Isla Madre Selva

There’s nowhere else to eat on the island, but the restaurant serves great food. The hotel itself is lovely, with beautiful rooms and great ocean views, and its private beach makes it easy to relax for a day or two. Staff pick you up by boat, and you’re on the island in about 10 minutes, or you can take a boat from Cartagena. You can book snorkeling or canoeing through the hotel. It costs more than other places in Colombia, but I thought it was worth it.

We stopped here on a private boat tour, hoping to have a couple of drinks and a few dishes before heading to our next stop. They said the minimum spend was 200,000 pesos per person, about $50 each, and there were four of us. That was too much for what we wanted, so we swam and left. Seems like a lost sale in difficult times. I can’t really comment on the hotel.

I haven’t stayed at Agua Azul yet, but I had a delightful “pasa dia.” The beach is beautiful and private, and there weren’t any vendors around. Staff were friendly, the service was great, and the food was delicious. I’d absolutely recommend visiting or staying.

The beach and buildings were nice, the regular staff were pleasant, and the food was good. The location is reachable by taxi from Cartagena for around 80,000 COP, while their shuttles are overpriced. But the noise next door was a real problem: loud music, boats, jetskis, and people yelling from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, worse on weekends. There was no Wi-Fi either. When I asked for a discount because of that, management said I couldn’t leave for my flight without paying the full price. They were difficult, unfriendly, and didn’t try to resolve it.