Holiday Inn Express Cartagena Bocagrande — Hotel in Cartagena

I had a fabulous stay at Holiday Inn Express in Bocagrande. I believe the hotel is new but regardless of that, the property is clean upon arrival and fairly quiet part of the strip. Felt the area was safe to walk around at night and to catch a cab outside the street. Cab rides are reasonable from Bocagrande to the Historical centre (about 6-7,000 pesos) which is every affordable way to get about. There were security guards in the front of the hotel and the floors are protected by key fobs. I thought the property was modern, clean, and spacious, albeit generic. I really didn't have much to complain about. The bathroom may be a bit snug but the shower is spacious and the water pressure was great (both hot, warm, or cold from those hot and humid days).

The front desk staff were always courteous, smiling, helpful, and accommodating. They were such a delight. They spoke English well so it's easy for English visitors who feel unsure of using Spanish. I would highly recommend this property. It's just a few blocks from the local beaches but close to a variety of restaurants and corner shops for snacks and drinks. My bed was comfortable and there wasn't much noise in the hotel at night either.

The breakfast buffet was included in my stay. Thought it was a good spread with fruits, cereal, eggs, bacon, and local foods (empanadas, chorizo, etc). The coffee was delicious and the fresh juices too.

I used the pool everyday during the mid day when it was too hot to do anything else. The pool area was a bit small but I didn't have any problems finding a chair. It does get super sunny and hot so some may give the pool area a pass. It's on the 13th floor and offers great views of the city (it's were the breakfast occurs every morning as well).

The Wifi in the hotel was very speedy and I had no issues with it.

I really...

A little background: American family of 4 (kids 8&6). We were in town for a destination wedding.

This is an excellent location for families because kids were able to spend time at the pool, beach, play place in mc Donald’s and frisby (Colombian kfc). This kept my boys entertained and their energy spent. An added bonus is kids wanted to learn Spanish phrases to communicate with the other kids around them.

People staying here were friendly. I was greeted by everyone we would come across. Friendly place all around. Uber was quick to come around for easy pickup and drop off.

Location wise, I prefer being at the beach than at the old town areas. Main reason is the availability of markets around us. Quick buys for sodas at pharmacy around the place.

Free breakfast was good. Eggs are nice and fresh instead of the powdered stuff we get stateside. Rice dish was a great pairing. We were there for six days so I would watch what combination of things others were eating and step out of my comfort zone and tried the combo. The fruits were excellent. Even tried a ham and cheese panini.

Room was larger than the ones you will find in the older parts of the city. I went into the rooms my relatives got and we definitely have more room. Bring your own bath products because theirs smelled like ginger. Bathroom shower door kept opening so I just used a bottle to keep it shut. No tub. Also had a clothes line, just remember to lock it before hanging your swim gear on it. No hair dryer but it does have outlets. Fridge was cold and iron was as clean and could steam. Outlets were 110 so the same as stateside. We had daily room service and we tipped at the end of our trip. Tile floors really helped keep the sand contained...

Upon check in as a Spire member, I am used to being treated with respect. The gentleman checking me in was interrupted 3-4 times by people with various issues, non-emergency, and instead of checking me in and then getting to them, proceeded to make me wait while he resolved their issues. This caused my check-in to take close to 20 minutes. Completely unacceptable. The room itself was clean. The bathroom soap and shampoo was very cheap, unlike the usual you would expect at IHG properties. The bed was comfortable and I had no issues sleeping. The wifi functioned just fine. The TV turned on but did not show any channels or work otherwise. On day two of four, the air conditioning quit working. This was extremely uncomfortable to try to work in my job in the room. It took the entire day to fix the issue. The pool required reservation for 2 hours. The pool was rooftop and really good views of the city. The restaurant next to the pool was really good. The hotel itself is located very close to the beach and the walking/running paths so pretty good location in Bocagrande. The breakfast was really good, just make sure you go early because they serve it to you instead of self-serve in the US, so sometimes there is a very long line. I asked for points upon checkout and the front desk lady said she would notate and do it a little later. I never received points and was never contacted by the hotel regarding my issues with the a/c. Overall, decent hotel but nothing like the US...