San Martin Cartagena

Seven of us stayed in rooms 112 and 117, and every one of us ended up with bites. At first we thought mosquitoes, but then realized bed bugs and other bugs were biting us at night. We reported it, and the desk showed us rooms 119 and 110. Both were dirty too, with bed bugs, spiders, and dead bugs inside. On arrival, the sheets had bodily fluid stains and the towels were discolored, but we had tried not to be picky and stay anyway. When we said we were uncomfortable staying there, the front desk said they couldn't do anything. The woman working there said she couldn't call her manager even though it was business hours. She told us to contact booking.com when we asked for a quick resolution. She knew booking.com would escalate it 30 minutes after receiving an urgent email. We asked her to reply to the email, but she said she wouldn't, and that booking.com would bill them after 30 minutes. I'm not sure what that was about. There were other problems too: no air conditioning in the lobby, flies bothering us at breakfast, which is served outside in the heat, and men painting during the day. The smell of cleaning products was pungent throughout the hotel, and we had to ask several times for things like towels. The bartender was the nicest part, very kind. Please check everything carefully before staying here. It might have been lice or fleas.

If you want a decent night's sleep in the middle of BocaGrande in Cartagena, this place is more than adequate. It's quiet and clean, just a block from the beach and near lots of restaurants. Breakfast is nothing special, but good enough to get your day started, and the staff treated us okay. There's not much in the way of amenities, and this isn't the Ritz. My complaint is the AC: the units need an upgrade. Ours seemed to have only two settings, full on or full off.

I spent a week at Hotel San Martin in January and would highly recommend it. I wouldn't choose anywhere else.

We loved our stay at hotel San Martin. The staff were so friendly, and the guys serving breakfast were great. The neighborhood has lovely vibes and a great location. We enjoyed sitting in the courtyard watching life go by, day and night, and walking around to explore the shops and restaurants. One warning: the hotel charged us $ 150.000 pesos for the airport ride, when a ride is less than $ 50.000 pesos. I'd also recommend cleaning under the beds.