Esme_Travels

Hi All –

Just posted my trip report/photo journal from traveling to Cartagena, Bogotá and Mexico City. Didn’t care for Bogotá, liked Cartagena and loved Mexico City. Hope you like it, find it helpful.

http://www.esmetravels.com/category/...a-mexico-city/

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Cartagena

• Walk the ramparts at dusk
• Visit the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas
• Have a drink at Café del Mar
• Stay at the Santa Clara (if money is not a factor)
• And most of all, explore the Getsemaní neighborhood for a glimpse of real life

Bogotá

• Wander through La Candeleria (but know the boundaries)
• See the candy-striped El Carmen Church (La Candeleria)
• Seek-out the crazy watermelon-colored zigzag house (La Candeleria)
• Ride the funicular up to Monserrate
• Take the local bus to the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquira

Mexico City
• Stay at Red Tree House, one of the most charming hotels I’ve found
• Hang-out in Condesa at night
• Reserve at least a day for wandering through Chapultepec Park
• Get contemporary at the Museo de Arte Moderno
• Relax at the Libreria Porrua (Chapultepec Park)
• See how the other half live in Polanco
• Visit the Soumaya Museum
• Don’t miss Centro Historico: the Palacio de Correos (post office) for its architecture, the Alameda Central park for its energy, the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral for its organ, the Templo Mayor for the culture and the National Palace for the Diego Rivera murals

SusanInToronto

I finally got around to reading your trip report, thanks for posting the link. We were in Colombia a couple of years ago, and it was fun to read about it. We spent a week in Cartagena (stayed in Getsamani, which we loved), then a couple of nights in Santa Marta, Villa de Leyva and finally Bogota. We actually really enjoyed our time in Bogota. We stayed in La Candelaria at Hotel Casa Deco. I appreciated being in that area because there is a lot to see there, and I did have some problems with the altitude. (It was handy being able to go back to the hotel and relax on their roof top deck.) I agree that you do have to be careful and we always took cabs at night. However, I'd go back anytime!

SusanInToronto

And I agree with you about Mexico City - I've been a few times and love it. It's been a while since I've been there, and I'd love to go back.

Esme_Travels

Hi Susan --

You're welcome.

Cartagena: Getsamani is a gem

Bogota: I remember you mentioning staying at the Hotel Casa Deco on Facebook and I chickened out of it at the last minute -- just thought I should go with a sure bet. That was stupid. Did you visit the Botero Museum? It was closed the day I attempted it. I would have done better in Bogota if I hadn't been going it solo. The guy I went to Panama with went there with two friends and they loved it. There's some crazy-lively steakhouse that is really well-known there that I wanted to go to, but not by myself

Mexico City: This city is going to be my 3-day/4-day weekend go-to spot. Just read this weekend that there's another new museum -- a $50 million contemporary one across from the Soumaya

SusanInToronto

The museums in Bogota are wonderful. The Casa Deco was close to all of them and we even went back to the gold museum twice, since we weren't able to cover it in one visit. I loved the Botero - all those chubby figures - I felt so good about myself! We also heard about the steakhouse - a Colombian friend of mine recommended it, but we didn't get there. We did have amazing food in Bogota and I especially loved an oyster bar where we had dinner one night. We got talking to a couple of locals and had a great time.

Esme_Travels

30 minutes in the Gold Museum and I experienced a sort of gold fatigue.

From the New York Times:

But until recently, Andres Carne de Res, a beloved spot that offers a hard-to-explain combination of steakhouse and all-night dance party, was situated in the remote outskirts of town. Thankfully, last year the club opened a branch downtown (Calle 82 No. 12-21; 57-1-863-7880; andrescarnederes.com). Come early, install yourself at a table and feast on its famous steak (the peppery lomo sellado is excellent), washed down with a customary bottle of rum. Dinner is about 160,000 pesos for two, without alcohol. Then, as the music grows louder and the night grows older, the place morphs into a nightclub. Professional dancers in blue mink coax you onto the floor. If you leave six hours after you came, you’re leaving too early.

Esme_Travels

New Fodors article on reasons to visit Cartagena now: http://bit.ly/1ioWHNo

mlgb

LAN is running a special from Miami to Bogota right now!

I just may book it.