Casa India Catalina — Hotel in Cartagena

As a Trip Advisor DESTINATION EXPERT for Colombia with 30 years of visits and now living 4 years in Medellin and exploring just about every city large and small - it is my pleasure to provide this reasoned and accurate review of the Hotel Casa Linda Catalina.||||This was my second stay at this hotel since my last visit about 2 years ago. I decided to take a road trip and visit the coast as this was much needed trip post the virus lock-down so drove up from my home in Medellin and brought along a traveling partner with me, a paisa who also needed to see the coast and get out of Medellin and travel.||||Just the fact that I have returned to this hotel for another stay should say something about my feelings for the hotel. As there are strict safety protocols in place (ie mandatory mask and temp checks, etc.) this visit to Cartagena was very a very different type of experience especially given that there is probably 5% of the normal amount of tourists and people in general visiting and walking the streets and in the restaurants.||||I stayed 3 days. Because of the lack of tourists the hotel had maybe 3 rooms rented so it was very quiet. The breakfast was organized by ordering the night before and you state what time that you will eat, based on 30 minute blocks of time all as a protocol to provide safe distance because of the virus.||||A shout out to the gentleman who prepared and served our breakfast each day. Very polite and service was excellent.||||The front desk/reception people are also very good, they do speak some English, and they are friendly and service minded which is something that can be hard to find in the coastal areas of Colombia.||||The room was clean when we checked in BUT I don't understand why it was not cleaned on the second day, they gave no attention to our room or bath. ||||I had to call to the front desk to get clean towels and then something that should never happen to a hotel guest is that we ran out of toilet paper. Not good as it is the little things that matter and in this regard the housekeeping staff failed to service our room. For this reason I give 3 stars. It could not be that the housekeeping staff was too busy as we were one of three rooms with customers.||||Again had it been that our room was serviced properly I would have given 4 stars perhaps even 5 but they failed in this regard. How I wish I could give a solid 4 stars but the room cleaning was a failure. An alert staff should have instantly recognized that our room was not cleaned and done something, said something, they should have inquired if our room was not cleaned, but nothing, not a word.||||Would I recommend the hotel? Yes. The location within the walled city is perfect and can be even magical. Would I return and stay again? Yes as the rate is good and you get a good value.||||You have many choices for a hotel room in Cartagena and hope my experience and this review helps in...

This is one of those places that instantly gives you the feel of old Cartagena — beautiful wooden ceilings, colonial architecture, and a cozy atmosphere. It’s in a fantastic location, right in the middle of the historic center, which made it super easy to explore everything on foot.

Our room (203) was big and had a cute little balcony overlooking the street. Just know that rooms facing the street can be a bit noisy at night (thanks to honking cars), but it wasn’t a dealbreaker. The double window setup helps block out most of the sound.

Visually, the hotel looks even better in person than it does in the pictures online, which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the hotel was under renovation during our stay, and no one told us in advance. The pool was closed and there was noise which was a bit of a letdown.

There’s no elevator, and the hotel has four floors, so pack light or ask for a lower room. We lucked out with the second floor.

Now, the bed: it was made up of two mattresses pushed together, and you could definitely feel the gap. A topper would fix that easily. On the bright side, the sheets were super soft — almost satin-like, which felt really nice.

A small but helpful touch would be a complimentary bottle of water in the room when guests arrive — just a little gesture that would go a long way, especially in Cartagena’s heat.

Breakfast was alright, but not great. It’s a small menu, and you’re limited in what you can pick (see my picture). Also, there was no music playing, so all you could hear were the kitchen machines. A bit of background music would really help set the mood. Oh — and the toaster was broken, which no one mentioned, so I ended up eating plain bread our whole stay.

The staff at the front desk were helpful and happy to organize tours, which was great. I must give special credit to Donovan, he was absolutely phenomenal — incredibly thoughtful and knowledgeable about the city. He gave us great recommendations and even followed up the next day to ask how it went, which really showed how much he cares. You can tell he’s a true professional, and I sincerely hope he’s recognized for the amazing...

So, here's the thing....I know the highlight of going to Cartegena, Colombia is not the hotel, but on a rainy day or even a hot day, I find it refreshing to end outings with a swim in the pool. Hence the reason, we chose this hotel. However, the pool hours are very unreasonable. It is only open between 8am and 7p.m. And there is no budging with the owner or employees to allow later or earlier swimming. Good grief until 9 or 10 pm would be nice as we tour during the day and come back after dinner, not partying hoping for a nice swim to end the day. Nope, not allowed. The funny thing is..haha...not funny...is that this is a no smoking hotel. Yet, this rule they make an exception to because there are ash trays by the pool to accomodate smokers and we were told this rule is an exception in designated areas if other people are accepting, yet smokers didn't ask if we were okay with it. So, when we were permitted to swim after 8 am and before 7pm, we can also then inhale smoke at the same time. And the smokers can sit in the pool area after 7pm to smoke if they like as well because this rule is not enforced. Also, the pool and smoking area are in a somewhat enclosed area so it's not like smoking or swimmingly doors. We were told it was dangerous to swim after hours because somebody could slip on the floor, which is really quite absurd since that could happen before 7pm as well And it's not dark either with lights on... Yes, I realize this is a lengthy review about a pool, but this hotel was a luxury from a hostal for us, and the pool was a waste and huge disappointment. Since the employees wouldn't allow for even an hour later swim past 7 p.m. I'm hoping the hotel ratings go down as its an old worn down hotel, our room had used complimentary items, and our bathroom was dirty when we arrived. Then the pool rules and smoking rules are very contradictory. There are many other hotels in the area, and when we return we will most definitely...