Paradise found

[Sailover]

You will get to Playa Blanca after you visit the aquarium on the standard tour. Normally it is a stop for lunch and an hour or so of swimming in the tropical waters before heading back to Cartagena. You can opt to stay though and the reward is when everyone else leaves, it is silent! There is a very cool looking place with beds on the second floor overlooking the sea. (the front is completely open). It is almost at the end of the beach. There are several other places that offer 'rooms' although they are usually just for posterboard walls. We slept in a hammock right on the beach. Simply fantastic. If your girl has some adventure in her, you should have a great time. Remember though, no power, water or private bath. I saw ONE toilet in a community hut with a bucket of seawater for the flush. Thankfully I didn't need it. Your hotel will give you half a bucket of fresh water for your 'shower'. (which was quite fun, with a partner!)

[Whitey]

Hi Jook:

No, you don't need to worry about booking a trip to Santa Marta in advance. The best way to get there is to take a "puerta-a-puerta" service. These are air-conditioned passenger vans that seat 8-10 people and are very popular (and safe) along the coast. The cost from Cartagena to Santa Marta I think should be around $35-40.000 each.

Marsol is a well known service that I have used several times between Cartagena - Barranquilla, Barranquilla - Santa Marta, and Santa Marta - Cartagena.

http://www.transportesmarsolsa.com/home.html

You'll probably want to stay in El Rodadero which is a resort town very close to Santa Marta (about a 10 minute drive). The puerta-a-puerta will take you there, as most people will be going there anyway rather than Santa Marta.

There are several hotels to choose from, and I would recommend staying at a hotel the first night, then maybe switching to an apartment for the next few nights. One of the best located hotels is Hotel la Sierra, right in the middle of the public beach.

http://www.hotelasierra.com/index2.html

It will run you about $175.000, but there are other less expensive hotels located a block or two away from the beach.

You can get a VERY nice apartment right on the beach for between $100-150.000. Just walk into any apartment building on the beach and have your lady ask the people at the front desk if there are apartments available. We stayed at a beautiful apartment in Edificio Karey which is about a block away from Hotel la Sierra.

Have fun,

Whitey

[Jook]

Anyone have any knowledge of Castel Cartagena - http://www.cartagenacastel.com/index-en.htm? I'm not sure where I heard about this B&B, maybe here though I don't think so. Anyway, it looks wonderful and relatively inexpensive.

[Whitey]

Interesting place ... I'd like to check out that terrace shower with the novia ... the rates look very good for Cartagena ...

[flashnicky58]

It sounds like you had a fantastic time. What was the cost for boat ride and food?

How hot was Cartejana? Is the city worth visiting?

AJ