Sonesta Hotel Cartagena

The last hotel in a strip of beachfront properties, the Sonesta Hotel Cartagena looks a lot like its neighbors — a modern, white 10-story high-rise with a curving exterior facade. From the portico-covered driveway, a set of stairs leads to the open-air lobby, which overlooks the pool. The lobby doesn’t consist of much, save for the front desk and the elevator bank — it’s really more of a passageway where guests are constantly passing through. The Sonesta’s atmosphere is peaceful, and the property remains quiet throughout the day. It’s a stark contrast to the lively, and sometimes chaotic scene at many of Bocagrande’s hotels. Because of this, the hotel attracts a lot of business travelers, and couples looking for a relaxing escape. We didn’t see many children during our visit, though they are welcome at the hotel. 

The Sonesta Hotel Cartagena is located in La Boquilla, a touristy neighborhood best known for its excellent kite-surfing conditions. La Boquilla’s beachfront is filled with modern high-rise hotels that attract travelers from all over the world. Though it may look similar to nearby Bocagrande, La Boquilla is quieter and more laid-back. Its beaches are also less crowded. The Sonesta is about a 10-minute drive from Rafael Nunez International Airport, a 20-minute drive from Cartagena’s historic walled city, and a 35-minute drive from Bocagrande. However, these times can easily increase during rush hour, when traffic sometimes halts at a standstill for long periods of time.  

Rooms at the Sonesta feature fresh, modern decor and several nice amenities. Rooms’ neutral white and beige color scheme isn’t the most exciting color palette we’ve ever seen, but the light tones keep rooms feeling bright and airy. The Standard Room we visited was a bit small, especially for a four-pearl property. However, we were impressed by the room’s large balcony, full-length mirror, wall-mounted flat-screen TV, fully stocked minibar, and bedside iHome. The bathroom was also small, and tight on counterspace, but it was nicely equipped with a glass enclosed walk-in shower and a round vessel sink. Though we were only able to visit one Standard Room, the Sonesta has multiple other room types. Standard Rooms come with a king-size bed or two double beds, with ocean or city views. The hotel also has two categories of suites, which have separate living and sleeping areas. 

The Sonesta has two pools — a rectangular lap pool and an infinity pool with ocean views. The infinity pool tends to be the more popular spot, and many guests spend their days propped up against the infinity edge or lounging in the adjacent hot tub. The infinity pool also has a long shallow ledge, great for reading or sunbathing. The quieter lap pool is located in the center of the property, across from the lobby and the restaurant. It tends to be less crowded than the infinity pool, but still gets a fair amount of use during peak seasons. Both pools are surrounded by lounge chairs and a few umbrellas. All beaches in Colombia are public, so the stretch of sand in front of the Sonesta is frequented by both guests and locals. The hotel doesn’t provide lounge chairs or umbrellas on the beach, but guests can purchase plastic beach chairs and sun huts from roaming vendors. La Boquilla beaches are best known for their excellent kite-surfing conditions, but not much else. The sand has a mud-brown hue and the water isn’t the crystal clear Caribbean stuff you might be picturing. But, the beaches here are a lot less crowded than those in Bocagrande, which makes them better for travelers in search of relaxation.  The Sonesta’s restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is served buffet style, and is definitely one of the better free breakfast buffets we’ve sampled. The buffet includes hot items such as scrambled eggs, rice, Colombian "pandebono," bacon, and sausage, as well as cold items like fresh fruit, pastries, and cereal. Lunch and dinner are served a la carte. The menu is internationally inspired but features lots of local ingredients. The restaurant itself is a sophisticated space, with tufted turquoise banquettes and white hanging lanterns.  Additional on-site amenities include a small spa, fitness center, and two meeting rooms. The spa has a small treatment room with a few massage options available, but don’t expect anything over the top. The fitness center has large windows overlooking the pool, and is equipped with a treadmill, a few ellipticals and bikes, and a weight machine. The hotel’s two meeting rooms can host up to 140 people, and are equipped with audio-visual equipment such as projectors and microphones. Wi-Fi is free for all guests, and works well across the main hotel building.