Hotel Bantu By Faranda Boutique, a member of Radisson Individuals — Hotel in Cartagena

Hotel in the center of Cartagena. The room is nicely designed but extremely small, so there was no place to open the suitcases, so we had to open the suitcases on the bed and close them every time we needed something from the suitcase. At the same time, the bathroom is excessively large. On the first day, you will be greeted in your room with 2 small bottles of water - a "gift" from the hotel. When preparing the room for the next day, they will only make the bed and change the towels if necessary. You won't get a new shampoo or shower gel or body lotion and you won't get a new small bottle of "free" water either. The receptionist clearly explained that this small bottles of waters are "gift" as a "welcome drink" for the first day of our stay. We had dinner in the restaurant only the first night and would never go back again to have a dinner here. We didn't eat that bad anywhere in Colombia, for example, the restaurants on the remote beaches of Santa Marta had dishes that were much tastier than what we were served here. This explains why almost no one dines in the hotel restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn't know that until we tried it by ourselves. The waitress asked us how the food was(we left a good part of the food), and after we explained why the food was not good, she thanked us and said she just had to ask. OK, she asked and got a polite and reasoned answer as to why the food was almost inedible. Octopus hard as rubber, salad seasoned with a huge amount of acid, etc, etc... For a hotel of this category, I would expect better service. After almost 3 weeks in Colombia, exceptional kindness in all parts of Colombia, this hotel Bantu was what they say "the exception that proves the rule". Rude staff and bad service. The rule is that in Colombia the people are friendly and the food is very good, but this hotel turned out to be an exception to that rule. Surprising for a hotel of a relatively...

I visit Cartagena with my wife every year, and this time was the first time we had a really bad experience with our hotel. We end up at Bantu Hotel by Faranda, because the room we originally booked at their sister Hotel Casa de la Factoria was no longer available, so instead of the large colonial king room the hotel we had reserved, the hotel tried to accommodate us in a very tiny room on the 4th floor, which to us was completely unacceptable. After a couple of hours complaining with the hotel staff, they relocated us to Hotel Bantu; however the room assigned to us was not what we would expect for a hotel of this category. Beware of room 106 on level 1, even though it is a large room, it is also dark, humid, and outdated; moreover, the room has a section with glass tiles that don't look safe at all, and it also features an open air tub at the bathroom, which seems dirty due to the humidity on the brick wall and the debris that falls from it. We had not choice but to take this room the night of our arrival, we were tire from the trip, frustrated from not being able to enjoy the room we originally booked at Casa la Factoria, and my wife, who is a nurse was tired a looking to rest from her night shift prior to the trip. We spent a couple of nights on that room until we got sick from breathing the humidity in the room. Finally, they moved us to a room that looked just like the one we booked in the first place. Unbelievable!! We have planned a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving Holiday in Cartagena, but the experience at these Faranda hotels manage to really ruin...

The Bantu is a very comfortable way to spend spend your time in Cartagena, with proactive staff, stylish accommodation, good food and an inviting rooftop pool area.

The hotel extends over multiple typical colonial merchants houses, with the main atrium shaded by an enormous mango tree. This gives the hotel a great sense of place - there's no mistaking it for a soulless chain hotel.

Breakfast is served as a platter to share. All team members, whether at breakfast, on reception or at the pool, where very personable and were clearly interested in making a positive contribution to your stay.

The rooftop is beautifully designed and was never very busy. You'd be better thinking of the pool as a plunge pool, as it is quite small and best suited to cooling off instead of really lounging around or swimming laps.

The room was spacious and full of charming details, including signs to explain some of the quirks. All furnishings and amenities were high quality, working without fuss. Considering the age and layout of the hotel, there must be a huge variation in the quality of individual rooms. Although ours was large, for example, it barely had any daylight.

The hotel stands directly adjacent one of Cartagena's main thoroughfares, so it is extremely easy to navigate around the city from here if you're exploring on foot. The downside is that you're also in the most cynical, over-commercialized, touristy part of town - so expect to be mobbed by street vendors every time you leave the hotel. The area nevertheless felt lively and safe until well...