Cartagena Package Deal

[Ken2]

Has any body ever traveled to Cartagena for their honeymoon? (Or just for fun)?
My fiance found a deal through a travel agency which offers:  5 days 4 nights, meals, snacks, drinks,cigarettes?? (dont smoke), hotel tax, tips and airfair from Bogota for $ 257 per person.  Does this sound realistic?  Also,  it sounds like windsurfing, canoeing, snorkling, chairs and towels are included as well.  Again, does this sound realistic?  Ive always been taught that if something seems to good to be true it usualy is.  

The place is called  COTIZACION CARTAGENA DECAMARON.  

Gracias.....

[Pete E]

... in response to Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Ken2 on Jun 21, 2002

The price sounds possible but probably not too great a hotel.Find out the hotel and then maybe someone can comment on it.
We stayed at the Las Americanas,but we just walked in off the street and paid $100 a night,no free anything.5 star hotel with a private beach,east of town near the airport.My wife was watching Betty le fea a few months back.Betty was in Cartegena at Las Americas,the room looked just like ours.They have 3 buffet meals a day and I definetly got the impression from all the Colombians that were there that they had package deals,all inclusive.I don't think they were paying $10 for breakfast(each)like us.Stupid gringo.
My US travel agent didn't want to mess with it,even the travel agents from Bogota who screwed didn't try to book me here.If you have a good travel agent that knows Colombia I think you can get all inclusive deals about the same price as you would normally pay for the room.
My travel agents out of Bogota bookrd me in to this hotel in San Anreas that was way out of towmn and not near a beach.When our driver took us there we went through a kind of bad area and we said,no way we want to be here.We styayed at the Hotel Sunrise,right on the beach for about a $100 a night.% star,very nice,again you could get a package deal if you have a good agent.We wound up paying for 2 hotels,we never got our money back from the one we didn't stay at,but no way I wanted to be there.
You start asking around in Colombia and you can get set up for some bad deals.Our hotel in Bogota,the Andino Royale set us up with these guys.The Andino was a great hotel but
that was a bad tip who to work with.They ,or an employee probably got a cut of the deal.I hate getting screwed but not as much as I hate bad hotels.

Pete

[Ken2]

... in response to Re: Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Pete E on Jun 22, 2002

I am fortunate my lady knows a lot of people and has siblings and friends who know lots of people in different industries.  Networking with honest people pays off.

We are also going to spend some time at Cali Lake .... a few hours from Cali... another friend is looking into this for us.  I can reserve these places, and then when I arrive, put them on my debit/credit card. No advance payment!!!  Im leary of paying before I go, seeing it is a foriegn country and people are always lookiing for ways to make a buck.  

[zzzz]

... in response to Re: Re: Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Ken2 on Jun 22, 2002

Lago Calima!

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Pete E on Jun 22, 2002

Sounds like you've had some bad luck with travel agents. Too bad. I have used two in Cali that have both been terrifc. Between the the two they have booked me on five excellent excursions: two to Bahia Solano, one to Isla Providencia, one to the coffee park and one to Barranquilla. Providencia was the most expensive at almost $900 for a six night package but then it's practiclly in Nicaragua and a genuine paradise.

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Pete E on Jun 22, 2002

My friend stayed at a beautifull hotel in Santa Marta,right on the beach.I saw the pictures,it looked fabulous.He payed $100 a night but it included 3 meals a day for 2 people and also free drinks including alcohol.
I see these travel shows,they are showing some place in the Caribean thats very exclusive,but its $500 a night.I am thinking if you don't have many millions you are crazy to spend $500 for a stupid room.Thats $183,000 a year.That would make the payments on a $2,500,000 house.
Some of these Colombian hotels are just as nice for $100.
I like luxury,but I like it at a good price.
I read an interesting book called the millionare next door.
40% of millionares buy only used cars,and you would never catch that 40% in a $500 room.They have money because they are smart.Alot of those $500 rooms go to high paid proffesionals who never accumulate much money,they spend it.
And while I'm at it,if you bought a timeshare,unless you bought it at 10-20% of original cost in the resale market(thats what they go for.Before I buy anything I want to know what I could sell it quickly for as a test of value.They are as bad as jewelry),you flunk the economic intelligence test.Some of the timeshares get sold at a rate that is 10 times what they could be sold for as a strait sale.You know which side of that deal the idiot is on and which side the shark is on.
Speaking of jewelry,one time I was broke and sold jewelry I paid $1000 for for $100.That told me something about the value there.Even appraisals can be several times what you can sell it for.
Sorry I digress,when I think about getting screwed I remember lots of ways.I won't get in to whole life insurance.

Pete

[briloop3]

... in response to Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Ken2 on Jun 21, 2002

I've been to Cartagena 6 times.  This place sounds like it could be the Hotel Decameron.  The Decameron is in the Bocagrande section of Cartagena, right across the street from the beach.

I can't really comment on the quality of the deal.  The Decameron looked like a 4 star hotel when I visited it in March.

I've been told that the cheapest way to fly between Cartagena and Bogota is on Republica, a Colombian airline.  The roundtrip airfare can range between $100 to $200.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Cartagena Package Deal, posted by Ken2 on Jun 21, 2002

That price for air and hotel sounds realistic but I bet you get nickle and dimed for the other stuff once you get there like paying extra for a sail on your windsurfer. However there are great deals on vacation packages in Colombia at least by North American standards. I've bought packages from Cali to Bahia Solano and to Isla Providencia. They all included air, hotel and two or three meals a day, that's it.