Hotel Casa Don Luis By Faranda Boutique, a member of Radisson Individuals — Hotel in Cartagena

This hotel has so much potential, with such beautiful bones and a great Italian restaurant downstairs. But my experience here was unfortunately one of the worst hotel stays I can remember in my three decades of traveling across five continents.

My partner and I experienced multiple issues during a four-night stay, and we patiently shared feedback directly with the hotel. But we ended up with no resolution and an empty assurance that our concerns would be addressed by the end of our stay. (At check-out, there was no acknowledgement of the unresolved concerns or any type of closure.) We feel that future guests will need to be informed about our experience.

Leak in 109:

We stayed in 109, and soon after we checked in, water started leaking from the bottom of our bathroom sink. The leak would start about 5 mins after we used the faucet, and the first time it happened, a lot of water pooled quickly across our bathroom floor and almost got to our luggages and the nice shoes we unpacked next to the standing closet, which is by the bathroom. (The room is open concept, with a partial wall separating the bed and the bath area. The concept is cool in photos, but in reality impractical.) The front desk sent someone right away to take a look and clean the water, but we had to wait for the handyman to come back with a missing part to fix the leak.

Leak continues throughout a four-night stay:

Since we had a wedding to attend that evening, we agreed that the leak would be resolved by the time we came back from the wedding. We came back that night and used the sink, assuming the leak was fixed, only to discover it was not. We reported the issue again the next day -- after being woken up by cleaning staff knocking on our door a little past 9am on a Saturday (I believe this is not normal timing anywhere). Meanwhile, we used the shower to wash our hands and brush our teeth, to avoid the leaky sink. We asked about the possibility of moving to another room, but we were told the hotel was fully booked.

The handyman came back that day and the next, but the leak remained unresolved. We asked him to come back later on one of those times, because we needed to rest in the room after a long day. It appeared he never came back after that. We remained calm and patient, although there was no further attempt to find an actual solution and no follow-ups from anyone at the hotel throughout our entire stay. We had to keep calling or going to the front desk to follow up ourselves.

Dark room with poor ventilation:

It's worth noting that the room is dark and has poor ventilation. There are no windows. These elements contributed to the unpleasant feeling of returning every day to a dank room with a perpetual, musty smell coming from the bathroom, instead of the calm space we had imagined from the photos. My partner had a headache and felt unwell on the last two nights of our stay, and we feel that the dank air in the room was a contributing factor, because he would feel better when we came out for fresh air.

The music in the courtyard, especially in the evenings, could be heard loudly in our room when we needed to rest in the privacy of our room. We may have been in a different state of mind about the music on some other nights, but with the ongoing situation with the water in the bathroom and feeling unwell, the inability to rest peacefully made everything much more unpleasant.

Other notes:

We hoped to find a redeeming element with the in-house massage offered on the top floor of the hotel at 150.000 COP per person. I believe the massage therapists are not trained properly or at all. The massage was not a massage at all. My therapist (?) twisted my hands in a strange way that could have hurt me, but even before that happened, we quickly understood the therapists didn't fully understand what they were doing. We left silently with a tip, but this experience added an additional layer of deep disappointment with our stay.

All in all, a waste of time, money, and...

Nice, small boutique hotel on a quiet street in the old town. Because it is comprised of different, old buildings, each room is on a different floor - or building. It makes the property charming and because the central part is open to the sky, there is no noise. We never heard anyone else or street noise. Beds are great and comfy and amenities are nice.||The AC was great - so wonderful to come into a cold room after being in the hot sun. there are two pools - one on the first floor, but its in the dining area - so I never saw anyone in it. The other is on the roof, with jets, surrounded by ten outdoor, covered bed loungers. Very nice, but its VERY hot on the roof, so we spent only short times there. The roof pool has jets, but its not a spa, rather its a long plunge pool which was welcome.||The Italian restaurant is outstanding. Wonderful pasta and sauces. We usually don't eat in hotels, but we ate at the restaurant twice. Great service too.||The only real con is that the rooms are very dark - they try to make it intimate, but its just dark, its very hard to see things. For example, there is no light in the shower - just a mirror light so quite dark. There is one window that looks out into the common courtyard, but for privacy, we kept the curtains closed. (This might be the same at other hotels as they are all comprised of old buildings) We had issues with the elevator, rooms keys, door lock, room safe battery died and locked my documents inside etc. Every time we had an issue it was addressed immediately. However, many of these should not have been issues - it felt like they were a boutique hotel...

Hotel Review: 5 Stars

I recently had the pleasure of staying at an absolutely gorgeous, chic hotel in the heart of Cartagena, and I cannot recommend it enough! From the moment I arrived, I was captivated by the hotel’s beautiful design, blending modern luxury with classic Caribbean charm. Every detail, from the elegant décor to the spacious, comfortable rooms, made my stay unforgettable.

The location is perfect, right in the middle of Cartagena's vibrant center. Many of the city’s best attractions, including historic landmarks, charming shops, and lively plazas, are just a short walk away. Whether I wanted to explore the colorful streets, take in the local culture, or enjoy the lively nightlife, everything was within easy reach.

One of the standout features of my stay was the exceptional restaurant service. Every meal at the hotel restaurant was a culinary delight. The menu showcased a range of exquisite dishes, and the attention to detail was evident in every bite. From fresh local seafood to decadent desserts, the food was simply incredible. The staff was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely cared about providing a first-class dining experience.

In short, this hotel is the epitome of luxury and style, with a perfect location and world-class service. If you’re planning a trip to Cartagena, do yourself a favor and book here—you...