Hotel Isla Real — Hotel in Cartagena

We stayed here for three nights and had a great time! I arranged transport from the airport via email with the hotel, which I was a bit nervous about because I only know a little Spanish, but everything went smoothly. Someone met us at the airport (had a sign with my name) and drove us to the dock, where we took a speedboat to the hotel. It was about a 20 minute ride, and the boat took us right to the hotel (I saw some reviews that said you needed to take motorbikes to the hotel but we didn't -- maybe it's different at different times of the year). We stayed in the "junior suite" which was basic but nice enough. There wasn't a deadbolt or safe in the room, which I would have liked. Also, our room was toward the back of the property, and near the gate to go in/out of the hotel so there were a lot of people walking by. If I went again, I'd probably want to stay in one of the two rooms (I think they are the other suites) that are closer to the pool/ocean, just for the better view and more privacy. It's a small hotel, though, so being at the back of the property isn't actually far from the pool and restaurant area. The pool was nice, but could be cleaner -- I think the filter wasn't working or on while we were there. We were there in late February and it was not busy at all, which was kind of nice. It's a pretty laid back place, all the other guests when we were there were couples. It's close to the Blue Apple, which I had originally wanted to book, but I'm glad I went with Isla Real instead. The beach you can go to is down a little pathway, and it's the same beach Blue Apple is on. It's a different atmosphere (think loud music and a lot more people), which wasn't really what we were after on our vacation. The beach is nice, though. I never felt unsafe walking to or from the beach, and while we didn't venture out to the town nearby, I didn't get the impression it was unsafe. The food was really good! I am a vegetarian, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I ate very well. Breakfast was amazing, usually arepas and cheese and eggs. The dinner menu was mostly fish/seafood, which I don't eat, but really they'll make you whatever you want. All the staff we encountered were great and very friendly and helpful. It was a great stay and I would...

Very unsatisfied with our stay. Never again. And I really don't recommend this hotel to anyone. When we arrived they wanted to charge us more even though in booking it was written the price I did the booking. There were few phone calls but then they accepted. The bathroom in the room is very old with a very weird sink. When we arrived it was early so we didn't see anyone else but later on we realised that we were literally the only guests. There is always a construction and fixing going on in the hotel. On the first day we ordered typical fish plates and a burger. They took almost 2 hours to arrive. The prices are high but it's the same everywhere in the island, still waiting for 1.5-2 hours wasn't what we were expecting. The staff is very disorganised and look like they don't really wanna work. The music in the pool area is too loud, they also put movies or football matches in high volume without thinking the guests. Because the hotel was kinda abandoned with no people and too much staff going around randomly we preferred to hang out another hotel nearby. They sold us a tour which takes you to 5 islands, when you buy a tour from a hotel you expect it to be a good, well this wasn't. Its one of the worst tours I've ever been. The guy that sold us the tour which is working for the hotel lied about the tour, he told us a totally different itinerary than we did with the tour, and didn't take responsibility when we asked for a refund and blame the tour company. We bought also private boat to go back to Cartagena, we paid 40mil pesos per person expecting to be picked up from the hotel but they told us that the waves are big so we have to go to Bochacina where the boats arrive and when we asked if the motors to take us there were included they said yes. Motors arrived and they asked money, the guy that sold us the boat came and told us that he didn't say that was included. I guess they sell stuff in this hotel with lies then don't take any responsibility. There are better...

Highly recommend a stay at Isla Real, and for the adventurous, a wedding ceremony too! They offer a 5* service that is completely personalised to make you feel at home and special.

We celebrated our wedding reception at Isla Real on 8 August 2018, travelling with 75 guests from London, UK.

The Isla Real team were dedicated and highly professional and skilled. The food was cooked by the onsite chef to perfect; in particular our guests loved the ceviche- super fresh and delicious. They worked seamlessly with our wedding planners and suppliers. When our alcohol ran out, they brought out their supplies without any issue. They let us enjoy our night and celebrate until 5.30am and they kept smiles on their faces throughout.

To Mike and Ava, thank you for all of your hard work on making our dream day a reality! The venue was set up beautifully, and your chef even accommodated my request for Eton Mess (an English dessert) and traditional casuela bowls to serve food in. All guests enjoyed their stay in the beautiful rooms, loved the pool, and breakfast the following morning was divine! Excellent chef, wonderful hotel with incredible views over the ocean, most divine at sunrise and...