Hotel Boutique Casa Carolina Santa Marta

The pools were great, the service was good, and my room was comfortable and clean, with a shower that had good pressure. I stayed five nights at Casa Carolina. For a longer stay, the hotel's own website may have the best rate. The biggest problem for me was the Wi-Fi. It didn't work in my room, and was too slow for VoIP calls even in the lobby. That's seriously unacceptable. I was also charged 5000COP per water bottle at checkout, although the room didn't say they weren't free, which left a sour taste. The street outside is extremely depressing, full of trash and beggars. I even saw a man defecating on the sidewalk. Just one street over, things are fine. Santa Marta has this strange mix of fancy hotels and restaurants alongside extreme poverty right in the center.

The common areas and pools are great, and the staff are friendly. The restaurant is nice, too. Rooms show some wear, but they're comfortable enough. It's far enough from the main tourist area to feel quieter, and I never felt unsafe walking around, day or night. One Sunday night, music from somewhere nearby was VERY loud and went on late.

The area felt run down, and as a woman traveling alone I didn't feel safe walking around at night, so I had dinner at the hotel. It was fine for my one night on arrival at the north coast, but I was glad not to be staying longer. The room itself was spacious and clean, with a lovely shower, and the hotel was nice. Staff were friendly and helpful. Food service is slow because a small team is handling things. If you're not in a hurry, that's fine, but allow enough time for breakfast if you want something cooked, and for dinner too. That night, loud music nearby went on until 3 or 4 a.m., so I barely slept. I don't know if that happens once in a while or regularly. Then the hotel started playing music at 7 a.m., so sleeping in wasn't really an option. To be fair, that seems common at a lot of hotels and hostels.

There are some fun places to spend time in the shared areas, like beanbag chairs, life-sized chess, Jenga, and loungers by the pool. The hotel and pool area are lovely. Outside, stray dogs got into the trash and made quite a mess, but sanitation workers came and cleaned it up before long.