Hotel Dorado Plaza Calle del Arsenal — Hotel in Cartagena

My third time in Cartagena, and possibly 14th hotel both in and out of the old city, Arsenal more than met or exceeded all of our expectations. ||First the room... quite possibly the most comfortable bed we've ever slept in... in a room that was much cleaner, more spacious, well aerated with a variety of options (2 ceiling fans, A/C, multiple windows) and overall cozier than any other experienced... all the standard amenities, blah blah blah. Oh, common and scientific name tags on all the plants both in and outside, dispelling a few mysteries of flora we had seen about town. ||Common Sense Tip #1: Yeah there wasn't really hot water but that's standard in 95% of places in this town even well over this price range, and it's 90°F in Cartagena 500 days a year. ||Secondly, the staff... absolutely helpful to all ends. Home cooked meals every breakfast, with effort to make certain every day was a little different. We came and went at all hours and were greeted promptly every time. A good secure feeling that the door isn't just left open to whoever wanders in.||They only speak Spanish and ours is terrible but they're patient and anything but patronizing. This leads to CST#2, learn to speak and hear at least basic Spanish BEFORE coming to Colombia. Or don't. We accidentally had our laundry done because we just said 'Si' to everything we didn't understand. It ended up being on the house, a welcome break from the last hotel wash and fold (almost $80USD). Of course, experiences may vary, but in my book there are different approaches to being a quasi-ignorant tourist and managing your expectations based on what you're willing to put effort towards. ||This, in turn, leads to CST#3, and the most opinion-versus-experience portion of this review. (Warning, rant to follow) ||There are traipses of people who exist in this world who expect their idyll of their double glass windows and quiet cul-de-sac upbringing everywhere they go. The kind of people who move above a bar (for example) in NYC that has existed for decades only to call the police or 311 or whatever every time the sound gets a little loud. I'm talking about mean-spirited, gentrifying, self-righteous morons who want all the art and culture and blah blah but when it's beddie time they need their bubble of quiet, mommy's womb, whatever it is. ||To those folks: you wouldn't dream of renting a room on Bourbon St in the middle of Mardi Gras, so why the heck would you pick the one block in all of Cartagena that is both the Chiva Bus end point and center of the busiest late night clubs? ||I'm sorry, but Google and TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet and Booking.com and GeoCities and myangrywhiteprivilege.com or whatever have been around for long enough, so if you can't be bothered to at least look at the friggin map of the BLOCK your hotel room is on, you deserve every moment of sleepless night you signed up for. As native New Yorkers, we're used to a noise floor of 95dB and sleeping with the TV on so it was no big deal. ||To sum up, if you can get enough leverage to yank your bloated head out of your (ahem), it's a darn tootin' fine place that I personally will stay at on each return to this wonderful, loud, vibrant city. (Actually I'm not certain how you could hear anything if your head's already that far in.)||I hope the type of people who give places like this one star reviews eventually give up on international travel and settle in to their safe place in their suburbs with their fat kids and oversized cars and diabetes and leave at least a few of the nice places on earth to those who (actually) choose 'life'....

I don't usually write reviews of places I stay but after reading some of the reviews here, I felt I had to say something in Casa Del Arsenal's defence.||||1. The staff really are friendly. They are attentive, patient and just nice human beings. The customer service here is to be valued and seems go come naturally to them. They are a true credit to the hotel and patient with my broken Spanish. Someone was there to greet me at all hours of night and day.||||2. Yes it was noisy at night, much more than I thought. I didn't sleep much the first night, but I was not bothered by it the second or third night And slept well. Do your research (It is next to a disco and party-bus end point) or better yet, fetch earplugs.||||3. The decor and rooms were beautiful. Many shampoos and vanity kits. The bed was one of the most comfortable I have slept in.||||4. Homemade breakfast which varied day to day. Breakfast was plentiful and made to your taste.||||5. Someone mentioned the window in the bathroom not having glass, which I actually really liked the design of. In my time in Cartegena I did not get bitten by a mosquito, much less see one in my room. I live in central America and know that if mosquitoes are to be a threat then people don't have holes in their walls. If there's an intentional window without glass then there are not any mozzies. Mosquitos were never a concern for me and I am bitten everywhere I go.||||6. My room was cleaned and fresh towels provided each day at no extra charge.||||This hotel is absolutely value for money, especially in Latin America. I have stayed in worse places that have charged more WITHOUT...

Very nice place with great service. Candelaria welcomed us very well and throughout our stay two other gentlemen helped. They were all very helpful.

When you get here you'll see that the entrance is behind a gate. Make sure you ring the bell on the left hand side by the front door and someone inside will come open the door and gate.

There's a beautiful outdoor balcony patio on the second floor with a view of the water. We stayed in the room with a window attached to this balcony, room Julieta. Be forewarned that all guests are free to use this area at all hours and all guests can bring in alcohol, drinks and food here so if you have a room right next to it you may get some noise; we didn't mind it, but can see how others might. Make sure you bring ear plugs if you're a light sleeper because party buses with loud music and cars pass by the front all night long; I brought my ear plugs and had no issues sleeping through the night despite being in the room facing the balcony and street.

The room was clean, spacious and beautiful. The furniture is very elegant.

Be aware that there isn't any hot water as North Americans are used to. There's only cold water and slightly cool water which is okay given how hot the climate is in Cartagena anyway. The AC in the room ran cold very well.

This hotel is in a great location if you want to walk to the well known streets with flags and umbrellas. Plaza Trinidad is also nearby where you can go grab some great street food and trinkets. There are also great shops nearby that sell high quality handmade woven and leather items at...