I’ve never been to Colombia before and snagged a great deal off Groupon for 4 days in Cartagena! Nothing like drinking some wine over Christmas break making decisions! This was definitely not one of my more fun or adventurous trips that you’ve seen me write about but having a few days away to relax and…read…a book..(A book NOT for work or school btw…) and lounge in cabanas and on boats was such a needed little relaxing getaway!

I’ve become a huge fan of airbnb experiences! I found one for a sunset cruise around the city and signed up for that about 3 hours after landing in country! The guide was awesome and had fresh fruit and a gin and tonic waiting for me at the boat. It was a bit overcast when we headed out but as you’ll see in the pictures below the sky turned all sorts of orange, pink, and purple til sunset! I’m a huge fan of seeing the city from different angles, my favorites are:
– Tops of Cathedrals (most cities have them)
– Rooftop bars
– Boats around the city
– Skydiving (ok that might be specific to a small subset of travelers )

I would have loved to do a cooking class – but this little seafood allergy of mine definitely limits the ability to dig into some of the local cuisines. But the fresh fruit and coffee every morning at the hotel by the pool was not the worst compromise in the world!

Cartagena was definitely one of the more affordable places I’ve been to in a while. The Cabana by the pool was free if you were staying at the hotel (which I was) and my bill for pool side refreshments (a couple margaritas, waters, Gatorades, snacks…) was about $22 total. So, if you ever want to go live like a queen with lots of direct service and bougie surroundings — hit Cartagena!!

The one adventure I DID try to go on was to get to the Pink Sea. It’s where they harvest the salt and during about half the year the water is bright pink. What a PERFECT spot for my LBD (long black dress) photos. I tried signing up for tours that didn’t have enough people and cancelled (middle of the week is hard to schedule things). So I ended up hiring an uber driver to drive me the hour to get there. And to my absolute disappointment – the water was not pink. Still got some cool photos there, but not quite the affect I was hoping for! Maybe next time!

Walking around the walled city was the best place to be. Umbrellas and flags hung between the rooftops and almost every hotel and restaurant had a rooftop area to sit and eat! I’d recommend spending as much of your time there and in cabanas as possible. Avoid the beaches unless you want to be harassed non-stop. I’m serious – NONSTOP. I walked through one afternoon and it was too much, so I never went back. You’ll need to go on one of the tours to the islands to get to nice quiet beaches.

All in all – Colombia – country #36 was a great little getaway!