Hotel Boutique Marboré

Parking is the bad part. People asking to watch your car may be drug users, and they threaten to damage it if you don't pay them, so it can feel like you're being pressured. Nearby parking garages cost around $10-$15 a day. Aside from that, this is a cute, cozy, affordable hotel in central Santa Marta, close to everything and the beach (malecón). It's well cared for, the staff were nice and helpful, and the interior was pretty and nicely decorated. The small pool was good for cooling off after the beach or in the heat. The water pressure was excellent and the bed comfortable.

The room had a good amount of space, with a fridge, decent AC and TV channels, and it was clean. The front desk was responsive. This is one of the few renovated hotels in Santa Marta's historic center. Breakfast isn't buffet-style, but you can choose what you'd like to order.

Breakfast was included and really good, and the location and service were both great. We were stopping in Santa Marta before our Ciudad Perdida trek, and the hotel looked after us well. It was a little noisy, though we were there during the national holidays, so that was to be expected.

The staff were quite nice, and breakfast was good, but the problems added up to a three-star stay for me. The photos make the rooms, especially the bathrooms, look much bigger. The bathroom door was hard to open, and the shower stayed warm for only about half a minute before turning cold. The AC also took a long time to cool the room, even set to 16°. The power apparently went out the previous night, and the rooftop generator started at 5am and ran for the rest of the day. It's good they have backup power, but the generator was so loud I'd rather have been without electricity.