Hotel Almirante Cartagena - Colombia

The pool looked less appealing in person than it did in the photos, and the rooms feel dated. The bathroom layout is awkward too: sitting on the toilet, your elbow hits the toilet paper holder. After several stays at Hotel Almirante Cartagena Colombia, I don't think it meets five-star standards. I was twice asked to pay for minibar beer, despite not drinking beer at all. I refused, but being wrongly charged like that made me distrustful. I also asked for a two-hour late checkout and was told to ask on departure day. When I did, they said no without asking for my room number or checking the situation. The bar adds a tip automatically, though the menu doesn't clearly say so. At checkout, the doormen seemed to lose interest in helping once they realized no tip would be given right away, and nobody offered to handle our luggage. I usually tip at the end of a stay with whatever local currency I have left, but there was no one to give it to. The service and attention to guests fell short of what I'd expect from a five-star hotel.

We loved our stay. The hotel had pretty much everything we needed, and the staff were very professional. The tourist information office inside was a big help. The spa area was great, and the beauty salon offered excellent service at reasonable prices. Such a nice experience.

The biggest frustration was getting no support from @aircanadavacations. They blamed the hotel, the hotel blamed them, and nobody accepted responsibility. We also had water outages and unreliable Wi-Fi, and the VIP lounge was being renovated, something never disclosed when we booked. We paid for a VIP ocean-front package but were first put on the 6th floor. After a lot of arguing, we were moved to the 21st, but the view was still only partial, not the full ocean view we'd paid for. The photos are heavily photoshopped. Premium prices for basic service and no agency backing felt like a total scam.

After three weeks of hiking in Columbia, we were glad to have a nice hotel for our two-night stop. The historic city is only about 10-15 minutes away by taxi and is worth seeing. The nearby beach was okay, though it isn't the white sand of playa Bianca, Cartagena, which is an hour's drive away. The service was excellent, and the rooms were okay but tired. The shared areas, including the pool and jacuzzi, felt worn too, and the roof top bar is no longer open. It calls itself a five-star hotel, but the facilities didn't feel like it.