Bastión Luxury Hotel

The quiet and the helpful service made this a great stay. We were on a higher floor toward the back, so we barely heard anything at night. The front desk was always ready to help, and Jhordan at the concierge was especially lovely whenever we had questions or needed reservations. There were plenty of choices at the breakfast buffet, too. The location is great, and we’re really glad we picked Bastion. I’d recommend it to anyone visiting Cartagena.

The pool was clean, had lots of loungers, and was a lovely place to spend time. Breakfast was good, and the location worked well for us. What stood out most was how caring everyone was, from check-in through checkout. We were traveling with our kids, and the staff brought gifts for our 6- and 2-year-old. They were so happy, and it was such a thoughtful gesture. Hector was especially warm and helpful when we checked out. We stayed two nights, loved the service, and would definitely return.

The bed and pillows were incredibly comfortable, and breakfast had a good spread with both a buffet and à la carte choices. Still, during what I believe was low season in Cartagena, several little things made the stay feel irritatingly penny-pinching for a hotel in this price range. The room couldn’t be made fully dark: there was no way to cover the toilet window, and the minibar light shone out from the closet. They provided one filtered-water bottle, maybe 0.7L, but never replaced it, even though someone came in to tidy the room and conveniently left the room-service QR code on the bed. The fitness “room” was tiny, smaller than the shower in my room. I paid an average of $285/night in low season, then at checkout they asked for about $1 per night for insurance, which hadn’t been mentioned beforehand. While I was packing, someone also came in to check the minibar. That was annoying, and I could have easily taken something from their very precious minibar, where the priciest thing was probably a can of Club Columbia 😔.

Right in the middle of everything, yet surprisingly peaceful. The rooftop pool is great, and after traveling a lot, I’d put Bastion among my top 5% of hotels for breakfast. It was surprisingly good, with European quality.