Post: #26

(11-06-2012 10:08 AM)Tully Mars Wrote:  I have mixed feelings on Cartagena. Spent a week there last month, in my opinion 3-4 days max is enough. Was ready to get back to Bogota. The old city is really cool, and there are some great restraunts. The beaches are shit, and you will be hassled by vendors non stop. Best bet is to hire a boat and hit playa blanca for better beaches. The nightlife is really only going on the weekends and it is filled with tons of prepagos/freelancers if that is your thing. Otherwise your gonna need really good spanish and the ability to crack into some social circles in the more mainstream clubs as everyone is with groups of friends on vacation. Cartagena is a holiday party spot for a lot of Colombians and many go there with friends or family. I do have a lot of Colombian friends going to Cartagena this weekend as it is The Cartagena beauty pageant and they are sectioning off a part of the city for a concert, (It is a 3 day holiday wknd) they tell me it will be packed and it is a great time, so I dont want to totally detract you from going as this weekend could be perfect for a quick 3 day stay. But overall i would say hit up other cities.....again just my opinion.

(11-06-2012 09:49 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  I don't get it. Where's the actual data sheet? I can go there next week If I want.

Cool. Which city is best for someone with top notch pipelining skills and limited espanol? Bogota is my only direct flight choice but curious about others.

Post: #27

(11-06-2012 10:05 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  

(11-06-2012 10:01 AM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(11-06-2012 09:49 AM)el mechanico Wrote:  I don't get it. Where's the actual data sheet? I can go there next week If I want.

Read through it. It's all in there.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, and I am of course more than happy to help.

Where? Which bars, hotels etc. What is the best logistical set up? Do the hotels allow "guests" which ones? Which waterfront bars rock?

Read the thread.

I mention bars, hotels, logistical set ups etc.

All the answers to your questions are at your fingertips.

Post: #28

I found Cartagena very disappointing.

The weather was hot and humid tropical weather, but without the beautiful beaches of other tropical spots. The beaches are below mediocre. Playa blanca is supposed to be the nicest beach and is a 30 to 40 min boat ride away and it was very very mediocre. If you've been to thailand/cancun/palawan/bahamas or other really nice beaches, playa blanca will be a disappointment.

It is way too touristy with vendors chasing you down and trying to sell you stuff every few minutes. They are pushy too. No matter how much you ignore it, it's simply annoying when you're trying to enjoy your trip. And they often lie to make the sale.

The girls are ugly. I know some disagree, but in my opinion they are simply ugly, no way to sugar coat it. I saw very very few cute girls. And that applied at night and during the day.

Nightlife has a lot of working girls mixed in. Also it's pretty crappy most of the week with the weekend being the obvious exception.

Old town was very nice, but nothing amazing. Especially if you've seen other colonial spanish towns.
Cartagena gets boring quick. I would say 3 to 4 days max is enough and only worth stoping by on a stop to another colombia city.

I would not come back to cartagena. As a comparison I've been to Medellin 3 times and I would go back again.

Post: #29

Anyone heading to CTG for the holiday and national beauty pageant in November? I've never been so I'm probably going to check it out for a much needed vacation. Been working on the west coast of PR the last 2 weeks and the salsa is excellent so I'm in the mood for some Cartagena/Baranquilla salsa now lol

Post: #30

Bump.....

Just spent 6 days in Cartagena..... Thought about a separate thread but I will be short.
Apparently the best time to go is towards the late fall, January till end of February as the weather is cooler at night. July, is crazy hot and humid.
Bars/clubs- check out pegateya.com for an idea of the girls in clubs in different cities in Colombia.
I hit fragma and mr babilla. Both are in old town Centro. About a 7 mil cab ride from boba grande. Crossover music and an age range towards mid 20s to 40s. However, there is a bar next to mr babilla where you will have your 18 to 22 year olds. Whatever floats your boat.

The women.... I felt a little bit as if I were in Cuba in regards to the skin tone and tropics feel. However, that's where the similarities stop. Lots of voluptuous, thicker girls. Haven't been to the DR but compared to other Colombian cities, I found a lot of curvy girls, not the bustiest but had the bigger asses.

Walking around Centro at night, you will encounter lots of vendors, people walking around and prostitutes. Ironically many are from pereira, Cali and Medellin. Went to a strip bar on Thursday night. Every other disco was slow, so went with some dude I befriended in the casino... ( very friendly people,,, especially those not working in the tourist industry ) lots of hot girls,be careful as some waiters will charge you a different price than another.. Girls,,, same as outside,, typical...from the same cities.
For the discos,,, the people don't really dance grinding reggaeton like they do in Medellin. But, if given eye contact approach, and open your mouth,,,,, Don't be shy!!! Again, don't pay more than 7 mil cop for a taxi to and from bocagrande.
Casinos--- lots of them. Casino Rio had blackjack for 5mil cop ( $2.50) a hand. So for those low rollers, it's perfect.
Restaurants--- service is horrendous. Which turns out fine because no need to tip. But still, prices are more expensive than Medellin for instance in some restaurants,,, not all. Taxis are more expensive etc.
Centro--- very beautiful and I felt very safe walking around. Place called cafe del mar on the historic wall is a cool place and has a great view. Went for a drink in one of the many mini squares/plazas in Centro and the service was horrible. Waited 20 minutes for a simple orange juice. I left. Went to another place, waited less, but wasn't happy. All the tables were getting harassed by 3 guys singing hip hop and when you wave your hand no, they continue singing,,,, and their strategy worked I guess people felt pressured to give. Who wants to relax, enjoy the scenery and not be harassed don't go to Centro.
The beach--- not the prettiest... Vendors are super aggressive and you gotta keep an eye on your belongings. I paid 130 mil to go to a private hotel/beach resort on isla rosario.... What was good was the trip, got to see Cartagena and Baru from the water. The beach,,,mehhhhh not the best, but private so, you gotta hit playa Blanca etc. even then, for those who've been to other tropical beaches, Cartagena beaches won't impress ya.

My advice---- if you go, go for 2-3 days... Hit playa Blanca, hang by your hotel pool, hit the discos etc. to chase girls,,, well you will need to stay longer but make sure you have stuff to do as discos aren't busy until Friday. (Unless you find a spot mid week go for it).

Bocagrande is the place to stay. Very very safe. Not far from Centro and lots of people on the streets.

Barcelona de las Indias is the ritzy neighbourhood. For those who are interested in high end places.

I couldn't wait to get back to Medellin after a few days for the weather, women and comfort if you will. If you are looking for a nice beach, nice water,,,, there are plenty of other places for that to hit and without the harassment.

A scam the taxi driver told me is that some taxi drivers ( along with others ) will say Barras instead of pesos. So they may say dies (10) Barras instead of 10 pesos some tourists will think they heard 10 dollars. How they speak fast and a different dialect/ accent some tourists end up paying more than they should.

To sum it up. Very friendly people, especially those not working in the tourism industry. As I aforementioned of going for 2-3 days,,,mehhhh there are better places. If any of my friends or family wants to go to Cartagena I would tell them to avoid it. However, living there I am sure it would be a different story since you would have a local social circle and know the right beaches and spots to hit.

Post: #31

I've been to Cartagena once. I didn't like it. Constant hassling by street vendors, the women were mostly prepagos in the clubs. I met some chick off CC and it worked out well but other then that I didn't really like it.

Post: #32

(08-06-2015 06:57 PM)jeffmarketcap2002 Wrote:  I've been to Cartagena once. I didn't like it. Constant hassling by street vendors, the women were mostly prepagos in the clubs. I met some chick off CC and it worked out well but other then that I didn't really like it.

I agree jeff. I liked the people in general, but Cartagena is not a place to live.
I am hoping Barranquilla will be different and the best city in Colombia.