When researching short trips, Canada and Mexico seemed to be the go to places from LAX. After a little more research we found that Cartagena, Colombia had a beautiful old city and beaches nearby. The two hour time difference was perfect for not disrupting little Charlie's night time sleep schedule and saving ourselves jet lag. The eight hour flight did worry us a bit so we took a red eye and he slept for most of the flight. It helped to keep little Charlie awake as long as we could prior to the flight and breastfed him to sleep as soon as the plane started catching speed for departure.
We arrived in the early morning and stepped out into Cartagena’s humid weather. At the airport exit there was a worker directing people to the taxi area. He mentioned a price from the airport to old town Cartagena city and when the taxi driver was loading our luggage, he mentioned a higher price for the ride. This did not sit well with me and neither with little Charlie seeing that as we took him out of his stroller the taxi driver points out that he had poo’d the stroller. As we held little Charlie in the air, we turn to the stroller seat and yes, Charlie had a blowout and completely soiled his back and the stroller. After 15 minutes of cleaning in a family restroom inside the airport, we went to the taxi area and there were no taxis and the airport worker was no longer there. Luckily we only waited a couple of minutes until the next taxi showed up and quoted us a cheaper price than what we were told on our first attempt to catch a taxi. It was about a five American dollar taxi ride from the airport to our hotel Casa San Agustin inside old town Cartagena. I do recommend having Colombian pesos on hand, as most things are paid cash. We exchanged American currency for pesos at the window booth just before exiting the airport.
During our visit in Old Town Cartagena, we enjoyed our stay at Hotel Casa San Agustin. The service was outstanding and definitely family friendly. At our check-in, we were greeted with complimentary drinks. The receptionist noted that little Charlie’s age was mistakenly input as 11 years old (he was nine months at the time). They quickly corrected his age in their system and had a crib ready in our room before we entered. The same morning of our arrival, we had breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. As I attempted to serve myself at the buffet while holding Charlie in one arm, a waiter offered to serve me food as I chose what I wanted. That is how excellent the service was. They even learned our names! Here are a few pictures inside of the hotel.
Places we stopped at for a quick bite were Se Volvio Pris Pri coffee shop (tight sitting space) and a quiet french restaurant called La Brioche. During our stay in Old Town we ate dinner at the hotel’s restaurant Alma. A reservation is needed and recommend it even if you do not stay at hotel Casa San Agustin.
If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, we recommend stopping by La Esquina del Pandebono bakery for sweet bread. However, we definitely recommend not passing up a stop at Pasteleria Mila. There we ordered dessert and the famous Colombian hot chocolate with cheese. Delicious!
We spent most of our time walking through the cobbled stoned street inside the wall of Old Town and were back at our hotel before sunset. Not that we did not feel safe, but the town squares become lively at night and we preferred a more quiet environment with time to hangout in the pool.
On one of the days we walked to the Getsemani neighborhood. It is about a ten minute walk from La Torre Del Reloj. There is some nice street art in Getsemani. You’ll find more locals and backpackers in this area. We did not stay too long because of the heat. We stopped at a restaurant called Chachara for some refreshments. Here are some pictures of the street art in Getsamani.
Overall our walks throughout the Old Town were pleasant, however, there are street vendors that can be aggressive. They will usually leave you alone after saying no thank you. If you do find interest in what a vendor is selling, be warned that other vendors will gather around you at the same time and can become overwhelming.
The weather is humid year round in Cartagena. We travelled in September and had sunny days. On one day it did rain for a short a short while but did not interfere with the itinerary for the day. Pack insect repellent. I started getting bit by mosquitos the day we arrived.
You will fall in love with the Spanish architecture of the Old Town. Many great areas to snap a colorful picture.
After spending a few days in Old Town Cartagena, we planned a weekend stay at Baru island at a house we rented through Air B&B. Baru island is accessible by boat or about an hour taxi ride from Cartagena. We felt the boat ride would be a little difficult with having to carry baby Charlie and our luggage, so we coordinated a taxi ride with our host at the island.
On our way to Baru, we made a quick stop at a grocery store to buy food and drinks for the weekend. We spent a total of about $30 American dollars (after conversion) on groceries for three days. This included things like chicken, eggs, coffee, milk, etc. The housekeeper’s wife would use whatever we purchased to cook us very delicious and authentic Columbian meals for only 5 American dollars each meal.
The ride to the island was smooth but at a half way point to the island there where many young locals that stood by the side of the road trying to stop cars that were passing by. They stand in front of the car in hopes of getting the car to stop. According to our taxi driver, these locals try to lure tourists into going to their area of the beach and be somewhat of a personal assistant in getting the tourists meals or tables and chairs, except they end up hiking up the prices for your purchases to make a they living. Of course, seeing people try and stop the car startled us a bit but thankfully it was quickly over and our taxi driver knew not to stop the car.
Once we arrived at our house rental, little Charlie napped in the hammock while we sat in the beach chairs enjoying the breeze and the beautiful views of the water. Our house rental did not have its own beach area but it did have a dock with a slide where you could just jump or slide in to the water for a swim. So after relaxing for a few hours, the groundskeeper gave us a ride on a small boat to a nearby beach. It was little Charlie's first time at a beach and we were very excited. We made sure to purchase a life jacket back home which came in handy for the beach and boat ride.
There are several small islands around Baru that are easily accessible by boat. They do tend to get very crowded at times and vendors can be quite persistent. They will often stand next to you until a service they offer is accepted, such as food, drinks or a massage, and can be a bit of a nuisance if all you want to do is relax on the beach. At the first beach we visited we had to go into the water at separate times because we had to keep an eye on our belongings, so we weren't able to enjoy the water together as we would have wished. There are also people with yachts that will dock at the small island and blast their music leaving little space to swim. Although the waters were warm and beautiful, we weren’t very pleased with this experience and wanted a more secluded beach away from vendors and yachts. Luckily, the groundskeeper coordinated for us to spend time at a private beach resort were we ate peacefully and avoided the crowds and enjoyed a quiet and lovely sunset.
Playa Blanca is a beautiful beach but unfortunately can get quite crowded. We did note, however, that is was empty on Sundays and our host mentioned Sundays are always more quiet as people tend to be headed back to the city and also most people take this day off so there are less boats to take you to and from the island.
Another great thing to do if you are staying in or near Baru, is to pay a visit to the bird sanctuary. There are many beautiful birds and plant life and it is very well kept. The groundskeeper along with his friend took us to the bird sanctuary via motorcycles as this was much more economical than taking a boat ride and taxi as this would have been much more expensive. We were a little weary at first since we would be traveling with our little guy, but after seeing many locals on the motorcycles with small children, we figured we’d give it a shot and ride like the locals do. Both the groundskeeper and his friend were safe drivers and took good care of us throughout the ride.
I do recommend before catching a motorcycle ride to make sure you know or are familiar with the people giving you a ride and research the area you will be visiting. Jane rode with the host and little Charlie and I rode with his friend and they made it a point to always stay close together. We did hear that there are certain areas you want to avoid going through or hiring drivers from as they can be unsafe, so we made sure to stay away from them and thankfully the groundskeeper was well aware of this. Overall we had a smooth ride to and from the bird sanctuary and would definitely do it again.
Charlie and I at the bird sanctuary after that gnarly motorcycle ride.
At the end of our stay, we felt the Baru island life was not for us. The island for the most part is quiet throughout the day, but at night there can be loud yacht or island parties that go on until the late hours of the night. We also didn't sleep very comfortably at night after seeing a huge spider outside our room door that was the size of my hand. That and also watching the geckos sneaking in and out of our room made our stay not as comfortable as we were hoping for. I definitely recommend bringing along a mosquito net so you're not fearing any unwanted animals and mosquitoes bothering you as you sleep. I was bitten many times by mosquitos and bothered by the local bug life, but luckily Jane and little Charlie were left untouched and not one single bite. I think the next time we visit Cartagena, we will make visiting the islands a day trip instead.
