Why Cartagena Should be Your Next Getaway
After my Ireland trip I didn’t have anything planned until November. A friend called me up and asked me what my October schedule looked like, she was off the last two weeks of the month. I had five days off in a row at the end of the month. I sent her my scheduled and she responded with, “Lets go somewhere!”
So we started our search for the perfect quick vacation spot. We initially wanted to go somewhere in Europe but five days just didn’t seem long enough. South America was a shorter flight and the weather would be nice and warm in that region. So I pulled up Google flights and put in my travel dates. A map popped up with flight prices to various destination. Flights to Colombia were so cheap this time of year. I did a quick search of the cities and Cartagena stood out the most to me. I talked to a few friends that had visited and everyone gave the city glowing reviews. So why the hell not, “Lets go to Cartagena!”
We booked an Air BNB in the Old City right inside the Santo Domingo Gate. It is located across Cafe del Mar and we could not have been happier with the location. We were a short walk away from shops, restaurants, coffee shops and the different Plazas. We landed in Cartagena and it was pouring rain outside. The streets were flooded and I was terrified that we would float away in our taxi. Luckily by the time we reached our Airbnb the rain had stopped and the sun was out.
Our first stop was to La Vitrola. The restaurant had a high rating and great reviews. When we looked at the menu we realized that the restaurant was basically catering to tourists and really didn’t have much local cuisine. The menu consisted of a variety of Italian food but I wanted the full Colombian experience. I wanted local Colombian food. We decided to order some ceviche instead of getting a full meal. When the ceviche came out it was quite possible the best ceviche I have had in my life. I don’t know if it was because we were hungry and tired from traveling but it was literally amazing. I honestly think you should go there just for the ceviche.
After leaving the restaurant we wandered around the Old City. There are multiple different town squares where you will find street vendors selling jewelry, sunglasses, hats and other little souveniers. You will also see people selling fresh fruits and Arepas. Arepa is a little corn cake that is stuffed with cheese or other fillings. I ate all the street food I saw even though I had warning bells going off in my head.
We wandered over towards the clock tower and saw street performers and ladies dressed in colorful clothing with fruit baskets balanced on their heads. We were surrounded by local music with scents of street food and coffee wafting through the air. We finally found our way over to La Cevicheria and you guessed it, had more ceviche. This is another popular local spot and I could probably eat their ceviche everyday. After dinner we stumbled on to a hookah lounge just down the street from La Cevicheria called Tobacco y Ron. I don’t smoke hookah so I can’t really attest to how good it was but their frozen coffee drinks were amazing and I loved the ambiance of the place. They had colorful paintings on the wall of famous people smoking cigars. It almost made me want to pose with a cigar for a picture…almost 😉
The next morning we went to Cafe Stepping Stone for brunch. The cafe employs disadvantaged youth from the community to provide them with skills and training to help them secure future employment. When I first saw the menu it reminded me of the cafes in Australia with its options. I then realized that the founders of the cafe were in fact Australian.
After brunch we walked around the Old City and headed to the emerald shops. After all I am Pakistani and my mom sent me on a mission to find the best stones. We finally found some emeralds we liked and asked the ladies in the shop for food recommendations. We told them we wanted local cuisine and they guided us to Espirita Santa. We had plates filled with plantains, coconut rice and fish curry. The portions were massive and we literally inhaled the entire thing. After lunch we decided we wanted to book a tour for Isla del Rosario. There are shops everywhere selling tours and day trips to the Islands and beaches. Before coming to Cartagena we saw some day trips online and almost booked them in advance. I’m so glad we decided to wait because if you book the tours once you actually get there its literally half the price as the online ones. Once you’re on the trip be careful and always ask the prices in advance. They will hand you a drink and then ask you to pay 60,000 for it.
After booking our tours we checked out some local coffee and chocolate shops. Colombia is known for its coffee and we took full advantage of that. We stopped at every cafe along the way. We finally stopped at Cebiche and Seviche for dinner. (Ceviche every day!) I recommend staying away from the ceviche that has mayo or any creamy component to it. The best ones we had were the simple citrus ones.
The next morning we were scheduled for our trip to the Island. We woke up and it was pouring rain outside. I also woke up with the worst stomach flu I’ve had since being in Iraq. I couldn’t get out of bed without my head spinning and I had chills and possibly a fever (I didn’t have a thermometer to check.) Luckily for me my friend is a life saver and she walked through the pouring rain to find a convenience store that sold Tylenol (or the Colombian version of it.) She also had a bunch of homeopathic remedies that made me feel like a new person. We somehow (with the help of google translate) told our tour driver that we couldn’t make the trip and he said to contact the tour company to see if we could go tomorrow. I slept through most of the morning and finally had enough energy to get out of bed by noon.
We decided to go to Crepes and Waffles and attempted to get something to eat. I didn’t eat much of the crepe but we got a Nutella strawberry waffle and even with the stomach flu I remember it being absolutely amazing. That evening we walked along the wall of the Old City and watched the sun set from Cafe Del Mar. The view was amazing and the perfect place to relax and enjoy a drink. For dinner we decided to check out the new city. We went to M Cocina Arabe which is a mediterranean restaurant. We had the vegetarian platter and literally licked the plate clean the food was so good. The new city has some amazing restaurants but there aren’t many places to walk around and explore. The new city has all the upscale fancy hotels as well but I would recommend staying in the Old city if you have the choice. It has a much better ambiance.
Our fourth day in Cartagena we made it to Isla Rosario. The Island is gorgeous with beautiful blue water. Some of the trips include snorkeling and I would definitely recommend it. We some some colorful reefs and sea life. Make sure you ask prices in advance, snorkels are not included in the tour price.
Language
Colombia is a Spanish speaking country and for the most part the locals only speak Spanish. We got by with using google translate and my very limited knowledge of Spanish from grade school. I will say that by the end of the trip I probably doubled my Spanish vocabulary.
Currency
Colombia uses the Colombian peso which comes in increments of 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 so don’t be too shocked with the prices. 1 peso is .00031 US cents or 1 USD is equivalent to approximately 3212 pesos. A taxi ride from the airport is about 15000 ($5).
The majority of restaurants take credit card. Taxis and street vendors will require cash. ATMs are available throughout the Old City.
The food there is very inexpensive and we ate like kings. The entire trip was actually extremely affordable and if you are looking for a quick getaway and don’t want to break the bank then Cartagena is the perfect place for you. Check out my trip highlights on my IG @marstravelsearth
