Review: Casa Santa Ana, Cartagena, Colombia

Above: Limonadas we received when we arrived. Limonadas are my favorite drink in Colombia (in Cartagena they also make coconut limeade!)

I apologize for the pictures, they aren't my best, but hopefully they will demonstrate how awesome this hotel was... and FYI, this is a picture heavy post.

First of all, if you are going to Cartagena, you have a few options when it comes to lodging. You can stay in the modern and generally upscale neighborhood of Bocagrande, you can stay in any array of generally over-priced hotels, B&Bs, and hostels inside the Old Walled City, you can rent a house or apartment, you can stay in a hostel in Getsemani, or you can stay in one of the cities exquisite boutique hotels. Cartagena, for whatever reason, seems to specialize in tiny boutique hotels. Generally, they are built in remodeled houses in the old city, which is great because it means they are usually beautiful and that they help to preserve a lot of the integrity of the old colonial buildings.

I found Casa Santa Ana on TripAdvisor. It was ranked quite highly under "specialty lodging," was more affordable than the other places we were considering, and we decided to go for it. Casa Santa Ana is located in Getsemani, which is actually just outside of the real walled city. We stayed in Getsemani last summer, but it a much noisier and dirtier part of the neighborhood. This time, we were a few steps away from Plaza de la Trinidad, where an old church stands (and I think it is being renovated). Getsemani is a real Colombian neighborhood, and as such it offers salons, grocery stores, street vendors, playing children, and Comcel shops galore. Although the Old City is probably a tad bit safer, I prefer Getsemani because there aren't pushy hawkers trying to get tourists to buy things. The Old Walled City is special because it has been almost completely renovated, and it is very beautiful. It is also where most of the best restaurants are located, so it is convenient. That said, Getsemani is a quick walk (or taxi ride at night) from the Old City, and it's in the process of being renovated. It was a good base for our trip.

Above, street art in Getsemani and La Trinidad Church

Now, for the real review:
When we arrived, we were greeted by Jamie, who was our hostess for our entire stay. She led us to couches and had Gloria (another staff member who rocked) bring us limonadas. She also brought us cold, damp wash clothes, which were definitely appreciated as Cartagena was hot and we had just gotten off a bus. After a tour of their gorgeous hotel, we were taken to our room. Although we had booked a standard room, they gave us the junior suite because we were the only guests. It was awesome.



Above: doors to our room, our room, and Warren with the cold washcloth on his face.

As I said before, the hotel was simply gorgeous. It only opened a year and 4 months ago, so everything is new, but it is also obvious that the staff really cares about the hotel, and they work hard to make it beautiful. Here are some pics:







Top to bottom: bikes for guests to use, sitting area in the massage/hot tub area with views of the San Felipe Fort, view of the San Felipe Fort at night, entrance to the hotel, rooftop pool, massage tables (where we had awesome massages), sitting area with WiFi, rooftop terrace next to the pool, balcony and view of our room, foyer.

Finally, I feel it is necessary to mention these two details:
1. At night, Casa Santa Ana gave us "turn down" service and left a dessert in our room.
2. They had a good breakfast.



Overall, we had a wonderful stay, and I would definitely recommend Casa Santa Ana. It's probably best for individuals or couples (read: not families), but honestly it would be absolutely fabulous for a girls' weekend. Other than one tiny little complaint* we had a perfect stay. It was relaxing and the service was incredible. The staff helped us with everything from directions to restaurant recommendations and reservations to folding our clothes. They also provided an airport transfer, which was greatly appreciated as taxis in Cartagena are expensive, and one night they even brought up an iPod dock to the pool just so we would have music to listen to. Fantastic. They were very attentive. Also, the hotel is gorgeous and it smells REALLY good. That's a weird thing to say about a hotel, but it's true. So, in conclusion, if you are going to Cartagena and you want to splurge a bit on a perfect vacation, stay in Casa Santa Ana.

*My only itty, bitty tiny critique of the hotel is this: it's pricey. The rooms themselves are probably priced correctly as Cartagena is expensive and they were cheaper than most of the other hotels, but the services (non-food-related) they offered were expensive, especially for Colombia. Although our massages were excellent and we were given a glass of wine at the end, they cost around $60 each, which is a lot more than what is normally charged in Colombia. Of course, they were also hour-long aromatherapy massages given by professionals. Also, the pedicure/manicure package they offered started at 40,000 pesos, which is only $20, but I get mine done all the time for 15,000 pesos, so it was a bit high. In the end, though, they did walk me to a salon in Getsemani and made me an appointment to get my nails done, so they weren't really trying to cheat us. If you are coming to Cartagena on an American budget, I'd definitely say the massage and any other services are worth it. On a Colombian teacher's budget, they were a tad over-priced.