InterContinental Hotels in Cartagena

The structure is beautiful, divided into two buildings, two terraces and two restaurants but discreet and more expensive food than what is out there. The bedroom could be much better...the bathroom was really sharp, at all at the standards of other Selina facilities. The bed was quite comfortable at least. The air conditioner in the room at a too low temperature that was not possible to modify by creating ice in the room.

The old 5 star hotel that stayed when I first came to CARTAGENA 10 years ago, was very impressed, especially for the courtyard layout, the swimming pool and the restaurant on the side. It arrived at around 10:00 am. It has been 28 hours flight and transfer from Beijing. It is really tired and I don’t want to wait until 3 pm (on the Intercontinental, I’ve received $50 for early check-in). The plan to stay; the front desk said that the room was ready to live, and agreed to advance the breakfast on the last day to the day, it is very rare, thank you! The front desk, restaurant and various services are very thoughtful, although the room looks old, still feel things Great value!

I had higher expectations after staying at other Ibis locations such as in Rio de Janeiro (Posto 5). We stayed in a standard room with sea view which was a nice surprise. The air conditioning in the room was very silent and efficient but the beds not very comfortable. No fridge and I was told none of the rooms have a fridge. The room was of decent size and similar in that to other Ibis of that category. The window could not be really opened. On the bright side we did not hear any noise during our stay though the other rooms around seemed occupied. The space dedicated to the food (restaurant) was unappealing at best in my view. I found the breakfast to be rather basic. Maybe due to COVID there was no self service but people were served by the staff, which at times caused quite a line to form. Overall I found the staff to be rather cold. Not rude but not very friendly. This was true when facing staff at the reception, at the ”restaurant” and in general in the hotel (including cleaning staff). Possibly I got spoiled in Medellin where practically everyone is so friendly, welcoming and helpful... even more so in hotels. Also the reception staff seemed to have to follow complicated procedures probably aggravated by slow computers systems so the check in was not exactly fast. the location of the hotel is ok. It is an easy and rather quick walk to the old city and the airport is very close (in the other direction). The beach in front of the hotel, across the road, is typical for Cartagena, nothing spectacular but again I am probably spoiled. It was quite windy the two days and a few kite surfers visibly enjoyed both the sea and the wind.

This is a stunning property in the heart of the old town. The rooms are nice and the staff is super friendly. One factor you may want to know and we learnt the hard way is that language is a major issue in Colombia. No one really speaks English and google translate was our best friend. Even in a top notch hotel like Sofitel this may be an issue. Just something to be aware of which came as a surprise to us. Just a FYI The breakfast was fantastic. The fruit choices are exotic and amazing I do want to put in a shout ouut to Carlos Jesús, Jaison , Jose and Jorge who were our servers in our 4 wonderful days at the hotel. I would definitely come back here!!

Rooms are a little tight but over all a great Hotel. The staff was extremely courteous and helpful especially one of the managers by the name of Mauricio. The hotel and pool are very well kept and it is well organized. Room service has great food and coffee. Will definitely be back.

Excellent hotel and staff. Brand new with some amazing art work and decor. The view and ambience is simply beautiful. The only one problem I have which I know is being addressed is the last 1/2 drive to the hotel is literally thru some rough unpaved road which can make you car sick if you suffer from motion sickness. Besides that which I said is being addressed a must visit to relax and be one with nature if you are in Cartagena

Hotel location view and environment are good Very good Hotel location view and environment are good Very good

Great location, literally right across the street from the castle and a mall. Room/bed very comfy. Hot water and good pressure in the shower, along with a clothesline for hand washing clothes/your face towel if needed. Mini bar with good variety and good prices. TV has several channels in multiple languages. Can't speak to the complimentary breakfast, as it only consisted of eggs. The restaurant menu in general is small but the food is really good. I ate there daily, and the service was mostly good, except for the last 2 days: the drink quality and speed of service diminished, which is unfortunate. Overall, good stay.

So, let's start with the good. Our room was large, comfortable, and clean. Everything else about this hotel is awful. First, the pool is far too small for the size of the hotel. The available chairs are often full and there is no shade. Second, the breakfast experience is miserable. Once again, the room is far too small for the size of the hotel. Everything is cramped. Some days it was hard to find a table. Some days we noticed staff were not replacing the paper placements between guests. Third, service leaves quite a bit to be desired. When we checked in, we confirmed with the clerk that we were being charged in Colombian pesos. However, when we checked our bank account, we realized we were charged in dollars -- which cost more due to their awful exchange rate and service fees. When we spoke to the front desk, we were first told they couldn't do anything about it. Then, we were told their credit card machines don't even allow them to charge in US dollars. Then, we were told that the clerk would speak to management and get back to us -- we never heard back. This is a terribly run IHG property and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.