... in response to forgot my question... nervous? nah (LOL), posted by JeffA on Nov 12, 2001I have been to Cartagena four times. Here's a list of hotels I have stayed at, restaurants where I've eaten, and information on a florist.
Hotels:
Hotel Barlovento - 3.5 stars, located in the Bocagrande near Carrera 3 and Calle 6, $40 per nite (August 2000 and November 2000), breakfast included.
Hotel Charleston at Santa Teresa Plaza - 5 stars, located in El Centro (the old town), $120 per nite (April 2001), breakfast approx. 18,000 pesos.
Hotel Capilla Del Mar - 4 stars, located in the Bocagrande near Carrera 1 and Calle 8, $80 per nite (September 2001), breakfast buffet included.
Recommendation: Stay at the Hotel Barlovento. Not only is it cheapest, but it's across the street from a supermercado, unlike the other two hotels mentioned above.
Florist:
Al Ala (? not sure of spelling) - located in the Bocagrande, Carrera 4a, No. 7-97, tel: 665-5030 and 665-4051. They charged me 40,000 pesos for a very nice arrangement of flowers, including a vase, and 30,000 pesos for a dozen roses.
Restaurants:
All prices are meals for two persons. Unless otherwise noted, all have inside dining with air conditioning.
La Olla Avenida San Martin (Carrera 2) No. 5-10, ate two meals there for $24.93 and $21.97. Specialty: seafood. Recommended.
Dany Steak corner of Carrera 3 and Calle 5, ate twice there for $17.51 and $23.80. Specialty: steaks. Recommended.
La Rancheria Carrera 1 No. 8-86, ate there twice for $13.10 and $15.10. Specialty: variety. Recommended.
Hotel Flamingo Avenida San Martin No. 5-85. Has no inside dining. If you don't want to be bothered by street vendors, don't eat here. I have eaten here several times. One dinner cost me $18.96. Specialty: variety. Recommended.
Que Rico Calle 35 No. 3-30, in El Centro (old town) near the Plaza Santo Domingo. I ate one meal here for $9.68. This is a Mexican restaurant. I don't recommend eating here because after having lived in Texas for 20 years, the food there didn't seem authentically Mexican to me. Also, there is no air conditioning, the lighting is poor, and the seats were not comfortable.
Donde Olano Carrera 3 No. 33-08, in El Centro near the Plaza Santo Domingo. Ate one meal here for 40,000 pesos (about $20 at the time). This is a rather small and cozy restaurant with an unusual entrance. The food here is rather good. I recommend Donde Olano for an intimate dinner.
Things to do in Cartagena:
San Felipe fortress
La Popa convent (on top of a hill overlooking Cartagena)
La Bocagrande - clubs, a casino or two, restaurants. Watch out for all of the street vendors.
Las Islas de Rosario - there's a really nice oceanarium there. Well worth the trip.
The Old Town - this is a must see while in Cartagena. Plenty of interesting parks, churches, streets, plazas, museums.
Mr. Babilla's - a disco.
Just a few suggestions. If you need more, let me know.
