Sofitel Barú Cartagena 5 stars

Wonderful facilities, friendly staff, beautiful room and beach.

We were well-cared for the entire time. Staff was helpful and kind. The hotel and grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The food in the restaurants was average.

My husband and I had a wonderful stay at the Sofitel Baru! Everything was top tier. All of the guest care specialist were awesome. A special thanks to Cristian & Enrique! There was also a gentlemen who worked at the beach bar who went above and beyond to make sure my husband had is favorite snack! Thank you! We will definitely return here in the future.

I stayed at this hotel for five days, and overall, it is truly a very good property. The hotel is pleasant, spacious, well laid out, with several swimming pools and a beautiful beachfront location. Being right on the beach is definitely a strong highlight. The rooms are comfortable, well maintained, and quite enjoyable. Most of the staff members were very attentive and welcoming. There were a few moments when some employees seemed less attentive, possibly due to personal difficulties or a bad day, which is understandable. I believe it is fair to acknowledge that these situations can happen, and they did not define the overall experience. Check-in and check-out were both smooth and efficient, which made the arrival and departure stress-free. I would like to leave a special and sincere compliment to Mr. Idelson, the bellman who welcomed us. He was extremely kind, attentive, caring, and professional — truly an outstanding person who made a positive difference in our stay. In general, the hotel delivers what is expected for what is paid, and the overall experience is positive. However, the gastronomic experience was a disappointment. Despite being a five-star hotel, the food quality and overall dining experience did not match the prices charged. Even for guests who can afford this level of hotel, the value delivered in gastronomy does not justify the cost. In summary, the hotel itself is excellent and worth the stay, but there is significant room for improvement when it comes to food and beverage offerings, especially considering the pricing and five-star positioning.

Pros: We liked the location close to the beach, the many swimming pools, the restaurants (excellent breakfast, fine dining at Humo, others were good as well), our room on the second floor with balcony, the cleanliness, the grounds, and the friendliness especially of the ground and housekeeping staff. Cons: The check-in process took a long time, even though we had provided all of the information online the day before but had to fill it out again. When I asked for a second or third floor room, the receptionist told me that rooms with 2 beds (as I requested) were all and only on the first floor, however, when that room smelled so musty that I had to change the next morning, and all of a sudden there was a room with 2 beds on the second floor. We were also not happy that we were not alerted to the additional 10% of room charge resort fee until we were checking out. Fortunately, we saw it and when we asked about the addition to our bill, we were told that it was not mandatory to pay it. I think, it should be made clear when you book that there might or might not be a resort fee and what it was for. In general, the front desk team was disappointing, lacking helpfulness, friendliness, and professionalism.