Cartagena

Facing the Caribbean Sea on Colombia's northern coast, the charming city of Cartagena de las Indias, founded in 1533, boasts some of the oldest, best-preserved colonial architecture in South America. The city's historic walled district was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

The city has basically two main parts where tourists go: the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is truly amazing and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande.

Sunquest will be offering the following resorts
Occidental Grand Cartagena
Hotel Caribe
Capilla Del Mar
Hotel Cartagena Plaza
El Dorado Plaza
Las Americas Casa De Playa

Read a short review of the hotel here

Things to Do and See in Cartagena, Colombia
Spend the Evening in an Open-Air Plaza. The Plaza San Diego and Plaza Santo Domingo are your best bets to catch street performances of local folk music, called vallenato.

Get Lost in the Walled City. The Ciudad Amurallada, surrounded by 400-year-old stone walls, offers both romance and history. The sea is visible from the tops of the walls, and a stroll along the narrow brick streets past burnt orange and royal blue buildings is a way to relive the city's colonial past.

Hop on a Bike. Escape downtown and head to the working-class neighborhood of Getsemaní. On your way back, ride past the clock tower and stop at a nearby bakery for a bocaqueso (a cheese- and guava-filled pastry). Bikes are available at shops downtown with two-hour rentals for about $3.50.

Climb the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. A short walk from downtown, this seventeenth-century fortress is a maze of tunnels that seem custom-made for hide-and-seek. The fortress was built as a defense against pirates. The tunnels were designed to help overtake intruders.

Put on Your Dancing Shoes. Coastal Colombia is home to a vibrant salsa culture, and Cartagena is no exception. Café Havana in Getsemaní gets going after 11 p.m., with crowds spilling onto the streets.

Release Your Inner Child. Splash around in a warm mud bath atop the Volcán de Totumo, about an hour's ride outside of the city in nearby Arboletes. Make sure you take time to rinse off afterward at the nearby lagoon.