If youre looking for some budget beachfront hotels, the Aixo Suites and Hotel Boutique del Mar are located here and make for decent choices that put you beach front and within a 15 minute walk of the Walled City. The more you walk, the less people and vendors youll see, and youll find more quiet parts of the beach to enjoy on your own. /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. IslaBela we loved because it was in the islands, but the beach and rooms here were nicer, and this may be an even better choice for day passes. A short drive from Cartagenas old town, La Boquilla has become increasingly popular with foreign tourists, but locals have been coming here for many years. A bit past that, youll find La Boquilla, a small town that sits between the beach and the mangrove swamps beyond, and a traditional fishing village.
While there are some other neat spots on Colombias Caribbean coast, the beaches near Cartagena offer the best combination of accessibility, fun, and beauty. Eco-Hotel Islabela is located in a gorgeous little bay on Isleta. Boats pull up and tie up to them in a big semi-circle with the central area remaining as the perfect place to take a break from dance parties on the boat for a swim at this Cartagena, Colombia beach. You might be asking yourself why Bocagrande, one of the most well known Colombia beaches in Cartagena appears so low on this list of the best beaches in Cartagena, Colombia. Other areas Id recommend if you do want to hit the beaches in Bocagrande, are the areas closer to the entrance of Bocagrande around where the Decameron All Inclusive hotel is located. Theres not much else around here, so it has a very exclusive, private feel. Juan Ballena is a trusted online travel agency for people around the world who wish to discover the amazing city of Cartagena. Doing a boat rental is undoubtedly the best way to see the islands and the most stylish and fun way to enjoy the beach in Cartagena, Colombia. Boat tours are available for nature lovers who want to check out the nearby mangroves. The beaches in town are fine.
The boats are around the huts forming a kind of big semicircle where everyone enjoys the good music coming from their boats/yachts and the good atmosphere created around them.
Theres a great lounge area here that is private, although there is just a tiny bit of beach in front of it overlooking the water and youll find larger crowds just down the beach unlike the more private setting youll find at Palmarito and Blue Apple. Bocachica can be reached by public boat taxi from the main docks outside the Walled City or by private boats offered in day passes at places like Blue Apple. This place has a neat vibe with some nice decorations with a yoga, far eastern theme. Due to all the activity in the Port of Cartagena, the water isnt as clean as it is along some of the other beaches. We loved the food and drinks, and the service was great. Its a nice beach, and a less touristy experience than the more popular Cartagena beachs, but the difficulty getting out there for a beach thats comparable to what youll find in Tierra Bomba or even at Playa Azul in town isnt worth it. ->Click here to get a free planning checklist for your trip to Cartagena! Castillogrande is one of the most exclusive residential neighborhoods in Cartagena, located on a narrow little finger that curves off the end of the Bocagrande peninsula. While it probably does not represent the majority, there are some who will try to drive up the prices or do things like tack on an exorbitant fee for service. Dont be afraid to ask around and compare prices. While, the residents themselves dont love the fact that its a public beach, it is (all Colombia beaches in Cartagena and elsewhere are public property). Youll also encounter fewer tourists in Manzanilla del Mar. We recommend that you go to Playa de Oro and eat fried fish in Dona's restaurant, it's easy to get there, everybody knows it.
As for Blue Apple itself, they have some beds overlooking the beach as well as plenty of chairs to hang out on the property. If you spend the night, youll definitely want bug spray for the night time mosquitos too. We cant find a country that matches your search. To learn more please consult our Disclosure Policy. Thats not because of the beaches themselves. Punta Arena is a quiet beach with a few restaurants. This area is often referred to as Hollywood Beach Cartagena. It also features mangroves that serve as a haven for crabs and a massive variety of birds, iguanas, and alligators. I am a member of Amazon Associates, LLC and other affiliate programs and earn from qualifying purchases made after clicking those links.
Isla del Encanto is located on the southern side of the tip of the peninsula of Bar. However, youll still generally find far fewer people here than on the main beaches of Bocagrande. The best of the bunch is Playa de Oro. The beach isnt a well-known tourist attraction but is becoming more popular, since its the most laid-back beach youll ever visit. Better to spend the extra money to go to the islands or Bar. Youll often see the Cartagena beaches of Bar lumped into the Rosario Islands. There are also a number of hotels and beach clubs on Tierra Bomba that are pretty good values. There is a great beach area, two pools, and all you can eat and drink. Castillogrande has extensive beaches, and the sea is very clean and clear. 
Youre pretty much guaranteed to have vendors approach you while on the Cartagena, Colombia beaches. Thats what distinguishes it, as it is pretty secluded and while there are some vacation homes nearby, youre likely to see a mostly deserted Cartagena beach here. It is called Bocachica because it is the more narrow of the waterways that enter the Cartagena bay, the other being Bocagrande (get it: little mouth and big mouth). For more ideas in the islands, check out my lists of the Best Rosario Islands Day Tours and the Best Rosario Islands Hotels. The town of Santa Ana on the island is actually where I spent my first year in Colombia as a volunteer teacher. Youll also find a few cheaper beach spots on the beach by the main fort, and a bit further down, youll find one of the cooler beach clubs in Cartagena, Blue Apple Beach, which offers very nice bungalow accommodations as well as cool vibes for day trips (more on them below). The sea here is very clean and perfect for swimming, and theres more space to enjoy the beach, too. Fill out this form and they will get back to you to help you design a tailored, custom trip. Here Ill run down my picks for the best beaches in Cartagena itself. Required fields are marked *, #mc_embed_signup{background:#000000; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} There are plenty of good restaurants and cabanas so you have some privacy on the beach to relax and enjoy the scenery. *Recent times have shown how important it is to have travel health insurance. Hola! They have a larger building known as the Torre del Mar and a smaller one known as Casa de Playa. The food is also really good, and is sort of like a blend of Cartagena and beach bar food you might find in the US, which can be welcome when youve been eating Colombian food for a while or you are just an expat who gets excited about a chicken sandwich on ciabatta.
We have also spent the night here a few times.
Beach vendors can be especially intense, with many trying their best not to take no for an answer. Honestly, its the beach, so you cant really go wrong, especially if you go aware of ahead of time and ready for the vendors. Therefore the area is referred to as the Isla Bar today. Despite complaints from travellers about harassment from local vendors, the incredible colour of the sea, and the beautiful beach continue to make Playa Blanca and excellent place to relax close to Cartagena. 
However, they are a victim of their own success. If you take a taxi, it only costs about USD 10. So, the truth is, the best Cartagena beaches are not located in the city itself, but are located outside the city. Patrons may lounge around at the beach while they enjoy their meal. The beaches of Manzanillo del mar will continue for the next couple of years to be an ideal place to get away from everything and enjoy one the the most tranquil and solitary beaches in the city. cartagena I recommend stopping for snorkeling earlier in the morning in the islands then heading here. The most famous urban beach in Cartagena sits in front of the glitzy neighborhood of Bocagrande (the famous peninsula lined with skyscrapers and upmarket hotels). But dont worry, in the list below you will find public beaches close to the city which are, in our opinion, the best places you can go to see your caribbean dream come true. cartagena islas 
Located in San Bernardo, Tintipan is the biggest and probably the most beautiful island of the archipelago. Finally, you could get a taxi from town, but it is likely to be pricey, and youll have to arrange for them to come back and get your or wait for you. One of the best spots on Punta Arena is the Bomba Beach Club which has loungers, hammocks, food, music, and an outdoor bar. Day passes include one of their beach beds and lunch. Quite a few are open-air restaurants that feature grass roofs and hammocks. Many offer both day passes and overnight lodging. cartagena bendita beach tripadvisor Im fairly sympathetic to the vendors, but honestly, they make the beach here very hard to enjoy.
If youd like to go here on the weekend, Id recommend booking ahead of time, rather youre staying the night or doing a day pass. If you are imagining waking up, looking through the window of your hotel, and seeing a typical caribbean vision of white sand and turquoise blue water during your stay in Cartagena.umm Im sorry, but its not gonna happen. As I noted above, the beaches in town are ok but not nearly as pretty as those discussed above. They also have some really neat looking bungalows behind the beach area. 
These beaches arent quite as large and nice as those in Bocagrande, but they are comparable, and they generally are way less crowded. If you are just coming to hang out for a while, Id recommend either the area near the end, around the Kiosco Bony (where you can buy drinks and food). Its a pretty decent and big, wide beach. It is possible to just pay for a boat across to Punta Arena behind the Bocagrande Hospital in Castillogrande (the cost should be $20,000 pesos round trip, paid in full in the afternoon when you come back), however the nicer places Ill discuss below have their own boats and usually include the cost of the boat in their prices. The overnight stays can be in one of the nicely furnished rooms in the main house or in one of the lovely little bungalows, a few of which have their own little splash pools. cartagena bendita beach tripadvisor bar Whether you're looking for family fun or peaceful places to unplug, Cartagena has something that will suit you. Check out our Facebook Group to ask any other questions you have! Let the experts at our partner BnB Colombia Tours help you!
There are also lots of hotels on the beach here that have their own beach areas where you can use complimentary chairs and umbrellas, and security guards may help deter vendors from bothering you too much (note again, beaches are public property in Colombia and there is no such thing as a private beach in Colombia or the beaches of Cartagena). In less than 10 minutes by boat, youll arrive at a wide public beach, with turquoise blue water, completely different from the beaches of Bocagrande and el Laguito and in complete contrast with the buildings of Cartagena in front of it. Shacks along the beach rent out hammocks and mattresses for the beach. Its also a bit secluded and tends to draw a mostly local crowd and doesnt get too crowded. Its also a good idea to take a photo of the menu they show you.