Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena

Jhoiner was our server and was amazing! Incredibly kind and helpful and catered to our every need. Great relaxing experience at a one of a kind hotel!

I just stayed at this hotel for two nights prior to leaving on a river cruise. The hotel was chosen by the tour company. Overall, it was a very nice hotel, very clean and has an interesting history. There is an abundance of staff and they work very hard and are very polite. Rooms: I had a pretty basic room that was satisfactory, good air conditioning, lots of plugs, small mini bar, small dining table. The bathroom was modern, but a little bit cramped even for just one person. The bed is made with just the fitted sheet and then a huge down comforter, which seems strange since this is Columbia. There was no loose sheet so you’ll need to turn your air-conditioning down very low in order to sleep. If I had had a choice, I would’ve probably tried to get a suite or definitely would’ve requested a room on a higher floor. Food: several options on the property and all were very good. The breakfast is over the top buffet combining Colombian, traditional, American items, and the biggest surprise was their French pastries, which were delicious and had an abundance selection every day. I also had dinner at Le Jardin and it was very good, I recommend the Seabass ceviche. The pizzas were a little greasy and I would not recommend it. I splurged on dinner at restaurant 1621, see my separate review for that experience. There are several bars on the property – one is an outdoor upstairs bar overlooking the water and they had live music in the afternoon and early evening. One is at the pool. El Coro is an upscale evening bar on the other side of the property, it has an interesting feature, which is that it is built above a former crypt that you can still access. The hotel has a ritual of sending three monks around to clear the spaces every night and it’s pretty magical to catch that in this bar which I believe is around 6 PM. In general, the dining spaces for this hotel are not air-conditioned so be aware of that when packing, as with much of Columbia, it will be humid. Location: it seemed to be a really great location inside the walled city, endless maze of streets to explore with beautiful architecture and lots of shops and restaurants. There is an element of seediness which I expected and people will approach you on the street, but in general I didn’t find it to be a problem. There were a couple of restaurants that were within a block of the hotel that I would’ve felt comfortable going to even as a solo female traveler, but I probably wouldn’t have ventured further than that in the evening and I would’ve come home early. if I were to stay in the city again, I would probably look for a more boutique hotel.

The hotel itself is absolutely spectacular. It is beautiful, comfortable and exceptionally clean. The real shining star of this hotel is the staff, they truly are remarkable. They are helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. I travel for work frequently and have never experienced such great service. A special mention to Jimmy who made our one night stay super special. He is the jewel of the hotel, he is warm, kind and professional. We can not wait to return and hopefully catch up with Jimmy again. Anyone who stays at this hotel is extremely lucky. It really is THE BEST.

BAR EL CORO, We had such an amazing experience in this bar Robinson Rangel was extremely profesional, attentive, friendly and made our nights so especial, his recommendations were so on point. The Bar attendees were also so nice and provided good service, Ricardo Rodriguez also provided an outstanding service. There are so many options on this Bar, Wachy the singer who performed live along with his band was so fun, he made the place so fun, joyful . I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BAR...

We went to breakfast at the Santa Clara Hotel and it was an unforgettable experience. The garden is beautiful, the food is exquisite, and Jair served us with excellent service. We would return without hesitation.