Hotel Barlovento Cartagena — Hotel in Cartagena

Arrived and rooms were ready. The reception was personable, professional, and friendly. Check in was quick. We received help from Luis at the front desk, and Luis who kindly escorted us to our rooms, which smelled of a very pleasant fragrance. It was a little heavy, but nice snd surprising--you usually smell aromatherapy in hotel lobbies. My room was spacious and clean. Simple, modern and welcoming with a lovely painting above the comfortable king sized bed. There were four king sized pillows, soft and welcoming to head and neck. The bed was firm and supportive. I liked that and did not wake up sore at all. The mattress seems to include a pillow top. Getting out of bed in the mornings was difficult because it was comfortable. The room is not soundproof so you hear everything happening in the hallways. Fortunately, the hotel rooms were comprised of respectful guests who were quiet. The air conditioner was powerful. You can freeze or not because you can control the thermostat. There were zero problems with hot water upon demand. I experienced a hot shower with great water pressure every time I bathed. The bathroom was small but efficient. The toiletries provided daily are a small bottle of shampoo, conditioner and 2 small round bars of soap provided in the shower and on the sink. Amenities include a free breakfast to start your day--fresh and varied--a hot soup, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, delicious fresh fruit, pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, sausage, micro cups of varied mousses, two types of scrambled eggs, arepas, a meat dish--stir fried beef one day. Fresh sugar free juice (no artificial sweeteners added either) , liquid yogurts in a bottle, various pastries. Loved breakfast daily. Everything was replenished do if you arrived late you still had plenty to choose from. The ladies and gentlemen who worked breakfast were fantastic. Ms. Soledad warmly greeted everyone every morning. She made us all feel very special. The front desk expertly arranged a sunset tour on the bay. Santiago and Luis were great. As was a beautiful young lady I didn't know her name. Received wonderful restaurant recommendations--go to Cande, San Nicolas in Getsemani and Restaurant La Olla which is three minutes away from the hotel for delicious Cartagenian food. Cande is the most ingenious restaurant. Dress in cool clothing because it is warm in this large historic building. All staff in this hotel are thoughtful, conscientious, hard working, very kind, patient and treat guests with the utmost care and respect. The small pool on the second floor is clean, music plays and it is great. Intimate. Although there is a bar, I did not see anyone exclusively working there. I was there after breakfast or an hour before it closed at 8:30 pm. It was a serene spot. It did not smell of chlorine or anything. Just a peaceful haven to rest on one of three lounge chairs. There were tables and chairs, as well. The pool is kid friendly and senior citizen friendly as it has two levels. A shallow shelf on one side and a plunge area on the other side. This hotel is perfectly situated close to the historic city, and Getsemani making taxi rides super affordable. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and highly...

I gave this place 5 stars but theres always one person that has to ruin it for the rest of them.. There is a young stocky guy that works at the front desk that wears glasses, usually works the night shift. He is really rude and arrogant and has the worst customer service skills with a very bad attitude.. He does not even greet people or say hello to you.. He harasses you and your guests at the hotel.. He calls your room and asks you to come downstairs whenever you have a visitor and when i asked him why he couldnt just let them come upstairs he answered very rudely and said go sit with your guest in the restaurant or pay $20 additional dollars for the person to come upstairs.... he will even chase you down as you walk into your hotel room and bang on your door to ask you to pay the additional charge instead of just simply calling your room and asking you nicely to come downstairs and inconvenience you... he has the worst people service and communication skills I do not know why they even hired this type of person to represent this hotel it’s a shame because everybody else here is so friendly and nice and he is the only...

I am a frequent traveler to Cartagena and have stayed at least 80% of the hotels. I have stayed at some of the most expensive down to lower price range. Hotel Barlovento is by far the best hotel for your money and the one I have stayed at more then once. The rooms are just as nice as some of the more expensive hotels. Very clean. Friendly staff. The only thing more expensive hotels have are bigger fancier pools but who visits Cartagena to stay at hotel pool? When it comes to value for your money this is the best hotel in Cartagena. Any other hotel equal will charge 2x-3x the money. They offer free breakfast. Other expensive hotels charge. They have more stations on tv then the more expensive hotels. I enjoy the location as well. Easy to walk to beach, many stores and restaurants. Quick taxi ride to old city. This will always be my first choice of hotel and does not break your...