Hotel Spa Karmairi

Just 15 minutes from Cartagena's Old Town and the walled city is a South American spa escape of other-worldly proportions.

Located on the outskirts of the traditional fishing village of Manzanillo del Mar, the Spa Karmairi forms part of a petite beachfront hotel that takes its name from the indigenous word for 'crab' and offers guests a full menu of sensory spa delights.

Spoil yourself with a three-hour treatment that will detox, tone and relax body and mind before a sumptuous lunch on the hotel veranda overlooking one of Cartagena's best beaches.

The hotel's restaurant menu serves up a simple, healthy selection of light dishes trading strongly on the honest-to-goodness combination of fresh fish plucked from the Caribbean ocean and a subtle fusion of Peruvian and Asian flavours.

When the fish is this fresh, you can't go wrong with the seafood ceviche in a citric sauce or the popular Tuna Trilogy (we'll leave it as a surprise).

Get the bar staff to invent a fruit cocktail that fits your mood or request a shot of local rum or a glass of champagne if you are fancy taking things to the next pleasure level.

For those in no rush to head back to 'civilization', there's 14 comfortable rooms to retire to ready for a pamper part deux the following day.

Designed by local architect, Antonieta Toro, the rustic style of the hotel's exterior is in keeping with the traditional beachfront properties of the region. Interiors blend contemporary minimalism with an effortless Balinese charm that's currently the Colombian interior style of choice.