1st trip: Where do you take a teenager and toddler that would make them both happy? Cartagena of course! After showing my son Avery and my cousin Kyla photos of the infamous mud volcano in Cartagena, they were ready to pack their bags! Aside from the mud volcano, also factoring into my decision to visit Cartagena was: 1) the non-stop, direct flight available from New York (layover + toddler = no bueno), 2) it is only a short 4 1/2 hours away from New York, (short flight + toddler = bueno), 3) an opportunity for Avery to practice (learn) Spanish, and 4) a location that would appeal to a teenager and a toddler. Since my travel companions couldn’t stay out past 10pm and have a hard time waking up before 8am, some initial research about the city of Cartagena convinced me that this would be the perfect locale for our little weekend getaway. The vibrant culture, colorful dress, live music at every corner, and burgeoning foodie scene…what could there be NOT to like?!
The early morning flight out of JFK was perfect, allowing all of us to get some rest so we could hit the ground running as soon as we arrived….actually, make that hit the pool running! After checking in to the Bastion Luxury hotel, it was mere seconds before both kids had on their swimsuits ready to dive into the rooftop pool.
While they practiced to be the next great swimming sensations (move over Michael Phelps!), I secured a prime spot for us and ordered lunch: watermelon and feta salad, steak tips and French fries, and something that looked and tasted like a chicken Parmesan sandwich. While the food was nothing to write home about, the drinks definitely hit the spot!
After the kids had their fill of the pool, we decided to head out and explore the city a bit. Despite the short walk to pretty much everything since we were staying in the walled city, the map I printed out from Google Maps of the walled city still came in handy…especially because I am directionally challenged and didn’t want to get lost with two kids (one of which wasn’t mine!).
First on our agenda was a horse and carriage ride. Perhaps it was the time of day (sunset) or where we were, but there seemed to be a driver with their carriage on every corner beckoning us to go for a ride (update: I found out that we actually were at the Plaza de los Coches (Square of the Carriages)..duh! The rates for the city tour via horse and carriage were posted on the side of the carriage but of course, everything was in Spanish (as well as the only language the driver spoke)…definitely did not expect that! Nevertheless our “city tour” turned into a “let’s try to figure out what everything is on our own since we don’t understand a word our driver is saying.”
We explored a bit and walked around the wall, went to the Plaza de la Aduana (Customs Square), and the Plaza de Bolívar (Bolívar’s Square) soaking in the Cartagena culture before we headed to dinner.
While some would call me cheap (ok, everyone calls me cheap!), the one area I don’t skimp on is meals when I travel. As such, we ended up having dinner at Carmen restaurant which I had read was one of the top restaurants in the city…and boy did it live up to the hype! The food as well as the service was top-notch and would highly recommend it to anyone in the Cartagena area. While I’m sure most wouldn’t describe it as a kid-friendly restaurant, they made Avery feel welcome and catered to his every need. The meal started with an amuse bouche, followed by the crab cake and the sea bass and everything melted in my mouth. I wouldn’t rate Cartagena highly on their plating skills, but the meals were delicious.
For dessert, we walked over to Gelatería Paradiso which was noted as having the best ice cream in Cartagena…it definitely was a refreshing end to our first (very hot) day.
The next day, our first breakfast at the hotel didn’t disappoint. It was pretty extensive with a menu ranging from classic eggs benedict to waffles to appease our wide-ranging palates…all of which was delicious.
We then met our tour guide for the Volcan de Lodo El Totumo (Mud Volcano), one of the world’s smallest volcanos. While $35pp for the tour didn’t seem too steep at first, what they don’t tell you about is all of the “extra” money you’ll need for tips (I’ll get to that in a bit). From our hotel, it was about an hour ride to the volcano and good thing we arrived there early because the line became really long towards the end of our time in the volcano. After storing our belongings in lockers, we proceeded to the stairs to the top of the volcano. When we finally reached the summit, I was a bit alarmed as one of the locals motioned for my camera. However, I quickly realized they were taking everyone’s phones! After slowly easing into the mud, I began to get more comfortable, finally letting go of the guardrail and began “floating” in the mud. Tactually, the mud felt like mud mixed with grass and some other items I’d rather not think about! While it is believed that the mineral-infused mud has healing properties, I would highly recommend NOT getting any mud near/in your eyes as I witnessed what happen to some other folks when they did (which is why my face looks so clean!).
Many tours mention that you can “rinse off in an ocean nearby” after going in the mud. However, what they don’t tell you is that you aren’t rinsing yourself off. Instead, there are about 3-4 local women with a huge bucket of nearby sea water, waiting to get up close and personal with you to get you clean. While I wasn’t able to capture any pictures since one of the mud volcano guys still had my camera, it was truly a one of a kind experience. I’ve never been strip searched before but I imagine this is what it felt like. The women left no stone unturned in getting us clean. I’m sure someone caught a glimpse of my boobs because they were hell bent on getting the mud out from EVERYWHERE and had no qualms about showing everyone my goodies to do it! So heads up if you are a shy person 😉
After we were directed back to the lockers and got dressed, I saw the guy with my camera peeking through the window…as well as the child who held Avery’s shirt…and a child who claimed to belong to the lady who washed us…and a child that held our flip flops. Needless to say, it was a good thing I had ALOT of change on hand. It was VERY disorganized trying to figure out who gets what tip (4000 pesos for camera, 4000 pesos for washing ladies, etc.) and unbeknownst to her, Kyla got a massage in the mud that she didn’t even know about so we had to pay him too!
After finally sorting out payment for everyone, we headed to Manazanillas Beach for lunch. Lunch was standard Colombian fare consisting of coconut rice, fried fish/chicken, and patacones (green plantains flattened into thick pancakes and then deep fried). While I am not usually a fan of eating fish with the bones in it nor am I am fan of green plantains (I prefer the sweet plantains), the meal was truly delicious. We also spent some time at the beach after lunch but the water was not appealing and looked a bit rough.
The tour ended by 2pm so we headed to the hotel pool until it was dinner time. I chose the restaurant La Cocina de Pepina in Getsemani (the once sketchy neighborhood of Colombia that is now a flurry of cool street art, tapas bars, and salsa clubs) and took a taxi because it would be a bit of a walk from our hotel…but couldn’t find the place! (update: upon returning home, I discovered that the restaurant had closed but they never updated their website). Instead, we went to El Boliche Cebicheria close to our hotel and enjoyed cocktails (non-alcoholic for the kiddos!) and ceviche.
The next two days were beach days with both going pretty much like this:
- Breakfast at hotel
- Van picks us up from hotel to take us to the pier
- Pile into tiny boat with about 20 other people to go to a beach
- Spend 4-5 hours at beach
- Return to hotel for pool, dinner, and exploring
I was a bit unimpressed with both beaches (we were supposed to visit Playa Blanca and Isla Baru which are supposed to be waaaaay nicer but the guide said something about the island being closed…big side eye) but nevertheless, we had a great time, tried a couple of beach activities, and made a couple of friends along the way.
For dinner, we went to El Burlador which I chose because they supposedly had flamenco dancing. We didn’t see any actual flamenco dancing when we were there but there was a live band…with Avery joining in as an honorary member.
We had a great young waiter that asked if he could practice his English on us. I watched as my teenage cousin Kyla patiently practiced English with him and how eager he was to use this opportunity to learn…and honestly words can’t explain how I felt in that moment. This is the reason I travel…and why I want to pass on my love of travel to my younger family members.
We noticed quite a few people riding bikes around the city and happened to bump into the shop where we could rent one so we decided to give it a chance. They actually had a bicycle for three people so we chose that one…and made it exactly ten feet before we all fell off. We literally backed up traffic and were stuck in front of a horse and carriage, a car, as well as a few other more seasoned bicycle riders. Can you say embarrassing?
On our last day, we had dinner at El Santisimo and although the service was not that great, I enjoyed every bite of my dinner that consisted of ceviche, duck confit and vanilla profiteroles.
Although we were sad for our weekend adventure to come to an end, we enjoyed every minute of it!
Additional Tips:
- Taxi is 25 mil pesos from airport to walled city
- The Bastion Hotel was FANTASTIC and central to everything
- Brush up on your Spanish before you go! Despite increased tourism in the area, there is still a lot of people that only know/speak Spanish; but many are eager to learn English
- Be prepared to eat the same thing for lunch on any tours: coconut rice, tostones/patacones, salad, and fried fish or chicken…good thing it is really tasty
2nd trip: Although I’m not a fan of big group trips, my friend was getting married and wanted a destination bachelorette party. After discussing a few potential locales, we decided on Cartagena. I loved the vibrancy of the city the first time around so was more than happy to make a return trip. After finding a reasonably priced flight and beautiful villa with a private chef, space for 9, and a central location in the city, we were soon on our way to 4 1/2 fun-filled days with my girls.
Over the course of the next few days, we indulged in decadent lunches and dinners at highly recommended restaurants like Alma de Cuba and Don Juan; learned a few new moves during a private salsa dancing lesson; enjoyed the beautiful water at Playa Blanca beach; consumed lots and lots of drinks; admired the street art in Getsemani; cruised in a private speed boat to Agua Azul and Cholon (the party island); and, felt like movie stars during a private photo shoot through the streets of Cartagena.
Tips:
- If I make it there a third time, I will definitely do the Palenque tour (the first free town in the Americas which was founded by escaped slaves during the 17th Century). Since it is located about 2 hours from the city and didn’t seem suitable for a bachelorette party or kids trip, I will be sure to include it in my itinerary for my next visit.
Toya's Travels 