You’re going to love this guide to Cartagena. Long before Cartagena became a celebrated destination for romantic weekends in the Caribbean, Colombia’s nobel Laureate, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was writing odes to the city’s seductive charms.
“The only regret I will have in dying is if it is not for love”, said Florentino Arizas’ father in Cartagena’s most exalted amorous tale, ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’, a masterful tale of unrequited passions that tops all other love stories.
Thankfully you’re unlikely to have any lovelorn regrets in this Caribbean capital de amor. The walled city’s stunning historic quarter is ripe for romance with a dreamy breeze and fiery nightspots to boot all-year-round.
This Is Cartagena’s hopeless romantic, Clementyne Chambers, points to her top ways to fall in love and delight your beloved on a romantic trip to the most seductive city in the Caribbean.
Read on to discover some of her romantic secrets, or if you’ve got your own plans in mind (or need a little help cooking something up) then reach out to our little team of cupids to give a helping hand.
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Romantic Retreats
Make it a night to remember at this super sexy 17th century white-washed hotel that sits flirtatiously on one of Cartagena’s most charming colonial streets.
If you’re going to hang a ‘Do Not Disturb Sign’ anywhere, it should be in a hotel that’s been namedropped by the world’s most prestigious travel guru, Conde Nast Traveller.
Our romantic favourites include the artistic suites at the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Hotel (pictured) or the Hotel Casa San Agustin, with 24 rooms and six suites with a heady mix of leather, wool and high thread cotton furnishings. It’s pretty easy to fall head over heels as soon as you walk through the sweeping entrance.
Cartagena’s Most Romantic Hotels
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Romantic Island Escape
Elope to the Rosario Islands in style this Valentines day, on board your own private love boat.
Pop your seductive powers with a surprise champagne and lobster picnic on a secluded swathe of sand, with one of our bespoke yacht and boat packages that can be tailored to your desires.
Push the boat out for your better half by taking them out for a luxury spin around the jaw-dropping Rosario Islands, make a pit stop at a boutique resort for a quick massage, or simply bask under the sunlight with a gourmet hamper of seafood nibbles and a bottle of vintage bubbly.
With us, the Caribbean archipelago is your oyster. Yacht you waiting for?
Island Hopping in Style
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Pop the Question
Our proposal credentials are on point. We’re old hands at the love game so with us behind the wheel, you’ll be guaranteed a YES!
If proposal plans have got you all sweaty palms, let us calm those nerves by offering our on the ground service that will make sure the once-in-a-lifetime goes off without a hitch.
We’ll privately reserve a picturesque cupola so you can shout your love from the rooftops of the most romantic city in the world. Our photographer can catch the most unforgettable moments on camera and pave every crevice with their favourite flower.
Or, if your’e looking to add a literary spin to your moment, you can start your epic love story with a historic tour inspired by Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s most romantic novel, Love in the Time of Cholera.
We believe you know the in’s and out’s of your better half, so we will always personalize a completely unique experience built around your tastes. So if you’re not down for these, we’ll cook up another proposal potion and our dream team can take care of the logistics.
Bespoke Wedding Service
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Romantic Restaurants
Candles, secret corners, spectacular views, innovative food and a winning wine list. Let’s be honest, an unforgettable meal out is the way to anyone’s heart.
Of course, out of your hometown it’s trickier to clock the culinary masterpieces from the tasteless tourist traps.
Tuck into our hand-picked selection of loyal favourites however, and your meal out definitely won’t end on a sour note. This is Cartagena’s faithful food joints never fail at delivering a culinary gourmand experience that will leave you with a food belly and gooey loved up smile plastered on your face.
Leave it to us to book the table and bag the best table in the house, so all you have to worry about is keeping enough room for dessert.
View our Top Romantic Restaurants
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A Romantic Dinner for Two
For those hopeless romantics with a taste for the finer things in life, there's no better way to get the most romantic of weekends in Cartagena off to a sensational start than a starry-eyed evening dining on Cartagena's historic walls.
Have dinner tucked into one of Cartagena's most romantic corners. Indulge your taste buds with a delicious meal with a table for two decorated with candles and rose petals at one of the city's top restaurants.
Watch the sun set and admire the stunning view of the bay of Cartagena on an unforgettable evening of romance. The Spanish didn't build their fortifications for this exactly but it feels like they were made for this.
Book a Romantic Table for Two
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Get Married in Cartagena
What could be more romantic than getting wed in Cartagena, the most seductive city in the Caribbean?
After you've fallen head over heels for your other half in Cartagena, what better place than to tie the knot than the most romantic city in the Caribbean.
With luxury hotels, delectable restaurants and a plethora of seductive island escapes and romantic settings to get frisky in, Cartagena has become one of the most celebrated wedding destinations in the Caribbean. Not to mention the fact that you can kill two birds with one stone and spend your honeymoon here too.
If you need help making your big day look like it fell straight out of a Marquez classic, contact our experienced wedding team to help you get from A-Z. From selecting the dream spot to showcase your Vera Wang dress, to the catering, reception venue and all the logistics in between, we can ensure your day goes off without a hitch!
Get Married in Cartagena
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Foodie Experiences
Cartagena’s coast is literally brimming with fresh produce to awaken your senses. But why wait for it to be served on a plate, when making it is the best part?
Our connected travel team can arrange a private cooking class at the drop of a chefs hat, where you can up your cooking game with a top local chef and chomp on Colombian classics in a sultry setting. Not to mention, impress your loved one with a slap up meal when you’ve both returned home.
Or, if you’re craving to get the inside track on the ceviche culinary trend, why can tuck into some quintessentially latin fish with a lip-smacking tour of the ceviche high hitters in town.
View Foodie Tours
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City Hotspots
Cartagena’s coast is literally brimming with fresh produce to awaken your senses. But why wait for it to be served on a plate, when making it is the best part?
Our connected travel team can arrange a private cooking class at the drop of a chefs hat, where you can up your cooking game with a top local chef and chomp on Colombian classics in a sultry setting. Not to mention, impress your loved one with a slap up meal when you’ve both returned home.
Or, if you’re craving to get the inside track on the ceviche culinary trend, why can tuck into some quintessentially latin fish with a lip-smacking tour of the ceviche high hitters in town.
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Sensual Salsa Class
Get hot and heavy under the collar with a private salsa class with one of Cartagena's top dancing instructors.
Latinos love a showing their amor by swiveling their hips to a salsa beat, so we think there is nothing sexier than getting into the Colombian spirit of things with a salsa class to get you into the (love) groove.
Avoid the embarrasment of stepping on toes and knocking noses by treating you and your partner to a 1 hr professional dance class at Cartagena's top salsa school.
Your Dirty Dancing fantasy just came true!
Book Latin Dance Class
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A Romantic Week in Cartagena
Fall head over heels in love with Cartagena and set your love fire alight with a passionate escape to Cartagena de Indias, officially the most seductive city in the Caribbean, unofficially the most romantic corner of the world.
Write your own chapter in Cartagena’s eternal love story with an amorous trip to paradise that blends romance, rest and revitalization in Colombia’s most hopelessly loved up city.
This luxurious itinerary combines four days in Cartagena and four lazy days in the Rosario Islands.
Overdose on vitamin sea and send your serotonin and dopamine levels into overdrive with a magnificent mix of culture, history, culinary delights and heavenly island escapes that’s tailor-made for you and a very special plus one.
A Romantic Week in Cartagena
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Our talented team of hopeless romantics live for dramatic gestures of amor.
From helping clients propose on top of colonial cathedrals to spectacular dinners in inspiring settings and incredible beach trips, we've got more than enough ideas up our sleeves to make sure your loved-up weekender is something out of a fairy-tale.
Start your love story today, contact our travel experts to curate something unique for the one you love.
If you have something uber-special and hopelessly romantic in mind, contact our team of travel experts for some help curating the romantic trip of a lifetime.
City Guides Cartagena
Guides to Cartagena
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