Hotel Nueva Granada — Hotel in Santa Marta

I booked this place because I was scuba diving in taganga and unless you're a dirty Backpacker taganga is no place for you to stay. This hotel was like an oasis in the middle of the confusion of historic Santa Marta. I very much enjoyed my stay. The rooms are set up to be super convenient there are all kinds of of closet areas and places to put suitcases and places to hang clothes which is very uncommon in Colombia. Air conditioning works great although they do like you to turn it off when you leave it does cool the air down quickly when you return. There's an incredible common area which is really why I booked the place because after a day of scuba diving I wanted to come back and relax and I don't want to have to go out. There's a wonderful area to sit back and relax with shade and a pool and a variety of chairs... plus there's coffee available all day long. There's also a cooler you can buy drinks and snacks right on the grounds. You're just a five-minute walk from the various little parks in historic Santa Marta. I definitely would never book another place after I stayed here. One last note the breakfast is decent and it will get you started...

Clentelle middle class, upmarket, solo travelers reading books in whicker chairs. Fab pool and luscious plants Owners love animals, breakfast great. Rooms air cor and fan, fridge, Clean peaceful plenty of tables.Quiet at night Shutters on windows for privacy. Mr Vichy is the cat, you see him, we fed him tuna. The owners are quick to rectify any problem, our toilet did not flush, new room given . Outside turn right and your 6 mins from the beach. So clean and great value in Santa Marta. If you don't want street vendors outside then the ONLY option is the enclosed private citadel of top hotel names, which offers no better security than we had. The bus to Cartagena stops outside. This is genuinely an upmarket oasis. It's difficult to leave the pool and luscious vegetation . You can get snacks, e cigs beer from street vendors passing by in seconds. The hotel sells alcohol also. On some nights it offers a dining night, the dining room reminds me when James Bond was in Cuba if you've read Flemming. What a pleasure, different, cant understand why it not mobbed in...

Since Spanish is the 2nd most spoken language in the world,I really should learn to be more fluent! But the hosts at Nueva Granada are such warm and patient people that my language deficiency was not an obstacle. I loved the set up of this hotel, it isn't a museum or library per se, but they have a nice collection of books and objects to stimulate the imagination. I literally found stuff in books at breakfast that I 'had' to go out and see in person. The location is pretty ideal, it's not 'right in the mix', but everything I wanted was a short walk away. I chose this location, in part, because it's right down the street from the Mercado Publico so I could get back and forth from Tayrona and Minca without getting turned around. I can't say enough about the hosts. I had a minor travel emergency when my scheduled ride cancelled on me. The hosts helped me strategize a plan B and had me on my way in minutes!!! (They didn't have to do all of that). I am very grateful for my experience with Hotel...