Sofitel Baru Cartagena

Resort is nice but way overly priced on food that is sub par

What an elegant and gorgeous property!! It exceeded our expectations by far, the beach is a paradise and their staff so attentive and always with a smile on their face made us feel welcome and appreciated. Special thanks to Robinson, who went all the way to accommodate us and get us our room ready even when we arrived much earlier than our check up time do to our flights. Also the Concierge team where always working to find us the experiences we wanted , always in communication with us. Thank you all…!! We will must certainly come back several times!!

They will get you from Cartegna via boat or car ride (there is a bridge to get you to the island) about a 90 minute drive. Arrange your ride back to airport or city well ahead of time, can take a while to get to airport. Once at hotel - it is well appointed and grounds are great, island pricing not Columbia pricing. Beach is small, not long and walkable, and narrow. Not a huge swimmable beach either. Beach service was slow and the consistently/repeatably ran out of towels, was not proper. Place is hilly, but they will pick you up and drive your around in a golf cart. They have paddleboard, jetski, kayak, fitness, spa (decent). Sunset bar with some food/drink (get their at least 30 minutes before to beat the crowds to get a table/chair). Room = hot water worked, a/c was cold, 2 sinks, with bathtub kind of in the middle, before shower and toilet room. Bed was good, wifi decent. Suite was nice had an extra half bath. They say there is a aviary nearby, called to say we wanted to call, concierge called back and said the driver would be over an hour away! - so plan ahead. Make your dinner reservations ahead of time. Humo is their top place, bahia their #2. If coming here for a beach vacation and nothing else, Id head to the carribean instead (Bigger nicer beaches and better snorkering, diving). Also once you are at hotel, you are at the hotel, nothing else is nearby (can't go back into town for dinner).

This was our first time staying at a Sofitel resort, and I truly hope it is not representative of all their properties. Although we had a good stay overall, it definitely did not meet the 5-star standard we were expecting. - Highlights / Positives Location – The hotel has a great location, right on the beach, with beautifully maintained gardens and several different pools, including an adults-only pool. Rooms – The rooms are very well designed and have a warm, spacious feel. Depending on the floor and location, you can have a fantastic sea view — which we did. Amenities – Excellent bedding, towels, and coffee and tea-making facilities. Complimentary water is provided in the room and throughout the resort. Activities – They offer short workshops you can join (some are complimentary). Welcome touch – A nice welcome letter in the room upon arrival. Food – Excellent breakfast with many healthy options (fresh fruit and vegetables). Lunch and dinner were also quite good, especially at the Caribbean restaurant. Service recovery – Sarah, the Manager of the Client Relations team, did an excellent job trying to resolve some of the issues we experienced. We appreciated her efforts, although it did not change our overall impression. Spa facilities – Good sauna in the spa. - Things to Consider We did experience several issues during our stay. Staff – Some staff members were very friendly (such as the bell boys, beach staff, breakfast team, and the team at the Caribbean restaurant). However, others were not always friendly or professional. Storm response – There was a storm for two days with heavy rain and wind. Unfortunately, it felt as though half of the (relatively new) hotel was falling apart. Even after the storm had passed, it took the hotel two additional days to get everything fully operational again, which felt too long. For example, the beach was only cleared on the second day of sunny weather, meaning it was unusable for about 1.5 days. Arrival experience – There was no welcome drink or refreshing towel upon arrival — just a straightforward check-in. Most 5-star hotels offer a small extra touch to make guests feel instantly welcome. Many hotels we visited during our travels in Colombia — even more basic ones — did this. Spa service – Although the massage itself was fine, there were some issues that were not handled properly. I made a complaint and was told I would be called back, but no one followed up. Restaurant reservation – Our reservation at the Asian restaurant went wrong, and the hostess was so unprofessional and unkind that we decided to leave and have dinner again at the Caribbean restaurant (where the staff are friendly and professional). Food – On our last day, one of us unfortunately got really sick from the food the day before. Of course, this can happen, but it was disappointing. Room amenities – No umbrella was provided in the room. Overall, while we did have a pleasant stay in some respects, we expect more from a 5-star resort experience.

Beautiful Hotel with Excellent Customer Service. Jorge at reception was very helpful. Danilo in Bahia, Javier Salas in Calablanco restaurant and Claudia and Edwin at La Plaage bar were all so friendly and great customer service. We have enjoyed our stay here