Regatta Cartagena — Hotel in Cartagena

Since I cannot find the bootleg travel agency that this hotel has allowed to rent an office in its lobby, thereby lending its credibility to the professionalism of this business, I will leave my review for the hotel in general until it finds a way to better vet the brands it associates itself with.

"Discovery Sol Y Playa" travel agency (located in the Regata Hotel) is a giant rip off compared to the other travel agency options available in Cartagena, specifically one that our wedding party used throughout our visit to Colombia. I was approached by a Jose Santiago near the beach at Bocagrande who sold us on their travel agency having English speaking tour guides and them being a certified travel agency unlike their competitors. After meeting with him and his boss at the offices in the Regata Hotel, haggling over price to go to Palenque (including lunch) and to have a Walled City tour, we agreed to have them pick us up at our hotel the next morning.

When the Discovery team got there, they handed us off to what was the equivalent of a rideshare driver in the US who didn't know much English (first strike) and drove us to Palenque. He then handed us off to one of the locals, who spent the next few hours educating us on the town. By the time we were ending the tour, there was confusion over who was paying for lunch (once we reminded them that lunch was included after the tour ended - 2nd strike), the local or the driver, but they sorted the issue out semi-privately; before the local, who built a rapport with us by this time, explained that he was being swindled by the driver and the "big Cartagena companies." Our guess is that the driver tried to stick the local with lunch after only paying him 40.000 COP. We paid almost 600.000 for the Palenque portion of the trip and Discovery didn't work out lunch or paid the real worker on the tour a fair wage? Wow.

When we got back to Cartagena, the driver took us to a mountain and a fort, both of which he refused to pay for, nor did he explain any history of the city. Instead he drove past significant places and pointed them out while slowing down. We were relieved when he asked if we wanted to stay in the Walled City or head to the hotel, to which we affirmed the latter.

I have been to many countries and done many tours by professionals and this agency ranks as dead last in my experience. There was no tour guide throughout the trip, the handoffs were bungled, the transportation's cleanliness was questionable, and the customer service sucked. I made my grievances clear to Jose Santiago by text but the replies were very weak and unacceptable.

This agency will not be in business long with experiences like mine. Do not use this agency or you may end up swindled like me. They overcharge, overpromise, and underperform. Use a better agency like "Experience Real Cartagena" like the rest of my party did. Have...

It has deceiving publicity with rooms, i arrived through booking expecting rooms like the ones on photos but they have categories mixed up, nevermind i payed for the higher category, certainly a 5 stars hotel price so better rooms decent enough bathrooms... But the rooms safe damaged and rusted,,.phone out for several hours frequently, no way to get an extra set of towels, are you sleeping room service may enter the room by surprise! (Not an accident but an evident lack of training), breakfast buffet welcomes you remembering you it's one portion per guest 😑... Just before the line of people waiting for poorly cooked scrambled eggs, Wich by surprise may include surprise pieces of bacon from who knows which day...... Colombian bread is good but we may had the most average economic one, for the price of a 5 stars hotel the night.... Seems disordered, poorly managed, avoid all rooms bellow 12th floor disgusting bathrooms, stained closets, better rooms up but yet seems they didn't even hired and architect bathrooms are better on higher floors but the distribution is poor no space to put anything but sit and bath, careful with shower had inverted temperature signs, scalding hot water may fall hard no hair drier, no shower extensión, did i mention you can't get a second pair of towels unless you go in person to the reception?

Try go the beach which is not private yet remember the deceiving photos, more surprise charges, seats and umbrellas have the hotel's brand.but you have to pay to the locals, because the beach is public, they promotion first line of beach though, going out they warn you.to be careful you may get your stuff stolen, a sit would cost according to them 30.000 COP yet they charge you there 50% more, going back? Awesome please go first through the disordered full of construction materials parking lot and wash yourself, we don't want you to stain our 5 stars hotel, and try to go back up to the elevators where service cars would travel with you, only two elevators for everyone once more in s 5 stars priced hotel

Of course no problem if you know st least what to expect if it was at least with a proper 3 stars rating with real publicity... definitely not coming back ever again; staff is overloaded, kind persons working hard, kind aggain but doing the best they can with poor management and...

Disappointing.

My recent experience at Hotel Regatta in Cartagena was unfortunately marred by a series of inconveniences that significantly impacted my stay. While the hotel boasts a convenient location and some appealing features, the lack of attention to basic maintenance and customer service left much to be desired.

Room Issues Air Conditioning Light: The air conditioning unit in my room had a persistent light that could not be turned off, illuminating the entire room and making it difficult to sleep. Despite my request to reception to help cover it, no action was taken. Toilet Malfunction: Upon checking in, I discovered that the toilet was not flushing due to a lack of water. This basic plumbing issue should have been addressed promptly. Safe Inoperable: The room's safe was not functioning, and my request for it to be repaired was ignored. This posed a security concern for my valuables. Disconnected Refrigerator: The refrigerator in my room was delivered disconnected, and there was no minibar service available.

Other Issues Late Pool and Solarium Hours: The pool and solarium areas opened late in the day, limiting the time available for guests to enjoy these amenities. Slow Elevator: The elevator service was extremely slow, although it did provide a polite apology upon arrival at each floor. Room Lockout: The electronic lock on my room door malfunctioned, requiring me to call for assistance and wait outside my room until it was fixed.

Positive Notes Quiet Neighborhood: The hotel is located in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood, offering a respite from the bustling city. Beautiful Solarium: The solarium area is quite nice, providing a relaxing space to soak up the sun. Friendly Staff: The staff members I encountered were generally friendly and polite.

While Hotel Regatta has some positive aspects, including its quiet location, pleasant solarium, and friendly staff, my experience was far from satisfactory due to the numerous maintenance issues and the lack of responsiveness from the staff. These issues, particularly the malfunctioning air conditioning, toilet, and safe, significantly detracted from my stay. I would not recommend this hotel until they address these concerns and improve their...