Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena — Hotel in Cartagena

The communication with Sofitel was a bit confusing upfront. But still very care taking and much more most hotels do before Arrival. Our reservation for massage for 2 persons was taken wrong and changed 3 times. The Mercedes Benz is an old E-Class Model. Making some noise because something is broken. But still nice. Pickup was a few minutes late. Online checkin worked very well and welcome in the hotel (checkIn) very fast. Only some signatures and we were done. The room C52 is in the 5th floor (highest) and is beautiful. It’s called a suite but more like a large room. In front of the room entrance are two seats to have a chat or smoke a cigarette. Lovely! The room is in the old colonial part of the hotel. The room itself has a very high sealing. Maybe above 6 meters. That makes it difficult to cool down the room less than 22°C. The windows are facing the streets of old town. This can be loud. The window shield do not make the room 100% dark. Two different window blinds are provided. You can select before arrival what you would like to have in the minibar. Still water is provided. Hermes products with a very nice smell as soap, hairgel, conditioner and bodygel for shower and bathtube. This room is one of the very less providing a bathtub. The shower and tub are both huge. The butler service especially Rudy are outstanding caring and always have a solution or can organize almost everything for you. You can also use a wine refrigerator in the room if you like. The bed is very high and very comfy. Maybe best part of the room. Only one sink provided in the bathroom. Toilette is separated but still very open. Enough space to put cloth and very modern. The light are confusing at the beginning but after short you get used to. Couch, seats and a nice welcome gift are provided. I love the hotel logo face masks and a outstanding desert like Mango which looked very nice as well as an assortment of pralines. Lovely! The hotel is above any standard. Any normal amenity are provided above standard. The rooms sold as Suite are not a suite but a large executive room. Is worth the money and the service is outstanding as well. The breakfast is really good too. You need to find your favorites. Some parts are ok some are really good. The gym is small but nice. Provided free water. Behind the gym is the hot jacuzzi which is really hot and can be switched on by yourself. The pool is not huge but still enough. The exit steps are dangerous to hurt your feet! Be careful. (See picture or me bleeding) there is not a good way to the beach and have a swim in the sea. The hotel is not a beach hotel! But the sea is close! Despite pandemic this hotel seems to be busy and a lot of business going on. The Patisserie is outstanding combining local ingredients with modern style deserts. Chef de Patisserie John Moreno is doing a outstanding good job! The elevator in the old colonial part looks more clean and new than the elevators in the new part. Service at pool is fast and attentive. They should provide to everyone at least one free bottle of water at the beginning. The Cappuccino and the Pina Colada are really good. One suggestion: why not handing out some free small plates with seasonal fruits to Hotelguests at pool? The hotel has a lot of birds. Some will be annoyed by the birds. Some will like it! The hotel needs some birds of prey 😬 The spa is located next to the bar and jacuzzi. Has a very high standard and absolute perfect massage. With above 60€ for 50 minutes massage it is a bit overpriced. Nice room, Airconditioned but not freezing, nice tea before and after treatment. The meal in the restaurant is really nice but not outstanding. The attention of service is too low and slow, the salad needs to be cut in smaller pieces, the maincourse was really good (lobster and beef loin). The desert fits not into this restaurant. It’s far above the level and highest standard. Outstanding good! The bar has direct access from street and offers a very high standard of all kinds of drinks and cocktails. Outstanding as well. I can...

5-star Luxury with Both Bygone Era Splendor and Modern Amenities in the Heart of Cartagena’s Timeless Historic Center ||We thank the entire staff at the iconic Sofitel Legend Santa Clara for an unforgettable week at one of the most beautiful hotels in the world, rich in history and run by a staff who clearly embrace 5-star luxury. ||Stepping into the courtyard upon check-in you feel like either royalty of an ambassador visiting this gorgeous former convent rich in history and divine aesthetics. We were finally able to meet the concierge Diego who so meticulously had worked with me for weeks planning every detail, and were introduced to his fellow Butler colleagues Carlos, Ernesto, Rudy and Danny who were always just a text away to cater to even the slightest of needs. Room Division Director, Eric Arredondo, also so graciously welcomed us to the hotel which he clearly manages with pride, professionalism, and top-notch service. We thank you all !||The hotel is absolutely gorgeous. And the art, furniture, light fixtures, and every aesthetic are meticulously displayed throughout the entire hotel, evoking a timeless era that you and now living within. Timeless as it is, however, don’t let that make you think there isn’t every modern amenity you could need. The rooms are lovely, new, crisp, and complete with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, multiple electronic ports, perfect AC and spot on water pressure/temperature. ||We were overlooking the pool which is beautiful, quite large, serene, and with plenty of lounge chairs, and a wait staff that caters to our every need. Just up the stairs is the gym which has all we need to stay fit during the decadent stay. Then there’s the full-service spa where we had incredible massages and facials that I highly recommend. And then, there’s the sleek outdoor cocktail bar, Botika, overlooking both the pool and the sea - and has live music after 6. The place fills up later in the evening and it becomes quite the hot spot right overlooking the walled city. ||We also dined at 1621 which is quite an experience. First, it’s in the home of the Clarisas nuns and you literally feel the history run through you in a very magical way. And then, the food and wine – impeccable! We went for the ten-course meal with wine pairing. We thought, if you’re going to do it, go for the full experience. Well, it did not disappoint. One course after the other was better than the next. And the wine – I’m not usually into pairing with multiple different types of wines. But I stood corrected as this made for a completely different experience meshing every course variation with a wine that brought it all to yet another level. And both our server and the sommelier were beyond delightful and so well informed that not only did we love the meal, but we also learned so much. ||So, I again thank the entire staff at this incredible hotel and highly recommend it to anyone seeking the same beautifully memorable experience we were so lucky to have lived and will...

We recently had our wedding here on July 1, 2016, everything was absolutely stunning with the exception of how one of our guests had her purse stolen during the cocktail hour. Her and her family immediately notified security which said that the area where the purse was supposedly stolen in had little to no light which was hard to tell in the surveillance cameras. My guest began canceling her credit cards and the hotel had the audacity to want to charge her for making international calls when her purse was stolen in THEIR hotel. During the wedding reception dinner, while removing the same guest's plate the server took the wedding gift for the bride and groom (the envelope clearly had written outside the names of the bride and groom this gift was placed near the guest's service plate. Her father immediately noticed that the gift card was gone and notified the head of service who went to go check where the envelope went. He came back with the envelope all torn up and it had a missing check. The guest advised him that there was a check inside, the head of service returned back minutes later with the check and claimed that he found it in the garbage. In regards to the purse investigation no one had been notified of the process until 21 hours later that the bride, groom and victim of the stolen purse went to the concierge to inquire about the investigation. We spoke with the General Manager Leopold, Manager of groups and parties Juan Pablo Estrada and the head server that was in charge on Friday July 1st . Juan Pablo began claiming that the guest may have possibly left her purse in the church and we continued insisting to watch the surveillance cameras. While watching the cameras we confirmed that the guest had her purse on as she was entering the hotel's elevator to proceed to the cocktail hour. We honestly feel like this hotel is absolutely beautiful however it has many flaws in terms of hiring appropriate staff members, they have dishonest workers and common sense. Management is very poor as they tried to blame the family and friends attending the wedding that stole the purse. It took the hotel's general manager (Leopold) 48 hours later to advise us that the victim should call the police and file a police report. We honestly feel that the hotel tried to brush everything under the rug and not try to admit that there was a robbery on behalf of their staff in the cocktail hour and another attempted robbery during the reception dinner. The bride and groom had to spend countless hours trying to speak with administration and security in regards to the incidents that occurred. This is completely unacceptable! Please be careful with your belongings in this place as they have crooks...