Marazao Beach Hotel & Wellness

I’m not sure why this place gets negative reviews. The facilities had what we needed for a relaxing stay, and the staff were attentive, friendly, and amazing. Most of the time the beach felt private, with just my partner and me in the water. The food and drinks were good and reasonably priced, and extending our stay by another night was no problem. Everyone was helpful despite our very limited Spanish. Special thanks to Santiago, Julio, and Alvines. Hopefully I’ll return one day 😊

We booked Marazao Beach hotel and Spa based on the reviews and photos, and it was a mistake. We lost vacation time and money, and had to leave early after a horrible stay. The online pictures look altered and photoshopped. When we got off the boat, there was trash on the hotel's private beach and the water was green, unlike the perfect turquoise in the photos. The view was of a refinery and trash from the hotel's own area, which was “under” construction. The beach was so dirty, with trash from the hotel and the nearby refinery, that we avoided swimming. The first night, loud music and partying woke us up. At 5:30 am, a group of men were drinking in their underwear in the pool, an unpleasant thing to see with my 2 year old daughter. Later, two men made sexual comments that left me uncomfortable and unsafe when I was alone near them. Something else must have happened, because the police came about an hour later to speak with the group. On the second night, a man we’d seen talking with staff and eating at the restaurant knocked on our door after midnight to ask for money because he was in a complicated situation. It was shocking and felt unsafe that hotel staff let strangers stay on site so late and knock on our room. The main reason we left was the storm on our third night. It flooded our rooms and cut the hotel's electricity. They assured us power would come back, but after waiting over six hours, we left because it didn’t look like it would be fixed soon. I have a health condition triggered by heat and humidity, and we chose this hotel partly because it offered AC. Staying without it would have seriously affected my health. We told them we were leaving early because there was no power, but they still charged us for the room, even though the outage was their fault. Other hotels on the island had electricity. The food selection was limited, and we waited over an hour from ordering to getting our meals. It looked nothing like the pictures. I don’t understand why they call this a “spa”, since there’s nothing resembling one here. The hotel should update its photos and stop using Photoshop, because what they offer is nothing like what they show. Please don’t stay here. Go somewhere better and safer.

We expected a restful day by the sea, but left bored, angry, and annoyed, and I felt sorry for us. We were there with my wife from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which was enough. I don’t think we’ll return. The hotel is beside popular neighborhoods in tierra bomba, so it doesn’t feel private at all. It sits behind the beach, though the point is to be by the sea. There are four beds on a platform in the sand and some tables behind them. Marazao shares the beach with two or three other places, and despite supposedly being a 3 star hotel, it seemed as popular as the rest. The result is three or four kinds of music blaring at once. People were throwing garbage on the sand and in the sea, with no control over it. While we were there, some people behind us got drunk, yelled loudly, and played sexual music through the hotel's speaker. The water where you swim is also used by boats and jet skis, and the whole area smells of gasoline and smoke. The food was okay, though you can find better cooking elsewhere on the island. The hotel itself looked okay. Don’t be misled by the online pictures, which seem to have been taken a long time ago. It didn’t look the same in person. The prices were too high for what you get, a cheap place that costs a lot.

Cindy, her husband, and the staff at MARAZAO BEACH HOSTEL welcomed my friend and me warmly as soon as we arrived on Isla Tierra Bomba. They looked after everything we needed and made us feel at home. They went above and beyond even after checkout. The man we’d booked to pick us up, from a reputable company in Cartagena, left much earlier than the time he’d given us and nearly stranded us. We went back to the hostel for help, and Cindy and her husband made sure we got safely back to the main island. One of their friendly workers took us down, found us a boat, and stayed until we were safely aboard. I can’t recommend the place enough, and I’d go back just for the service and the warmth of these Colombians. They also suggested the cool place next door, Nameste, where you can hang out, relax, sip delicious cocktails, and take in the beautiful view of Cartagena.