Playa De Bocagrande — Attraction in Cartagena

Beautiful beach however, it's impossible to enjoy it because of the constant harassment from the vendors. My wife is from Barranquilla which is about 90 minutes away. We came to Barranquilla for a visit and decided to spend a week in Cartagena. We stayed at Hotel Capilla del Mar which is directly across the street from Play Boca grande. We wanted to end our trip with some rest and relaxation at the beach and that wasn't to be. We gave tried for three days but we finally gave up. It was so bad that I decided to track it and created a lot of the harassment. Our last day at the beach we spent 2 hours and 15 minutes there and received 95 solicitations. That's a solicitation every minute and 42 seconds. We couldn't even have a conversation because they constantly interrupted us and it didn't matter how many times you said No Gracias. They keep coming back. One guy tried to sell us Mangos 4 times. I realize this is how these people earn a living but this has to be gotten under control. There has to be a better way to do it. They have an expression in Colombia. Te Jala, Te Toca, Te Meta. Here's a better one. Dejame en paz. Here's the log: Massage 9:25am Jewelry Sombreros Mangos Drug addict begger Beer/speakers Souvenirs 9:51am Jewelry 9:53am Temporary tattoo 9:54 Cigars 9:56 Jet ski 9:56 Souvenirs 9:57 Coca cola, agua, cerveza 9:57am Crabs 10:02 Dulces artesenal 10:05 Mangos II 10:06 Mangos III 10:07 Souvenir ships 10:07 Mangos 4 10:09 Sombreros 10:09 Tea 10:09 Jewelry 10:10 Cerveza, agua 10:10 Sombreros 10:11 Jewelry 10:11 Ropa 10:13 Ships 2 10:14 Souvenir 10:14 Shirts 10:15 Jewelry 10:16 Massage 2 10:17 Ropa 10:17 Mangos 10:18 Sunscreen 10:19 Mango 10:19 Tours 10:22 Jewelry 2nd time 10:24 Mango same guy 2nd time 10:24am Jewelry 10:27 Return from ocean break 10:35 Cerveza 10:36 Jewelry 10:37 Jetski 10:38 Dulces artesenales 2nd pass 10:40 Souvenir 10:42 Coconut oil cerveza and souvenirs all at once 10:44 The russians that were next to us finally gave up and went to the hotel 10:44 Beach toys 10:45 Sombreros 10:45 Tours and vestidos 10:48 Guitar and zapatillas at thr same time 10:48 Banderas 10:49 Jewelry 10:52 Mangos 10:52 Mochilla 10:53 Temporary tattoo 10:55 Chips/snacks 10:56 Ships 10:56 Mangos same guy 3rd pass 10:58 Ceviche 10:58 Souvenirs 11:00 Magnets 11:05 Mangos 11:11 Mangos 11:12 Agua , cerveza 11:13 Coco agua de panela 11:17 Sombreros 11:18 Tattoos.11:19 Return from ocean break 11:29 Mangos 11:29 Jewelry 11:30 Ropa 11:30 Sombreros 11:32 Souvenirs 11:37 Cerveza 11:45 Sunglasses 11:55 Helado 11:56 Photos, jewelry 11:58 Cerveza, agua 11:59 Speaker 12:00 Sombreros 12:02 Cerveza, coca cola 12:03 Guitar 12:03 Sunglasses 12:05 Panela de coco 12:06 Cerveza, coca cola 2nd pass 12:06 Dulces artesenales 3rd pass 12:08 Mangos 12:09 Tattoos 12:10 Dominos 12:11 Jewelry...

This was our go-to beach during our stay in Cartagena. Upon arrival, the workers/salesperson/vendors can be quite persistent, but after about 15-20 minutes—once you’re settled in—they finish making their rounds and leave you alone. Occasionally, vendors will pass by offering items, but a simple “No, gracias” is enough for them to move on. I found that ignoring them actually made them linger longer. Is it tiring to repeat yourself by day five of your trip? Yes. We personally did groceries and packed a cooler each time—definitely the most cost-effective option and a great way to keep your Coronas nice and cold the whole day. Beach chair rental prices: • 50,000 COP for two lounge chairs, one umbrella, and a side table • 35,000 COP for two chairs and one umbrella Food & Drinks: • Meat skewers: 20,000 COP (we negotiated for 15,000) • Oysters: Pablo (#13) – 10,000 COP • Full crab: Mario (#11) – 40,000 COP Both Pablo and Mario prepare everything fresh for you right on the beach, opening the seafood and topping it off with hot sauce or lime—whatever your preference. They also speak a decent amount of English, making the experience even more enjoyable. • Washroom access: 2,000 COP • Outdoor showers available (we didn’t use them)

While this beach may not rank in my top five of all time, it was the most practical choice for this trip in terms of location and cost. Most other beaches are over an hour away, with no service once you arrive—meaning you either have to negotiate a driver for the return or book an expensive excursion. And for just a beach? Not worth it. For a more peaceful, quiet, and luxurious experience (at about $200 more), we did a day trip to Bora Bora Beach Club—a completely different vibe and well worth it for those...

Be careful for the scammers and all the locals who try to cheat you. Nobody on the beach takes credit card, so you need to have some cash, but not too much. We paid 30,000 COP to get beach chair and parasol, so we can enjoy the time there. As soon as we sit there all the local start to come to us to sell everything they can think of.

We ask lady to do massage, just leg. Only leg we asked and it was 50,000 COP. They start to do massage, and without even asking us, they start to do hand and back, and at the end they said it was full body massage and saying it is 120,000 cop per person. we didn't have much cash on hand that time, and they basically took all our money which we had in bag. We felt it is basically day time robbery!!!

Also, we ordered ceviche and beer. We thought based on outside restaurant price, it should not be too much, it was in fact not too much more than any restaurant. However, at the end they charged tip and service fee, then 20,000 COP became total of 48,000 COP!!! What kind of service we receive, NONE!!! The ceviche was in fact not nice at all.

Only the honest business was lady who was selling plate of fruites. It was 10,000 COP and a lot. Probably she also sells cheaper to locals.....

Lastly, water seems dirty at glance, but in fact it was quite clear. It just looks dirty because its sand is...