Spending the night on the Rosario Islands

Gator says on May 12, 2008, 09:54:

I think camping is prohibited due to the nature of this park. The hotels are expensive.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

jonas says on May 12, 2008, 10:45:

try playa blanca, the beach is actually nicer than rosarios beaches but safety might be an issue.

What I have, I do not want to lose, but Where I am I do not want to stay, but those I love, I do not want to leave, but those I know I no longer want to see, but Where I die, I do not want to go;I want to stay where I have never been

ColombianoGringo says on May 12, 2008, 10:50:

Playa Blanca is nice, but we didn't enjoy it much. We stopped there for lunch on an Isla Rosario boat tour, but the relentless touts just wouldn't leave us alone for a minute and that pretty much ruined it for us. It was much worse than Cartagena or San Andres in that respect. They kept telling me how they only lived off fishing and selling to tourists. Sorry, but they can save that guilt trip for someone else. Are there some areas of Playa Blanca without the tout infestation?

jonas says on May 12, 2008, 11:02:

In my experience these guys come to the beach when the Rosario tour boats get there to make their time hell. Once the boats leave most of them are gone, too. Also when you arrive on a tour you won´t go too far from the boat, it´s pretty much all in one place. If you spend more time on the beach it is easy to escape from this circus.

What I have, I do not want to lose, but Where I am I do not want to stay, but those I love, I do not want to leave, but those I know I no longer want to see, but Where I die, I do not want to go;I want to stay where I have never been

tomtom33 says on May 12, 2008, 11:46:

I rented a private lancha for my trip to Playa Blanca. I went with 2 amigas, and the three of us were relatively tout free. But we were pretty much off to ourselves.

Saltador says on May 12, 2008, 12:49:

Agree with tom tom 100 percent. You can't go to playa blanca through a trip to the rosarios, you get bent over doing it that way. Try going just to playa blanca, either as tomtom did or through the decameron hotel. If you spend the entire day there, you'll quickly realize the touts are nowhere near as bad as they are in cartagena. You'll have maybe four or five approach you all day, maybe one massage girl. The rest sit behind little stands and wait for you to approach them.
Scale of 1-10:
Isla Rosario excursion =4
Decameron Playa Blanca = 9

brad216 says on May 12, 2008, 14:02:

just got back this morning from 5 days/4 nights in Cartagena. ITS NOT WORTH IT!!!!! all you need is maybe 3 days at most. it was crazy hot and the humidity was like florida in august. i would recommend maybe 3-4 days in Cartagena and then head over to Santa Marta. if you enjoy getting hasseled to buy sunglasses, hats, t-shirts, water shoes, etc.... every minute of the day in boca grande and old city by locals, this is the place to be. they will follow you for blocks. my cali wife (never shy) yelled at a few of them in old city. very funny, too bad i didn't understand the spanish though lol.
seriously, i did take the tour someone suggested on an earlier post run by the decameron hotel to baru island. it's a wonderful time from the dancing and drinking on the 45 minute ship ride to stuffing your face all day on the beach....it was worth the extra money. for us, we enjoyed san andres much more than cartagena. If you are a couple head to Santa Marta or San Andres...if you are single and looking for fun and dancing until 5 am, you might enjoy Cartagena more than we did.

scott321 says on May 12, 2008, 19:19:

Brad you must look like tourists. I am in the Old City everyday and almost never get harassed by anyone.
How much did you pay for the one day trip with the Decameron?

cali373 says on May 13, 2008, 08:30:

I have to say that I LOVE CARTAGENA and would move there in a second. After NYC and Boston it has to be one of the most interesting cities I have ever been too. but the humidity is unbearable.

I will never stay in bocagrande, for that matter I will just go to Miami, the old city is where I stay.

Smile if you are a thinker!

aztec says on May 13, 2008, 08:36:

cali373 What is the longest you have stayed in Cartagena? Were you only on vacation?

Cerealkiller says on May 13, 2008, 08:44:

I did the rosario Island thing with Santa Clara hotel, we stayed in Isla Grande for two nights...not worth it. 1 night is fine, we enjoyed snorkeling, rented a kayak and went to the aquarium but thats pretty much it...Oh we also went to a town party in Orica, the little town in Isla Grande, its an experience if you don't mind to be stared at like you come from a different planet, which is not that farfetched now that I think of it...

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

ColombianoGringo says on May 13, 2008, 08:50:

The old city and the other historical locations are interesting, but the rest of Cartagena is decidedly unimpressive. As far as beach destinations, it is mediocre at best.

brad216 says on May 13, 2008, 19:24:

scott it was 34,000 pesos per person another 5,000 for dock tax. not much for a day of drinks, the beach, food, kayaking, and more. there is an additional cost for diving. but don't worry, they import locals (though only about 6 or 7) to get the tourists to purchase necklaces, sunglasses, and some nasty ladies to give you a massage. they want to make sure the tourists feel like the beach in boca grande...but at least the few that are on the island don't constantly bother you. by the way, i've been in colombia 14 times now and with my colombian wife we blend in pretty well and we weren't the only ones they were bothering. i will admit in the old city it is not as bad as boca grande and they really only hassle you in old city during the daytime..not at night

Saltador says on May 13, 2008, 19:40:

The humidity is not always unbearable, in all my trips to cartagena I would describe it as unbearable only once. (Yea, it sucked big time.)And I'm from the midwest so am not used to it except occasionally in the summer.
For all the bitching about the vendadores, I don't find them that bad. It's just something you get used to. I've never found them to be too bad in the old city, except in plaza santo domingo, which for the most part should only be strolled through due to the high costs of everything. Yea, at the beach in bocagrande they can be annoying, especially those damn massage girls who don't understand "No" in any language. But after a while (if you keep saying no gracias) most of them will leave you alone....

tomtom33 says on May 14, 2008, 05:21:

The secret to Cartagena is February. The heat is tame and there is no rain. Most importantly, the crowds are gone.

Beach on Castillo Grande as there are very few vendedores. But if the beach was very important to you, you wouldn't be in Cartagena in the first place.

Brians says on May 17, 2008, 17:41:

Brad what kind of avatar is that??

tomitom25 says on May 28, 2008, 11:22:

Helly everyone. very helpful tips about what to expect. I am going with a my girlfriend this coming July and we
will be in Cartagena for 2 nights. originally booked to stay in Cartagena for the 2 nights but then I found about the Isla Grand and we decided to check it out. But when I made the reservation at the Hotel San Pedro de Majagua. and apprently there is only one transfer boat at 8am in the morning. we will be arriving from Bogota around 10am. is there any other way to get there?. the reservation mentioned a private boat but that was very$$$ like 700.00 .
also reading few comments the overall impression is not so good about this hotel or island. should we just stick to Cartagena or maybe spend the 1st day in Cartagena then leave next morning to Isla Grande?

Many many thanks for the advices!

Tomitom25 at yahoo.com

tomtom33 says on May 28, 2008, 11:34:

Maybe we are distant relatives.

You can hire a private boat to take you to the islands near the Hilton in Laguito for a whole lot less than US$700. You may get by with under US$100.

tomitom25 says on May 28, 2008, 12:03:

Hello Tomtom33=)
maybe we are cousins ha ha .. if you happened to be born in Morocco lol=)
$100 is way better than $700 indeed.is Hilton Laguito by cartagena?

Best regards,

Cerealkiller says on May 28, 2008, 12:32:

tomitom, I stayed at San Pedro Majagua and to be honest Id suggest you stay at the santa clara or santa teresa that first night, explore the walled city and do a day trip to Isla Grande. It departs from Santa Clara hotel, you will get a whole day in the island, cocktails, lunch, some snorkeling and back to cartagena.

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

tomitom25 says on May 28, 2008, 13:44:

Thx Cerealkiller=)

I am taking all this tips and you make a good point.

Mr. Hollywood says on May 28, 2008, 14:49:

Agree with Cerealkiller, Majagua is very sleepy and there are much nicer beach environments. For the money you're better off staying at the Santa Clara or Santa Teresa and exploring the old city, which is lovely.

tomtom33 says on May 28, 2008, 16:35:

The Hilton is in Cartagena, barrio el Laguito. It is 10 to 15 minutes from the old city.

The Santa Clara is the best hotel in Cartagena, if you can afford it.