Maybe someone else will remember the name of it as I don't but there is (or at least was ten years ago) a restaurant and hotel on the beach about an hour out of Barranquilla going towards Cartagena. The current is a little strong so you have to be careful but it made a good day trip with beach and lunch. In the city (nd much cheaper) you could take in the Museo Romantico, a quirky old museum dealing with the history of Barranquilla including Carnival. Some interesting and weird stuff.
I’m pretty sure I know the place you’re talking about but it’s 30 minutes away, tops. Depending on the time of day you may have been in traffic so coming from the Northern most part of the city I guess an hour is possible. I don’t remember the name either though.
There was a great restaurant in Castillo Salgar. Pretty sure that’s still there because they host lots of wedding recptions. There’s also a rooftop patio bar near El Centro called Coco Beach or something. This was my favorite place because they had like these bungalows where you could just lounge on really comfortable sofas and enjoy your date in private. Not sure if it’s still there but El Pulpo Paul has great food and live music on the weekends. Across the street from that restaurant there’s a hotel with a nice restaurant/bar on the top floor. Live Salsa on Fridays there. La Dolce Vita was always awesome but again, not sure if it’s still open. There’s a bakery with the same name so make sure you tell your taxi driver you want to go to the restaurant. For some reason they always assume you mean the bakery. Your best bet is Buena Vista. Kind of a cliche place to take a girl in Quilla for a date, but there’s a theatre, game room and more places to eat than you can count. Also a great ice cream palor. Mag Mandango for the best soup or grilled meat. There are ton of options now...the city has grown tremendously. Best of luck to you.
