Skip to main content
TravelShifu

Hotels · Colombia

Where to stay in Cartagena

Four Cartagena hotels we have read the guest data on — one on Barú’s private beach, two in the walled city and port belt, one on Cielo Mar — with the complaints written as plainly as the praise.

  • 4 properties reviewed
  • 4 areas covered
  • 3 head-to-head comparisons
  • Guest sentiment from our hotel data provider

Written by the TravelShifu editorial team · last checked

Desk assessmentWe have not stayed here. This verdict is built from the property’s own records and third-party guest reviews, read in full — including the complaints.

Check Cartagena rates

We hold no live rates, so nothing on this page quotes a nightly price. This opens the partner’s own Cartagena search, where you can put in your dates and see the real number.

Ad · Trip.comBrowse all hotels in CartagenaOpens Trip.com's own search. Dates are not pre-filled — a date baked into a static page is wrong by the next morning.

Should you book this Cartagena stay?

Where to stay in Cartagena — the verdict

Stay on Barú if a private beach and resort facilities are the week; stay in Santa Teresa if the walled city is under your feet; stay at Hotel Caribe if you want centro proximity with free breakfast; stay at Las Américas if Cielo Mar beach and pools matter more than room polish.

None of the four carries our hotel data provider point-of-interest distances in our seed — landmarks arrays stay empty and we do not invent kilometre walks to the clock tower or the castle. We judge on address, facilities, guest scores and the prose beside them.

Guest scores in this sample disagree with their own headlines more than once. Sofitel Barú posts category scores in the high nines while the supplier rating in our seed is a zero placeholder from 174 reviews — we do not cite that headline number as a guest score. Las Américas scores 8.6 out of 10 while cleanliness sits at 7.36 and room quality at 6.82. Charleston Santa Teresa leads on cleanliness and service despite ongoing renovations. We cite the number, the sample size, the date and the complaint.

Nothing on this page quotes a nightly rate. We hold no live rates for these properties, and a price baked into a static page is wrong by the next morning — the CTAs send you to Booking.com, Agoda, Trip.com or Vrbo so you see the real number for your dates. Those are partners; the links may earn commission.

Best for

  • First-time visitors choosing between a walled-city base and a beach-resort escape
  • Travellers who want five-star addresses with the guest complaints written plainly
  • Anyone weighing island isolation against centro walkability

Not for

  • Readers who need POI kilometre tables for every hotel — none exist in our seed for Cartagena
  • Anyone expecting flawless room scores across the board — three of the four carry a room or cleanliness complaint
  • Travellers hunting a quoted nightly rate on this page — we do not publish one; check the partner for your dates

Verdict last reviewed . Rates, refurbishments and management change — re-check anything time-sensitive before booking.

Best Hotels in Cartagena

Cartagena splits cleanly into three trips: island resort, historic centro inside the walls, and mainland beach hotels outside the old city. These four sit in four different bases on purpose — pick the pin for the days you actually want, not a compromise that satisfies neither.

4 properties reviewed by our editors · Last checked 6 Aug 2026

Filter Cartagena hotels by price band or trip type
  1. Charleston Santa Teresa Cartagena — supplier photograph 1

    Number 1: Charleston Santa Teresa Cartagena

    5-star hotelLuxuryWalled City & Santa Teresa

    A five-star at Plaza de Santa Teresa — walled-city address, spa and fitness listed, exceptional cleanliness and staff scores — with ongoing renovations named as the main con.

    • Plaza de Santa Teresa address
    • Full-service spa listed
    • Fitness facilities listed
    • 5-star historic-centre base

    our hotel data provider: 9.2/10 from 125 reviews — as of 17 Jan 2026

    Full review of Charleston Santa Teresa Cartagena
  2. Hotel Caribe by Faranda Grand, a member of Radisson Individuals — supplier photograph 1

    Number 2: Hotel Caribe by Faranda Grand, a member of Radisson Individuals

    5-star hotelUpscaleHistoric Port & Centro Edge

    A five-star Faranda Grand on Carrera 1a — free breakfast, spa, pools and gardens — with strong staff praise and room scores that lag the headline 8.6 out of 10.

    • Free breakfast listed
    • Full-service spa listed
    • Fitness facilities and sauna listed
    • 5-star / Radisson Individuals member

    our hotel data provider: 8.6/10 from 155 reviews — as of 12 Dec 2025

    Full review of Hotel Caribe by Faranda Grand, a member of Radisson Individuals
  3. Building at Las Americas Casa de Playa

    Number 3: Las Americas Casa de Playa

    4-star hotelMid-rangeCielo Mar Beach

    A four-star on the Anillo Vial at Cielo Mar — ocean-front location score 9.87, multiple pools and spa — with cleanliness and room quality scores that undercut the 8.6 headline.

    • Ocean-front location praised in guest data
    • Full-service spa listed
    • Multiple pools in guest praise
    • 4-star beach resort

    our hotel data provider: 8.6/10 from 126 reviews — as of 8 Jan 2026

    Full review of Las Americas Casa de Playa
  4. Sofitel Barú Cartagena — supplier photograph 1

    Number 4: Sofitel Barú Cartagena

    5-star hotelLuxuryBarú Island & Private Beach

    A five-star Sofitel on Barú — private beach, full-service spa, Turkish bath and free valet parking — with category guest scores in the high nines and a zero supplier-rating placeholder in our seed.

    • On private beach
    • Full-service spa listed
    • Free valet parking listed
    • 5-star / Accor Sofitel

    our hotel data provider: 0/10 from 174 reviews — as of 6 Jan 2026

    Full review of Sofitel Barú Cartagena

Where to stay in Cartagena: best areas by trip type

Pick the area before you pick the property. In Cartagena the walk out of the front door decides more of the trip than the room does.

Cartagena at a glance

Best area for families:
Barú Island & Private Beach — best area for families in Cartagena
Best area for couples:
Barú Island & Private Beach — best area for couples in Cartagena
Best area for a first visit:
Walled City & Santa Teresa — best area for a first visit in Cartagena

Barú Island & Private Beach

Typical nightly rate: Luxury five-star — the dearest band of the four areas here when the beach is the product per night

Best for couples · families

Resort Cartagena on Barú — private beach, full-service spa, valet parking and water sports on site, with centro a boat or road transfer away rather than a stroll from the door.

Trade-off: Access requires travel. Guest sentiment names beautiful isolation and exceptional amenities, but also poor communication and delayed room readiness — the resort is the product, not a quick hop into the walled city.

Getting around: Free valet parking and airport pickup (surcharge) are listed at the property we cover here. Plan taxis, hotel transport or organised tours for centro — we have no POI distances in our seed to quote.

  • Private beach
  • Resort escape
  • Spa & water sports

See 1 hotel in Barú Island & Private Beach

Walled City & Santa Teresa

Typical nightly rate: Luxury five-star — centro premium without a private-island transfer per night

Best for couples · first-time visitors

Inside the historic grid — Plaza de Santa Teresa, walkable centro attractions, spa and fitness on site at the five-star we cover here.

Trade-off: Ongoing renovations show up as a named con in the guest data. You are in the densest, most photographed streets — that is the point, not silence at every hour.

Getting around: Guest sentiment calls the hotel ideally located within walking distance of attractions. Taxis and organised tours cover Barú and mainland beaches when you leave the walls.

  • Historic centre
  • Walkable
  • Luxury

See 1 hotel in Walled City & Santa Teresa

Historic Port & Centro Edge

Typical nightly rate: Upscale five-star — often less than a private-beach resort for a similar star count per night

Best for families · first-time visitors

Carrera 1a side of the old city — port-adjacent, free breakfast listed, spa and pools on the grounds at the Faranda Grand we cover here.

Trade-off: Rooms run small and dated in the guest analysis, with dirty-room arrivals named despite strong staff praise. The location and grounds carry the stay; the room scores do not.

Getting around: Guest sentiment places the hotel well for popular attractions — we have no POI rows to cite in kilometres. The walled centre is a short city hop rather than an island transfer.

  • Port edge
  • Free breakfast
  • Pools & spa

See 1 hotel in Historic Port & Centro Edge

Cielo Mar Beach

Typical nightly rate: Mid-range four-star — beach and amenities without a five-star badge per night

Best for families · couples

Mainland beach resort on the Anillo Vial — ocean-front position, multiple pools and a full-service spa at the four-star we cover here, outside the walled grid.

Trade-off: Location scores 9.87 out of 10 while cleanliness scores 7.36 and room quality 6.82 — guests praise the pin and the pools, then name dirty rooms and maintenance issues. Read both.

Getting around: Area shuttle (surcharge) is listed. Guest sentiment praises an ocean-front property — centro is a transfer, not a walk, and we will not invent distances we do not have.

  • Beach resort
  • Multiple pools
  • Spa

See 1 hotel in Cielo Mar Beach

The full guide

Read the full Cartagena guide

Neighbourhoods, transport, what a day costs, when to go and what to skip — the long-form guide behind these hotel picks.

Read the full Cartagena guide

Straight comparisons

Hand-picked pairs, not every possible pair. Each of these exists because it is a decision readers in Cartagena genuinely have to make.

Popular Cartagena searches

Cartagena hotels — common questions

Should I stay in the walled city or on the beach in Cartagena?
Walled city if centro walks and historic streets are the week — Charleston Santa Teresa and Hotel Caribe sit in that belt. Barú or Cielo Mar if a private beach, pools and resort facilities matter more than stepping out into the old grid. We have no POI kilometre rows for any of these four, so we will not pretend one is a five-minute walk from the other.
Is Barú too far from the old city?
It is a different trip, not a worse one. Guest sentiment at Sofitel Barú names beautiful isolation and access that requires travel — plan boat or road transfers for centro days rather than assuming you will pop back for dinner.
Should I book Cartagena hotels direct or through a booking site?
It varies by property and by date, which is why we never quote a nightly rate here. Check the partner link for your dates, then check the hotel’s own site before you confirm — direct rates sometimes include breakfast or a cancellation window the aggregated rate does not. Booking.com, Agoda, Trip.com and Vrbo are partners; those links may earn commission.
Why does Sofitel Barú not show a supplier rating like the others?
Our seed carries a zero placeholder supplier rating from 174 reviews as of 6 January 2026 — we do not cite that as a guest score. The sentiment categories underneath are usable: service 10 out of 10, location 9.53, food and beverage 9.51, with poor communication and delayed room readiness named as cons.
Are Cartagena hotel rooms always clean?
Not in this sample. Charleston leads on cleanliness at 9.55 out of 10; Hotel Caribe scores 7.9 with dirty-room arrivals named; Las Américas scores 7.36 with poor cleanliness in the highlights. Read the category detail, not only the headline supplier score.