ESTELAR Playa Manzanillo - All Inclusive Hotel — Hotel in Cartagena

Estelar Playa Manzanillo was the perfect place for my husband and I to vacation with our 5 month old. There were a few minor disappointments (mostly related to lack of information available online, and inability to get through to reception when we tried to call before booking/arriving) but by the end of our stay we were happy with our choice of hotel.

We assumed transportation would be included to/from the airport, especially since our flight info was requested during the booking: however, there was a 50.000 charge for transport each way. This was cheaper than an Uber Comfort though and it was easy to arrange as there was an Estelar office right at baggage claim and they escorted us to the vehicle right away. We also were surprised by the cost to have lunch prior to checkin (85.000 per person), but were pleasantly surprised that lunch was included after checkout on our last day.

Once we were checked in, we really started to enjoy. All the staff were very friendly and attentive, special shout-out to bellhop Argel who was there for us from the moment we arrived to the moment he arranged our transport back to the airport (including finding a way for us to use our foreign credit card as we weren’t anticipating needing cash during our stay). Any time we passed by reception, Argel was always ready to answer any questions or accompany us wherever we needed to go to find out the answers to the questions we had.

Breakfast and lunch were both buffet style and with good variety and quality. I appreciated that the salad bar always had cooked options like grilled zucchini, tomato and eggplant, and we didn’t have any issues with food related illness. For dinner you can reserve at 1 of 3 restaurants. We only ended up trying the Italian which was nice (pizza and lobster ravioli were both tasty), and I’ve attached a photo of the menu for Nativo, the Colombian restaurant onsite that we didn’t have a chance to try. There were also snacks (mostly hot dogs and ice cream) available between meals and a cafe that offered complimentary Americanos and croissants (lattes, capuchinos etc and other pastries were not included).

The beachfront is a short walk from the main area of the resort and there were plenty of seating options. We didn’t end up spending much time there as it was hard to get enough shade for our infant, even in the beds as the curtains were made from netted material. We were approached by 2 vendors, one selling hats and the others providing massages. They were persistent but respectful.

There were 2 pools, one of them for adults only which looked peaceful, and the other located next to the restaurants, bar and beach which often had music and sometimes activities.

There were shows every night at 9 but besides that it was hard to know what the schedule of activities was. We tried asking at reception but they said to ask the animation team directly. I would’ve liked to have participated in a dance or aquafit class (which I believe they offered) but I never did manage to find out when they were happening. It would be helpful in future if there was a daily program posted in the reception or somewhere easy for guests to check.

Overall, we were happy with our stay and would likely come back if we can find a promotion. Definitely recommend for families (although not sure if there is any kind of kids club, didn’t see anything) or couples wanting a...

During my stay, i booked the most normal room with all my family, we booked 3 rooms in total and none of them had a working tv and one of the towels in the room was dirty. There was a giant spider in the bathroom. (This all happened the 1st night) as we respectfully complained, we were all upgraded and the staff was pretty obliging and nice. They always greeted us with a smile and were very attentive to our needs.

The new rooms were big, working tv and ac, and very comfortable beds. The room and bathroom were always thoroughly cleaned by the maids, they gave great amenities with the room.

Now the food and drinks were great, the cocktails tasted great and were cold and fresh. The food was also great in every meal they offered national and international cuisine with a great variety of fresh vegetables and fruits and different proteins. However as days passed i noticed there was very few variations in the menu, if youre staying more than a week you’ll probably get tired of the food options. Anyways the food always had good flavor and it wasn’t salty or very sweet. The snack was inbetween meals but for me it was too much, i just ate and they’re already offering more food. But the snacks were good.

Regarding the spaces in the hotel, theres 3 bars 1 coffee a boutique, free sauna, spa, private beach, pool, gym and adult pool. Which are all comfortable and clean, but in my opinion both the pools and beach are closed a bit early hehe. The beach is calm and nice since the vendors and locals are very few and they’re not trying to always sell you something, theres a lifeguard and umbrellas/beds and chairs.

Something that I personally loved were the dogs and cats around the hotel which were also welcoming and friendly, they are very calm and wont bother you, the birds were also cute.

We booked the massage and payed for it, seemed a bit expensive however it was very relaxing and professionally done.

The shuttle bus is very punctual, free to book and comfortable/convenient if you want to go to the city which is 30 min away (the “far”location of the hotel is an advantage due to the weather and calmness) Other activities are done but i wasnt too involved since they were not of my interest, for instance i attended the night show w my family and the dancers were great as well as the stage and lights and seating but the sound was horrendous. The sound was very loud and the audios were distorted so everyone’s ears were bleeding at the end of the show.

The overall experience was great and amazing for vacations, would recommend and would revisit.

Still, there are very few details to improve such as the availability of the gym, the meal (snacks) schedule and higher variations throughout the week’s menu, maybe more crafts activities thought for everyone, the sound during...

A group of 70 of us stayed at this resort during the first week of March 2018 for our wedding (not held on the resort). The grounds were well kept as well as our room (suite) and the beach. The staff was nice however not as attentive as the staff I've encountered in other all inclusive. They would occasionally offer coffee at breakfast and clear the plates but nothing beyond that. The hotel is small and is meant more for families, they definitely didn't seem ready to handle a group of 70 individuals looking to enjoy their vacation and the main bar closed at 1 and had a limited selection of alcohol. The beach bar was hardly ever open or stocked with anything and the water sports guy was rude and lazy with an attitude. My main issue with the hotel was their RIDICULOUS policy to cut off your wristband at check out and prohibit you from consuming alcoholic beverages and access to the snack bar. On our first day we arrived at the hotel at 10pm (which means we did not consume lunch or dinner at the hotel) and on our departure day transportation to the airport did not pick us up from the hotel until 5 pm. Now I am not one to write a bad review especially about something that has to do with Colombia (as that  is my background) however I was outraged! We paid for a full 7 days and I have never experienced any resort revoke the all inclusive privileges. Despite there being 70 of us and speaking to the manager of food and beverages they still declined to serve us alcohol and allow us to eat at the snack bar. I feel that they essentially ROBBED us of an entire day as we had paid for the entire day of our departure, we never received a prorated rate for the date of check out or arrival therefore we should have had access to all amenities for the entire day. I am certain that neither one of my 70 guests or myself will ever return to this hotel and I hope they review their policy and determine it is not in line with most all...