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Cartagena - holiday trip report with teenagers and grandparents

Cartagena - holiday trip report with teenagers and grandparents

Old Jan 3rd, 2016, 02:37 PM
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Cartagena - holiday trip report with teenagers and grandparents

Hi all, just back from a multi-generational trip to Cartagena and wanted to blast a few quick thoughts. We - a group of 4 teenagers, 4 parents and 2 grandparents, went over Christmas/New Year's. The entire city was packed, particularly for the NYE celebration. All hotels full. Restaurant reservations nearly impossible. Walking through the crowds of tourists, carriages, carts and cars was a bit of a challenge - especially as we chased the shade during the day. But the city is super charming and particularly affordable given the USD strength relative to the COP.

Overall, I would highly recommend a visit to Cartagena. Go now before the city becomes totally overrun (as it is, the city's tourism industry is growing extremely fast). It would be a wonderful long, romantic weekend from NYC (direct flight on Avianca took 4.5 hours and it is only a 15-minute cab ride from the airport to the old town). We'll definitely return and hope to visit more of Colombia, including Bogota, Medellin, Pereira and Santa Marta.

1. Accommodations - we stayed one night at the Santa Clara, a very nice spot especially with the kids. The restaurant was quite good and the setting in the old courtyard is very elegant and atmospheric. The pool was fabulous (though other guests did that thing where they went early and stuck a book on a chair, which they didn't use until hours later - am I the only one who finds that annoying?). I wasn't totally wowed by the rooms, though, or the at-times-inattentive service, and thought some of the smaller boutique hotels offered far more charm. My in-laws stayed at the Casa San Augustin, which was absolutely gorgeous. Probably not the best for rambunctious kids, however. For a week, we rented a house in the San Diego neighborhood. We booked through Oasis, which is a relatively newcomer to the luxury villa rental scene. Our dealings with Oasis were hit-and-miss, and their concierge services weren't much use. But the house was wonderful.

2. Food - we didn't go out very much because it was easier and more fun to have most meals at home (particularly since the house came with a cook!). Dinner at 1621 in the Santa Clara was very good. Dinner at Juan del Mar was mediocre (though to be fair, it was insanely crowded the nights we went). Dinner at Alma was probably the best we had on our trip (the cazuela, a fish stew, was outrageously delicious). I had heard so many good things about La Cevicheria, but must admit that I was underwhelmed. Unreasonable expectations, perhaps? Not sure. We took a terrific street food tour through Cartagena Connections, which I would highly recommend. Once the kids learned what was what and where to get it, they were able to run off to buy themselves snacks during the week. The little chicharron shop (near the Exito supermarket) was particularly popular - the Colombians keep the pork belly with the skin, so the chicharron is super yummy. That tour included a stroll through Getsemani (and buying home-made popsicles from someone's house), which was fun. We loved the arepas, chicharron, fruit, buneulos. Independently, we found a guy selling fruit salpicon on the street, bright red fruit punch with chunks of yummy fruit. We ate lunch at a couple of hole-in-the-wall restaurants, which were very inexpensive but nothing to write home about. I think we ate arepas and arroz con coco every single day, and I never tired of them. Oh, I also liked the sweets at Portal de las Dulces on the Plaza de las Coches - yummy confections, lots of them made with coconut and fruits (guava, passion fruit, tamarindo). Definitely worth spending some money here to sample these delicious little things. I'm actually bummed we didn't bring a bunch home with us.

3. Islas Rosario - we chartered a speedboat for two of the days during our trip. We booked through Colombia Direct. I found them to be wildly expensive but very responsive and professional. Our boat pilot was terrific though he spoke not a word of English and my Spanish language skills were seriously put to the test. Some of the areas we visited in the islands were lovely but completely overrun with other tourists (mostly Colombians, I think), especially the little snorkeling spots. I was horrified to see some of the other snorkelers lounging on the coral reefs, indifferent to any damage they were causing, and other snorkelers were being pulled along slowly by a rope attached to a small motorboat. So while we saw lots of cool fishes - very diverse actually - it wasn't quite the calm nature experience one might have hoped for. We spent one afternoon at a hotel called Casa Cordoba. The beach wasn't particularly nice, nor was the water very clear, but it was relaxing and a good place to take the grandparents. The lunch they prepared for us was simple but very fresh and delicious. As a friend who did a similar tour a few weeks ago put it, the islands aren't a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but definitely worth it. Also, a word of caution - the afternoon ride home can be rough as the winds pick up. Although the first afternoon was ok, the second day was super choppy (luckily the grandparents stayed home on day 2). Listen to the boat's captain - when he says it's time to go home, it is time to go home!

4. Sights - because we stayed for a week, we had a lot of time to stroll through the city. One of the highlights was the fort, which was much more interesting than I thought it might be. I wasn't particularly impressed by any of the city's museums but they did provide a welcome break from the insane heat. A few people had recommended a drink at Cafe del Mar on the wall, and indeed, that was a lovely spot to watch the sunset. The crowd and scene really picked up at night.

5. Bazurto Mercado - our family loves markets and we try to visit the local spots wherever we travel. We had been duly cautioned about Bazurto (a great blog post here: http://www.cartagenaconnections.com/...ercado-bazurto), but still decided to check it out. We took the new BRT bus (free for now, very clean, convenient, efficient) from the old city out to the market area. I don't know that it will help any of you to detail the sights and smells. I have a pretty high tolerance for the messiness of public markets, but this one was particularly unpleasant and filthy.

6. Running - I am an avid runner and went out almost every day of our trip. It was insanely hot, but I tried to get out early and stick to the shady sides of the street. There were always other runners out - some tourists but also some locals. Most days I just did a few miles around the wall. For my longer runs, I ventured out along the road that goes toward the airport (the breezes made up for the fact that there was no shade). One day we went for a run out to Boca Grande, which I didn't enjoy as much - very crowded and lots of jumping on and off the narrow sidewalk.

7. Coffee - it was fine but we never found that amazing cup. Not sure if it's because the good stuff is exported or if they just brew it lighter in Colombia.

8. Shopping - I wasn't in the market for emeralds, so we didn't end up bringing much home. The exception is that I now own a small collection of mochilas, the beautiful woven knapsacks that you'll see everywhere in Cartagena. They are really wonderful and fun, and (most of them) are inexpensive. I also liked a dress shop called Etoile, which stocked relatively inexpensive dresses that are perfect for vacation.

9. New Year's Eve - I'll finish on this note. NYE is a BIG DEAL in Colombia generally and in Cartagena specifically. We explored a few possibilities for private parties at hotels and restaurants (the one at the Santa Clara is a fancy event), but ultimately decided on dinner at home. It was a good call. All the families on our block set up tables outside right in the middle of the street and had huge dinner parties with music that went on through the wee hours of the morning. There were roaming brass bands playing salsa and midnight fireworks. After the champagne toasts (12 grapes, 12 wishes), my husband and I wandered around the neighborhood checking out the scene. The best party we found was at the Parque Fernandez de Madrid. Several restaurants had set up fancy tables outside on the plaza (think weddings with slip-covered gold chairs, floral centerpieces, multi-course meals) and there were DJs and bands playing through the night. Everyone was dancing and it was a super fun experience. We didn't stay up much later than 1:30, but I heard that most of the city was partying until 3:30 or 4. The next day was DEAD. No stores or restaurants opened until late in the afternoon, and even then, it was slim pickings. So if you're only going to spend a day in Cartagena, make sure it's not January 1.
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Old Jan 6th, 2016, 01:17 AM
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Fine information, in a good spirit, but the link to Bazurto Mercado doesn't work.
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Old Jan 8th, 2016, 01:31 PM
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Go into where the URL shows up and take the parenthesis out.
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Old Jan 8th, 2016, 05:23 PM
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Yes - sorry, didn't realize the parenthesis would attach to the link (and I'm not sure I can edit). But it works just as SambaChula says.
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Old Jan 13th, 2016, 12:40 PM
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here it is http://www.cartagenaconnections.com/...ercado-bazurto
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