Casa Pizarro in Cartagena — Hotel in Cartagena

This review will be quite lengthy, as I stayed here for 2 weeks with my partner + family and can speak to all the services here. Casa Pizarro is a privately owned hotel in a more quiet plaza of the Getsemani neighborhood. If close to the nightlife but far enough to where there is little noise to impact your sleep. The hotel itself is 3 floors with roughly 15 rooms, so it’s not too busy or loud.

Hotel Room The hotel rooms come in either 2 doubles or 1 king size. I stayed in a king size, which was very comfortable and clean. Plenty of hot water, clean towels, and storage space for hanging clothes. Each room has its own AC unit, which is much needed for Cartagena’s heat. They provide shampoo and body wash in the showers as well.

Amenities The pool is a wonderful way to cool down midday. It’s in the center of the bottom floor of the hotel, surrounded by beautiful plants climbing up a historic wall. It’s on the smaller side, but that’s typical in Cartagena. There isn’t much space to lounge by the pool, but there is a gorgeous sun deck on the roof surrounded by flowers for sun bathing.

Dining I’m usually not a hotel breakfast person, but the breakfasts are amazing here. The menu rotates but you can typically expect to the following every day: fresh fruit bar, juices, tea, coffee, hot cocoa, scrambled eggs, arepas con queso. Some of the rotating items include crepes, waffles, wraps, and toast sandwiches. Breakfast is served until 10am, which is a relief if you’ve explored the Cartagena nightlife the night before and slept in.

Casa Pizarro offers lunch for a good price if you request it the day before. We had the pleasure of dining for lunch 5-6 times during our stay. As we were a group of 6, many of our meals were served family style which made the experience that much more special. We had pechuga a la plancha, whole fried fish, arroz con mariscos, steak, etc. Lunch also comes with an appetizer (i.e. tostones, plantain chips, etc.) and a small desert (i.e. chocolate and banana cake). I highly recommend trying lunch here, as their food is better than many of the restaurants we tried during our 2 weeks here.

Service The staff here is friendly and helpful, especially the breakfast staff. The front desk staff and owner were also very kind and helped us navigate many challenges during our stay, like extended stay due to a delayed flight and assistance with transportation. The majority of the staff speak some English, so if your Spanish is as mediocre as mine is, you won’t have a problem receiving help here.

Thank you Casa Pizarro staff for a wonderful trip, and I hope that I get to stay here again...

It is within reasonable walking distance to the central historic district and Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. The public beaches are a little further, probably farther than one would want to walk when spending the day at a beach. There are several restaurants within a few blocks, a couple small markets (like a convenience store), and a laundromat (where you can do it yourself or leave it to pick up later). There is a small, but clean and attractive looking pool just inside the main entrance, and a nice rooftop veranda where the free breakfast is served, and there are also a few lounge chairs. There is always a staff member at the front entrance. I never worried for my safety during my visit to Cartagena, but having a staff member at the door was a nice touch given all the vendors and other foot traffic in the city. The rooms have safes, and the doors to the rooms automatically lock when closed (so don't forget to take your key). The air conditioning units were excellent at keeping the rooms cool throughout the day, even when the unit was turned off while I was gone. I found the bed plenty comfortable, and the walk-in shower is great. The hotel also provides shampoo, conditioner and liquid soap via dispensers on the shower wall and a bottle on the sink. The rooms also have a small fridge with some beverages (soda, water and I think beer) for purchase, and a small basket with snacks in the room also for purchase. There is a bar/restaurant next door, and some evenings the noise carried over to the hotel, but it wasn't terribly loud and usually ended a lot earlier than I would...

Casa Pizarro was such a perfect stay in Cartagena. I hate big, brand-name hotels, and this boutique property fit the bill perfectly. The room was extremely clean, with a comfortable bed, VERY COLD air conditioning, a self-service mini-bar/espresso machine, and a cute patio with a hot tub. Housekeeping came every day to tidy up, and they were extremely friendly in the morning when I said hello. Breakfast each day was not only delicious, but plentiful: a basket of bread with jam and butter, a fresh fruit buffet featuring local options from Colombia in addition to more widely-known varieties, eggs cooked to order by the most lovely and attentive Ana and Estelle, alongside coffee and juice. (Note: some of these reviews mention a “lack” of quantity with regard to the breakfast; I have absolutely no idea how that could be possible; I left each day completely stuffed from the offering.) The pool was a daily delight after a long day walking around the hot city; I observed it being cleaned each morning. There are beach/pool towels upon request. The plaza just outside of the hotel is quite lovely, and there are two very good restaurants I can recommend from my stay: Basilica Pizzería Café and Fama Bar Fusion - Restaurante Casa De Las Palmas. The latter has a daily “menu del día”, which is cheap, plentiful, and delicious. I can wholly recommend Casa Pizarro for your Cartagena adventure. I would return in...