A great family vacation
Colombia | Mar 4 - Mar 11, 2023

C
Christopher B.
Manhattan, NY | Reviewed on Mar 19, 2023

I had a wonderful time with my two young adult children in Cartagena and the islands. From the very beginning, I worked with Michael to plan a trip that had something for everyone -- some culture and insights into Colombia as well as some rest for the family. The choices of hotels were great -- the Cartagena hotel was in Getsemani, a very cool area and outside some of the crowds of the Centro, and had a great rooftop pool. The hotel is Isla Mucura was also fantastic. We had pretty much one driver who had lived in the US and was very knowledgable about the area and gave insights into Colombian life. The young ladies who were our tour guides were both very enthusiastic about Colombia and where they lived and we very much enjoyed touring with them. We had a few excursions, including a bike tour of the old city, an evening dinner cruise and a tour of the mangroves outside of Cartagena, all of which taught us various aspects of the region. Thanks to Michael and the team he assembled for a memorable trip!

Hotel Reviews
GHL Hotel Armería Real
Cartagena

Nice accommodation with a great rooftop pool and friendly staff.

Authenticity & Character
Location
About a 10-15 minute walk from the Centro, a short taxi ride away.
Staff
Very friendly and helpful staff.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hotel Punta Faro
Isla Mucura

I loved every minute of the resort -- perfect for a very quiet few days away. The facilities were nice -- not too fancy but felt like you were at one with the nature around you. It is a decent sized facility with a lot of opportunity to walk and do water sports right off of the beautiful beach. My family did a bioluminescent plankton tour and said it was incredible as were the spa facilities. The 2 hour ride was very pleasant there -in the hotel's boat - the return was through rougher waters so be mindful if you have issues with boats. Every night, they moved the location of the dinner outside and it was lovely.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Barranquilla Express Tour
Barranquilla Express Tour
Barranquilla

The guide was absolutely fantastic and told us many many things about the city and its history. The town was nice enough and had some lovely parts but the main attraction was the museum of the Carnival - the biggest event in the city every year and one of the biggest Carnival celebrations in the world. Aside from that and the architecture of the area, I am not sure it warranted a separate day trip from Cartagena -- would have been a good tour on the way to the national parks from Cartagena.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide was great and had wonderful energy.
Transport
The was a demonstration which required us to detour on the return -- made it a 3 hour trip one way. Not the drivers fault of course.
Boquilla Mangrove Tour
Boquilla Mangrove Tour
Cartagena

It was a good introduction to the area and the surrounding fishing culture.

Quality of Experience
I felt as if I was getting a local experience.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Caribbean Dinner Cruise
Caribbean Dinner Cruise
Cartagena
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cartagena Bike Tour
Cartagena Bike Tour
Cartagena

I thought it was great -- think it could have been a little longer to give us more information. Our guide Carolina was very knowledgable and friendly.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Michael Gold
Michael
Michael Gold
Local specialist in San Agustín, Huila, Colombia | Replied on Mar 19, 2023

Dear Chris,

thank you very much for your kind words and your detailed travel report. It's great that we managed to put together a nice trip for your family that showed you the nature and culture of the country. I hope you will have great memories of the country for a long time and you were able to relax and discover it well.

We are looking forward to your next visit!
The Chaska Tours Team