The beautiful, historical, walled city of Cartagena
Amidst all the dust and dirt of the shipyard, I have been very fortunate as Geoff has treated me to two very different nights in the Old Town.
The historic centre of Cartagena is surrounded by 11 kilometres of defensive walls which were designed to protect the city from continual pirate attacks. Construction of these walls began in 1586 and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. It is the most beautiful Old Town, it consists of two historical districts, El Centro and San Diego and is one of the finest examples of preserved colonial architecture, packed with churches, monasteries, plazas and mansions with their shady patios and famous overhanging balconies full of colourful bougainvillea.
The first stay was on the night I arrived, and he had booked the Hotel Santa Clara. Located in a beautiful square in the old sector called Los Jaqueyes, which has been known since the 17th century as Barrio de San Diego, it was built in 1621 and was originally a convent that housed the Poor Clare nuns. A wing was later added to serve as a charity hospital.
You can see parts of the original convent in areas around the ground floor – little windows from the old confessional booths, a room that was the chapel, even a crypt that housed a young woman located underneath the El Coro (The Choir) Bar. Beautiful tropical gardens, fountains and birds inhabit the inner courtyard making it a delightful place for our breakfast before we ventured out to discover the delights of the old town.
Mid last week we drove into the City and had a wonderful dinner at the Restaurante Fuerte San Sebastian del Pasteilillo. Located in the Club de Pesca Marina, we sat outside in the balmy night air, low key live music playing Brazilian sambas, with an amazing view of the lights of the Bocagrande over the other side of the Bahia de las Animas. It was pretty special.
Our second stay has been quite different. Once again Geoff came up trumps booking a beautiful Loft space in the Casa Claver, a colonial style house built in the 17th Century and restored into loft-style rooms. It had a beautiful rooftop terrace with swimming pool and panoramic views of the old city.
Famous for its rooftop bars we ate some delicious tapas in in one of them and then returned to the Hotel to take our G&T’s up to the roof top terrace. We were the only ones there! We had a swim and sat amongst the multi-coloured bougainvillea and fragrant pink frangipani trees, with the most magnificent view of the harbour and the Parroquia y Sanctuario San Pedro Claver Church beautifully illuminated directly in front of us.
It was truly magical.