Lavish House with Pool in CartagenaN°001
Cartagena, Colombia
Private pool
From $1,700 per night
Photo by Leandro Loureiro on UnsplashA walled Caribbean city of colour, music and island escapes
Cartagena de Indias is Colombia's Caribbean showpiece, a UNESCO-listed walled city of balconied streets, plazas and bougainvillea a short hop from white-sand islands. Renting a luxury villa here pairs the romance of the Old Town with private pools, house staff and concierge-arranged boat days to Barú and the Rosario Islands.
- The UNESCO-listed walled Old Town, one of the finest colonial centres in the Americas
- Boat days to the Rosario Islands, Barú's Playa Blanca and Tierra Bomba beach clubs
- Getsemaní's street art, plazas and evening salsa
- The hilltop fortress of San Felipe de Barajas and sunset on the city walls
- Staffed private-pool villas in the historic centre and on the islands, with concierge service
Known forThe walled Old Town and Getsemaní, colonial architecture, Caribbean beaches on Barú and the Rosario Islands, nightlife and seafood
Best time to visitDecember to April for the dry season; January brings the city's festival season
Nearest airportRafael Núñez International (CTG), ten minutes from the walled city
Ideal forCouples, celebration groups and friends combining culture, nightlife and island beach days
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12homes available
2–6bedrooms
up to 12guests
5with a pool
Cartagena in pictures
Events not to miss in Cartagena
- Early January
Cartagena International Music Festival
A week of classical concerts staged in the churches, plazas and theatres of the walled city, drawing world-class musicians at the height of the dry season.
- Late January
Hay Festival Cartagena
The Latin American edition of the famous literary festival fills the Old Town with writers, thinkers and readers for four days of talks and events.
- April
Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI)
The oldest film festival in Latin America, founded in 1960, with open-air screenings and premieres in atmospheric colonial settings.
- Mid-November
Independence Festivities
Cartagena celebrates its 1811 declaration of independence with parades, music and street parties across the city, the Caribbean coast's biggest popular celebration.
Cartagena through the seasons
- High Dry Season (December – April)
Festival weeks and calm island seas
Breezy, rain-free days for the ramparts and Rosario Islands, with January's music, literature and film calendar making the city feel at its most alive.
- Green Season (May – August)
Lush courtyards and quieter streets
Short tropical showers freshen the city, villa rates ease and the Old Town's plazas and restaurants are enjoyed without the peak-season crowds.
- Rainy Months (September – November)
Dramatic skies and November festivities
The wettest stretch still delivers plenty of sun between downpours, and mid-November brings the exuberant independence celebrations.
- Festive Season (Mid-December – Early January)
Cartagena at its most glamorous
Lights on the balconies, full marinas and warm nights on the walls; the most sought-after weeks of the year, best booked far ahead.
The Area and Where to Stay
Cartagena divides neatly between city and island. Inside the walls, the Old Town and neighbouring Getsemaní hold restored colonial casas with interior courtyards, plunge pools and roof terraces looking over church domes, the most atmospheric base for first-time visitors. Bocagrande's modern towers line the city beach to the south, though the water is far better offshore. Across the bay, Tierra Bomba island puts you ten minutes by boat from the city yet firmly in beach-club territory, while the Barú peninsula, around an hour away, is home to Playa Blanca's white sand and a scattering of secluded waterfront estates. Many guests split their stay, or base in a staffed Old Town casa and let the concierge run day boats to the islands. Either way, private pools, cooks and housekeepers are the norm at this level.
Things to Do
Start with the city itself. Walk the ramparts at sunset, wander the flower-hung balconies of the Old Town, and cross into Getsemaní for street art, plazas and salsa spilling out of doorways after dark. The fortress of San Felipe de Barajas, the largest Spanish colonial fort in the Americas, rewards a morning visit, and the Palace of the Inquisition and Gold Museum fill in the history. Then head for the water: charter boats run to the coral cays of the Rosario Islands for snorkelling and lunch on the sand, to Playa Blanca on Barú, and to the laid-back beach clubs of Tierra Bomba. Back in town there are cooking classes, emerald ateliers and horse-drawn evening tours. Your concierge can arrange private charters, chefs and after-hours access.
Food and Local Flavour
Cartagena eats exceptionally well. Caribbean-Colombian cooking built on fresh ceviche, coconut rice, fried snapper and arepas de huevo meets a wave of ambitious contemporary kitchens inside the walled city, and tables at the best-known spots go quickly in high season. Street food is part of the experience: fruit vendors, limonada de coco and evening snacks in the Getsemaní plazas. On the islands, lunch is grilled fish and lobster served barefoot on the sand. Most villas at this level come with a cook who shops the markets daily, which is arguably the best restaurant in town, and the concierge can book chef's tables, rum tastings and reservations across the historic centre.
When to Visit
Cartagena is warm year-round, with temperatures near 30°C in every month; what changes is the rain. December to April is the dry season, with breezy, sunny days that suit both city wandering and island boat days, and January adds the city's celebrated festival season. May to November is greener and more humid, with short, heavy showers that usually clear quickly; September to November sees the most rain. Sea conditions for island trips are generally calmest in the first half of the year. The festive weeks around Christmas and New Year are the peak, so villas and boats are best secured well ahead. A courtyard pool makes the midday heat easy in any month.
Getting There
Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) sits barely ten minutes from the walled city, with direct flights from Miami, New York and several other US and Latin American gateways, plus frequent connections through Bogotá and Medellín. From the airport it is a short transfer to an Old Town casa; villas on Tierra Bomba and Barú are reached by private boat from the city marinas or, for Barú, by road in about an hour. No hire car is needed, as the historic centre is walkable and drivers and boats are arranged on demand. The concierge handles airport pick-ups, launches and luggage so the journey ends the moment you land.