you'll see the pink sprawling Caribe Hotel,.. across from this hotel is the playa hollywood. Between the Caribe Hotel and playa hollywood runs a street that wraps around all the way to the Hilton hotel this area is El Laguito.

Centro: the walled city which is where you'll find the historic architecture it's also where you'll find the plaza santo domingo a huge meeting point filled with tables for open air dining. You'll also find the puerta/torre del reloj an opening in the wall with a clock tower above where there's a plaza fronted by a string of discos including Tu Candela. Also you'll find the calle Arsenal another long string of discos including Mr.Babilla.

Rosario Islands: South east of the city by way of a 45-60 min lancha (a long, sometimes covered boat with out-board motor) ride is a group of coral islands that include an aquarium and various private resorts. To the east of these islands is a long strip of sand beach called playa blanca that is mostly unacessible by land so very pristine really the only place you can go while in cartagena to experience a white sand caribbean idyllic beach. If its windy in the afternoons DO NOT GO there the lancha ride will be hell on the return.

Sprawling Metropolis of Cartagena: North of the centro is crespo where the airport is . To the east is a cliff with a convent on top and beyond that is miles and miles of urban sprawl. Out that way is a big mall called castellana, a huge bull-fighting complex and the bus terminal.

Security: No one is gonna kidnap you. You can walk around drunk and stupid in Boca Grande/El Laguito and Centro and the only thing that will happen to you is MAYBE a pick pocketing. The sprawling Metropolis of Cartagena can be dangerous for a tourist, armed robbery has happened some older italians got killed a few years ago but they wouldnt give up their cash. Arrival at the airport is safe, walking out no one is casing you.

Accomodation: there are thousands of apartments for daily rental available in Boca Grande/ El Laguito. They are very easy to find and rent at anytime of day or night, high season or low. There are always people at the beginning of boca grande holding signs "apartamento" or just walking into the apartment you like and asking the doorman. If you are willing to negotiate hard you can find easily a one bedroom apartment for as little as 100,000 pesos per night. Hotels charge taxes and always pad the bill with mini bar and visitor fees. I recommend winging it and arriving without accommodation. It always costs more when you try and negotiate a hotel/apartment in advance from outside of the country. Moreover, the apartment rental scene is very relaxed cartagena isn't like mexico or the dominican republic nobody asks for a damage deposit.

Transportation: A taxi from/to the airport to/from Boca Grande/El Laguito costs 11,000 to 13,000 from centro to castellana mall will be similar. Trips from Boca Grande/El Laguito to Centro cost 5,000 pesos. That's enough day or night no matter what the taxista says.

Food: Lots and lots of restaurants. Including McDonald's. Service isn't 5 star you'll wait a while before your waiter gets your drink order, bill etc. Specialty drinks like margaritas and martinis aren't easy to come by, wine is a crap shoot even at what seems to be elegant restaurants. I recommend sticking to rum or beer.

Sight Seeing: The vendors on the beach sell 3 different packages that you should consider. One is a chiva tour (an open bus with a band)that does all the sights, the forts, the churches and the convent on the hill, its cheap 50,000. the second is a night time chiva that drives around for a while stops for a bit ontop of the wall and ends at a bar for dancing, cheap too 50,000 including an arepa and a little bottle of white rum. The third is the lancha trip to the rosario islands 75,000 which includes a stop at the aquarium and playa blanca lunch is the typical colombian coast meal some sort of fried fish, coconut rice and a salad (letuce, onion, tomato with lemon and salt). These tours are all managed by a co-op so its hard to go with the wrong one. For the most part all the vendors sell the same tours.

Costenos: The people of the coast of colombia are generally darker skinned and have a more down to earth, we're all equals kind of attitude which is different than the rest of colombia. In the coast the people are extremely laid back. They don't rush for anything. They also have had relative peace and prosperity for a long time so aren't desperate to make a buck off you. In all your dealings with taxistas, vendors on the beach or apartment owners your best negotiation is to walk away and find another who is willing to accept your price. They are very proud and believe gringos are rich, they'd rather lose the chance for your business than allow you to get away with fair market value. You have to be patient in everything, negotiate with 3 different taxis before you get in. Look at 10 apartments before you commit. look at a dozen different vendors sunglasses before you buy. I'm not patronizing you, I know if your going to colombia you've been to a latin country before. I'm just saying prepare yourself for the costeno way of insisting on an outrageous price all the time,... and then seeing them walk away from the sale like your the one who's being outrageous. Prepare yourself for this.

Tourists: You'll be on your own in Cartagena. Your fellow Gringo travellers aren't bird watchers or sight seers. Cartagena just isn't a developed tourist destination for gringos. You won't see panama hats and binoculars on pasty white gringos, cartagena isn't that kind of destination. Neither will you see the all-inclusive resort crowd like jamaica or cuba. Cartagena is different it's rife with vice. You'll either see grungy strung-out backpakers chasing their next high or dirty old men with hookers on their arms. There doesn't seem to be any middle of the road gringo tourists there, so your gonna be all on your own. You'll have more in common with the lighter skinned colombians from the interior who are visiting cartagena just like you than with your fellow countrymen.

Beachlife: I beg you give the playa hollywood a chance sit in a carpa and try and learn to love it for a few days. Fend off the vendors don't be a wimp, learn to love it and you will love cartagena. Cartagena isn't about pristine isolated beaches its about bikinis, booze and warm water.

Nightlife: Tu Candela is always busy after 12am even on a sunday night you should go there to dance. Also Mr. Babilla but only on the weekends. You can always find a partner to dance with you if you just ask. Also, you can also always find a date wether your a man or a woman to go out with you to eat and later dance, however, if a costeno accepts an invitation it doesn't mean they are attracted to you,... like I said they're not desperate, if they accept it's more because they're easy going and take life as it happens.

Cartagena is the best place in Colombia because costenos are real, they're not fakers or full of airs.

Remember, we're all in this together,

Tom Power

By tompower on Oct 15, 2008, 13:32 in Friendly Talkzone.

nine inch nails says on Oct 15, 2008, 13:55:

Nice summary TP. I really liked Cartagena and visited it after Medallo and Bogota so was a more laid back/less fear experience like you mentioned.

Only reason I haven't been back since Feb. were the high airfares but many have come down quite nicely here recently.

I am a bit more adventurous and most likely would check out the castellano mall next trip but only during the day and with trusted taxi driver waiting for me when finished. I did visit Crespo and it was really nice and safe feeling. On the way out of it past all the condos and security checkpoint did see some poverty and people in streets so was time to get on back inside.

It was interesting to see all the tipico barrios flying in and from atop the monestary. Could hear some cool musics (not House though) from them too.

The Hedge funds have all gone wild on us!

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aztec says on Oct 15, 2008, 15:36:

"don't leave CARTAGENA!!!!!!"

Now that is the least sophisticated comment on PBH!

So much so that I don't know how to respond!

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pavo says on Oct 15, 2008, 15:39:

And stumbling around drunk and stupid. Great, an ugly American in the flesh. Sounds like a perfect candidate for an episode of Girls gone Wild Cartagena.

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johnny2008 says on Oct 15, 2008, 15:53:

Why do these wordy holidaymakers feel the need to spew their mindless thoughts all over the internet? Or is that the point of PBH?

Come to think of it, why dont I shut up too?

Pavo if you come back to read this page I still haven't been to any of your restaurants, any day now I promise

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Cheers Terry says on Oct 15, 2008, 15:55:

Nice post, Tom. Cartagena is likely my least favourite city in Colombia, but thanks for taking the time to write your spin.

Cheers,
Terry

Aztec, Pavo & Johnny: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm

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Saltador says on Oct 15, 2008, 19:43:

Nice try Tom, but we're not buying it. Everyone here knows cartagena sucks. Us colombia experts would rather be in a city where one of the most fun things to do is visit a terrorists grave, a city where if you slip up and tell a chica where you're staying, there's a good chance you'll be robbed at gunpoint by ladrones.

Now that's my kind of town...

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droble77 says on Oct 16, 2008, 00:20:

Tell the truth, I was kind of disappointed with my 1st trip to CTG last month, don't think I would return. The heat and humidity is one factor, and the other is the street touts, they almost never left me in peace. I was shocked that after a couple of hours on a boat, I had to literally squirm through a gauntlet of beach touts on one of those Rosario islands. I guess that's what I get for letting my girl choose the cheapo option, but I had thought that at least out there on those islands, you could escape the touts. Well, that was not the case; at least not on that specific strip of beach we landed on! :(

Taxistas were about 50/50 in terms of honesty. But the guy who overcharged us after driving through one of the poorer commercial areas (past the sports complex going east) I didn't mind so much, I was just glad to have gotten the hell out of that area without incident. There are definitely large swaths of CTG that I would want to stay far away from, just like Cali, Bogota, and yes, even MDE have their sketchy sectors.

The Old City is nice but I've been to Old Havana and Old San Juan, so it wasn't such a big deal to me. Maybe I was just unlucky in terms of weather. . . even the nights were hot whereas Havana would actually get quite cool. And the beaches? Nothing special, certainly not something one would fly thousands of miles for. Colombians from the interior on the other hand, it's another story obviously. The funny part is that many Colombians find the Miami-ish tourist-trappy Bocagrande more interesting and exotic than the old city, go figger.

Lots of Venezuelans from Maracaibo also go to CTG as tourists. That coastal city is close to the Colombian eastern border so they share a lot of the same Caribbean culture, dig the same music, speak similar accent, etc. I talked to several of them and they told me there's a direct daily flight from Maracaibo to CTG, so they don't even have to fly through Caracas, which is a good thing I suppose as I've heard that airport is a real mess nowadays.

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pavo says on Oct 16, 2008, 07:00:

Guy get's off the cruise ship for two hours and is suddenly an expert on Colombia. Excellent.

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tompower says on Oct 16, 2008, 07:37:

relax pavo, remember, we're all in this together.
Tom Power.

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pavo says on Oct 16, 2008, 07:44:

No we aren't Tom

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rocinante says on Oct 16, 2008, 08:05:

Cartagena is great for tourists. It is much safer than the interior cities. If I were coming to Clombia for a vacation (why?) Cartagena would be the place. Living is another story.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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tomtom33 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Oct 16, 2008, 08:15:

I lived in Cartagena for 4 years. I still like it, but I prefer to live in Medellín. The climate is better, and there is a middle class in Medellín. It can also be a bit wearing living in the tourist zone when you are not on vacation. And the medical services are not that good in Cartagena.

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mosvar says on Oct 16, 2008, 08:34:

: "You'll be on your own in Cartagena. Your fellow Gringo travellers aren't bird watchers or sight seers. Cartagena just isn't a developed tourist destination for gringos. You won't see panama hats and binoculars on pasty white gringos, cartagena isn't that kind of destination."

Except this gringo right here. Fucking amazing....i really hope that it doesn't get explouted.

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-Salsero- says on Oct 16, 2008, 11:51:

Thanks Tom! :)

And for you guys who make the complains - Tom writes a good "First-Timers Guide to Cartagena" just like the thread says.

If you don't like it, please contribute with a "Not for the first timers guide to Cartagena".
Or write a guide to your own favourite Colombian town, and why you prefer it.

Well written reports like this, on Medellín/Cali/Bogotga would make a nice contribution to the forum.

Greetings / -Salsero-

If it's right, It's smooth and nice.

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D&E (☼Travelguide writer) says on Dec 14, 2008, 03:40:

If you want stay in Playa Blanca, visit us

D&E Tents and Hammocks

Contact us

Diego Tenorio
311 592 6246
Edgar Tenorio
301 679 71 64

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