Hotel Oceania Cartagena

The biggest strength here is the staff. Everyone we dealt with, from reception and the restaurant to housekeeping and maintenance, was welcoming, kind, and ready to help figure out what we needed. My wife, kids, and I really enjoyed our stay, and we’ll come back when we can. We had a very clean, spacious room for four. The front desk, restaurant, and pool were all tidy and well organized. The hotel is just a few steps from a beautiful beach with few vendors, and I think it offers great value for the price.

My corner room looked out over the bay, and the shower was surprisingly good, the best part of the room. The rooms were clean, though the halls had a strange smell, not bad, just odd. The hotel sits on the waterfront in a very nice location, but it isn’t a five-star place. It’s a busy, noisy area, a bit like South Beach, even though the hotel is right at the end of the strip. There’s a pharmacy less than 100 yards away with convenience-store goods, a good spot for cheap sodas and other things you need.

Good location, helpful staff, and a nice place to stay. The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is the loud construction on site, which they didn’t mention when I checked in. Apart from that, it was fine.

The internet works, breakfast changes a bit each day, and the location is great, close to several beaches. It’s nothing fancy. I took off a star for the pool: it’s tiny, only open from 8 to 6, and the Hilton shades the whole area after 9 a.m. It feels like it’s there just for marketing.