AC Hotel by Marriott Santa Marta

The clean lobby has good security and great air conditioning. The gym is clean too, with mostly cardio equipment. As marina guests, we could use the nice pool area on the fourth floor, where they often play music and sometimes have a DJ by the pool. Drinks at the bar cost more than on the street, but the atmosphere made the extra expense worthwhile.

The front desk service was friendly, and the property was clean. Those were the only reasons I gave this two stars. The room design was awful. A thin glass panel separates both the shower and toilet from the rest of the room, giving little privacy and not even closing properly. Water also runs out of the shower, and using the toilet with someone else in the room is uncomfortable. The cheap faucet sprays everywhere and floods the area around the sink. Santa Marta tap water isn’t safe to drink, but bottled water was only provided on the first day. There’s no filtered tap in the shared areas either, so you have to ask bar staff to fill your bottle, and only while the bar is open. Ridiculous. Avoid this hotel.

The staff were excellent, the location was good, and breakfast was outstanding. The chef went above and beyond, and the food was far better than the breakfasts we had at our Hyatt and Marriott stays in Cartagena. We appreciated the gym, too. There was nearby construction, but we were glad to be a little out of the very loud center. The problem was a strong mold smell in both rooms we tried. I’m highly allergic, and I was coughing through the night there, but not at either of the other two hotels we stayed at in Colombia. The bathrooms also need exhaust fans.

I was very happy with my stay and booked it with my Bonvoy points. The hotel is right in the city center by the ocean, and the service was excellent. The comfortable, well appointed rooms have balconies looking over the ocean and city. They also arranged a shuttle straight from the hotel to Barranquilla for the end of my stay.