Palmarito Beach Hotel

The pools are lovely and well maintained, the staff are friendly throughout, and the restaurant food stands out in a good way. The beaches also have beautiful scenery and are noticeably nicer than Cartagena’s. But I had a very mixed stay, mainly because of the noise. Day pass visitors make the beach extremely crowded and loud from 8 am to 4 pm. Noise starts up again around 7 pm and can last until midnight, while nearby hotels often have very loud parties going into the early morning. The music comes through even with the doors and windows shut, making it hard to rest or sleep. Food and drink service was another letdown. Drinks were consistently poor, and the beer was rarely cold, which was frustrating in that climate. You have to order meals well ahead for a set time, but delays of 45 minutes to over an hour are still common, so planning meals is difficult. This could work if you’re okay with loud music through the day and late at night, a packed beach, and nearby hotel parties that make sleep difficult. If you want a relaxing, family-friendly stay with quiet evenings and reliable food service, it’s probably not the right fit.

The VIP package felt worth it, especially since the price was better than at competing beach clubs. It included credit for food and drinks, plus a free buffet-style meal. We got to enjoy the beautiful space, take lots of pictures, lounge by the pool, use a cabana, have delicious mojitos, and even ride a jet ski. They greeted us with a delicious coconut lemonade after the ten-minute boat ride. We arrived around noon and found the boat attendants at the meeting point, though that can be tricky with the beach solicitors around. We recognized them by their beach club gear. Dainer, one of the hosts, was the absolute best part of our GREAT day. He looked after every need and made sure we had a great time. I highly recommend Palmarito beach club.

I only visited the beach club, not the hotel, so the hotel might be a different experience. The staff are friendly, and it’s generally clean. Boats also run later than they do to some other places. The pool is nice when there aren’t many people. We finally got to enjoy it about 20 minutes before closing, after most people had left. Before that, it felt like a soup of people. It’s badly overcrowded, and finding a seat is hard. When you do find one, it’s not a good one. The beach itself is small, packed, and not relaxing. Small vendors keep walking back and forth trying to sell overpriced bracelets for 40k, jet skis, and other things. Don’t come here for the beach. It’s also unsafe to leave your belongings there, and there aren’t any lockers. Lunch was okayish, but they ran out of food. At 250k per person, which we overpaid, I’d expected something enjoyable. Even at 230k, it was only somewhat tolerable.

Fabian, Giovany, and Jesus were all so helpful and kind. The food and drinks were amazing, and we could relax on the beach, ride jet skis, and swim in the pool. We got the premium package and were welcomed to the island with delicious lemonades. Amazing service, I’m definitely coming back!