Cartagena-Christmas and New Year's 2011/12

[John W]

In early December I started chatting with a woman from Cartagena that I met on Colombian Cupid.  We hit it off right away and were chatting online every weekday for an hour or so and for two to three hours on Saturdays and Sundays.  Although I had previously told myself I would never again travel abroad to meet just one woman (I had traveled to Lima to meet one woman before), Maria and I started talking about meeting in person after chatting for just one week.  Maria works long hours and takes three classes at the University of Cartagena on Saturdays, so the only reluctance I had was knowing that she would probably have a limited amount of time to spend with me.  About a week before Christmas she told me her work was giving her as a bonus a week of vacation between Christmas and New Year’s.  It was a great time for me to travel, so a couple of days before Christmas I got a ticket to Cartagena arriving on Christmas day. 
 
Maria met me at the airport, and fortunately all the chemistry we had online and over the phone was present in person.  She spent every minute of every day with me for eight days.  We spent a lot of time just hanging out and relaxing in Cartagena, and we spent a lot of time at The Hotel Carribe in Bocagrande.  The Hotel Carribe has great rooms, a very nice pool area, and the grounds are really nice.  There were three small deer that live on the grounds and they stayed right by our room and we would see them every day.  One day, we saw a tree sloth crawling slowly along the grounds, and we took some pictures with it.  Maria even picked it up and held it.  I really liked the Hotel Carribe and would recommend it. 
 
I did a lot of the typical tourist things with Maria.  We went to the walled city several times, most often at night.  Some of my favorite things there were walking along the top of the wall at night, taking a carriage ride through the old city, and seeing some really great street performers.  I also enjoyed our trip to Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. We spent about two hours there exploring the walled fortress that overlooks the city. We also spent a relaxing day out at the Rosario Islands and at Playa Blanca, and half a day hanging out in Manga.  From I what I saw during my limited time in Cartagena, if I were going to live there or have an extended stay, I would prefer Manga over Bocagrande. 
 
On New Year’s Eve I went to Maria’s sister’s house for dinner and met her mother, sister, brother-in-law, uncle, and nephews.  Maria and her mother live together in a small apartment a few blocks from the sister’s house.  It is in an estrato three barrio close to the commercial central en La Plazuela, and a world away from the Bocagrande.   Maria and I had a running joke that I was going to get to know “Cartagena Real,” but we returned to Bocagrande after New Year’s Eve and only went back to her apartment one time before I left Cartagena, so my exposure to “Cartagena Real” was limited.   I had to return home two days after New Year’s but promised Maria I would return soon for another visit. 

[whitey]

Glad to hear your trip was a success, John.

Although I had previously told myself I would never again travel abroad to meet just one woman

Maria met me at the airport, and fortunately all the chemistry we had online and over the phone was present in person.  She spent every minute of every day with me for eight days. 

Almost everyone will tell you it's a mistake to do this, but sometimes it works out for guys like us ... but it's probably risky.  In my case, there was no risk.  We had gotten to know each other really well online, and worse case for me was having a great trip in a new country with an attractive friend to show me around a little.

[Micky]

WRONG!!!!!
 
Worse case is NOT GOING!!  What is the worst that can happen?  The deal with a women goes in the crapper and you have a great time seeing another country.
 
Micky

[fathertime]

Well old boy, I'm glad you found yourself a woman.  Hopefully you can get your tail down to Cartagena SOON.  Don't let too much time pass between visits...It can kill it all!  Hopefully you guys find you are right for each other.  From personal experience, I've found Maria's from Colombia to be especially good women!   


Fathertime! 

[Jeff S]

Great report John. Thanks.

As others have pointed out, there's nothing at all wrong with traveling to meet one person. You can always adapt and improvise if things aren't as they seem. Not everything has to be a well planned, sole purpose, scheduled task. Adventures can often be more fun.

[John W]

 Actually, I’ve already made my second trip to Cartagena to spend more time with Maria.  I’ve read that it can be a little more difficult to meet local women in Cartagena compared to other Colombian cities because a lot of men go there to vacation and fool around with the local women.  They promise the ladies they are serious but then disappear.  Due to my limited experience I do not know if this is true or not, but Maria had a friend that was giving her a hard time.  She was telling Maria that she was making a huge mistake-that I am a foreigner and was just going to play with her while I was on vacation and she wouldn’t see me again.  After our first three or four days together she started asking me if I was serious about her.  I told her I was but it did not seem like she believed me.  I bought a ticket online while I was still in Cartagena, so Maria was happy that I was going to return to see her again.  I’ll follow up in a few days with a post about my second trip during the first week of February.   

[whitey]

Actually, I’ve already made my second trip to Cartagena to spend more time with Maria.  I’ve read that it can be a little more difficult to meet local women in Cartagena compared to other Colombian cities because a lot of men go there to vacation and fool around with the local women.  They promise the ladies they are serious but then disappear.  Due to my limited experience I do not know if this is true or not, but Maria had a friend that was giving her a hard time.  She was telling Maria that she was making a huge mistake-that I am a foreigner and was just going to play with her while I was on vacation and she wouldn’t see me again.  After our first three or four days together she started asking me if I was serious about her.  I told her I was but it did not seem like she believed me.  I bought a ticket online while I was still in Cartagena, so Maria was happy that I was going to return to see her again.  I’ll follow up in a few days with a post about my second trip during the first week of February.   

Not just a Cartagena thing (although it might be slightly worse there and in Medellin) ... my (now) mother-in-law was saying the same thing to my (now) wife during my first trip ... I would wager that the number one concern for any foreign woman is whether or not you will return.

[Micky]

Do like I did,  never leave.  Then they get tired of you.
 

I do think that Cartagena does get the most foreign tourists,  UN heritage site,  cruise ships and all that brings the numbers there.
 

It would be interesting to know which city does get the most traffic for men trying to meet women  (not sex tourism).  Not counting people here on business trips either.

 
Micky

[fathertime]

Actually, I’ve already made my second trip to Cartagena to spend more time with Maria.  I’ve read that it can be a little more difficult to meet local women in Cartagena compared to other Colombian cities because a lot of men go there to vacation and fool around with the local women.  They promise the ladies they are serious but then disappear.  Due to my limited experience I do not know if this is true or not, but Maria had a friend that was giving her a hard time.  She was telling Maria that she was making a huge mistake-that I am a foreigner and was just going to play with her while I was on vacation and she wouldn’t see me again.  After our first three or four days together she started asking me if I was serious about her.  I told her I was but it did not seem like she believed me.  I bought a ticket online while I was still in Cartagena, so Maria was happy that I was going to return to see her again.  I’ll follow up in a few days with a post about my second trip during the first week of February.   

Sounds good old boy!  You made two trips in rapid succession, that seems like a pretty smart thing to do.  So hopefully you make another soon and make this woman a very high priority because in my opinion it takes that sort of commitment to keep things rolling along for most guys.  Once you get her to So. Cal. (assuming you reach that point) you will begin to get a real picture of how she will fit into, or not fit into your life!


Fathertime!   

[raycjs]

great report,i spent many a days and nights in Cartagena great place to visit... the only down side is the beach you can not relax on the beach with out the locals trying to sell you something. the food in cartagena is great and the people are really nice. you can walk around day or night and no one will bother you... if she is the one then keep making trips as best you can and try and spend a lot of time with her and the family to see what life is away from the hotels,restaurants, and night life....
 
best of luck to you
 
Ray

[John W]

... my (now) mother-in-law was saying the same thing to my (now) wife during my first trip ...

I am facing a similar situation.  Maria's mother has told her there is no way I will ever marry her, so she is wasting her time.  There is not a very high opinion of foreigners or men in general among her female family members and female friends.  Also, I was surprised at the number of people in union libres as opposed to formal marriages among her family and friends.  And I am talking about couples with children.  Maria says most men do not want to marry.  They prefer union libres because it is easier to walk away if things do not work out as opposed to having to obtain a legal divorce.  I have to confess when I joined Colombian Cupid in November of last year, I was planning on returning to Medellin.  I've been there before and really enjoyed the city and women I met there.  I do not understand why Medellin and Paisas get such a bad rap on this website.  So far my extremely limited exposure to "Costena Culture" has not impressed me, but with two trips under my belt I have a long way to go before I have even a limited understanding of the local culture.  However I am really impressed with Maria.  She works long hours, supports her mother, and goes to the University.  Most importantly for me, I am crazy about her.
 
 

Sounds good old boy!  You made two trips in rapid succession, that seems like a pretty smart thing to do.  So hopefully you make another soon and make this woman a very high priority because in my opinion it takes that sort of commitment to keep things rolling along for most guys.
Fathertime!   

I am heading back in two weeks for a 12 day trip.  This will be my longest trip to see her.  She will also have a four day weekend during Semana Santa, so we will have a lot of time to spend together.
 

[John W]

I started this thread but did not follow up on my additional trips.  I have traveled to Cartagena four times since Christmas 2011 to spend time with my girlfriend.  On my first trip I stayed in Bocagrande, including four nights at the now infamous Hotel Caribe.  My girlfriend and I really enjoyed the Carbie.  Too bad the Secret Service sullied its reputation with the hooker scandal.  When the news broke I was really surprised that this type of activity would go on at the Caribe and wondered if it occurred because the US government had rented the entire hotel at the time of the incident.  When I was there I never saw anybody that looked like they were bringing in short-term “guests.”  I still highly recommend the Caribe if you are looking for a nice upper end hotel in Bocagrande.  It is an older Hotel but very nice and has a ton of character and a great location within Bocagrande.

On trips two and three I stayed in barrio Alpes because it is close to my girlfriend’s apartment and work.  In Alpes I stayed at the Hotel Sol de Este.  If anyone is looking for a hotel in this part of Cartagena (and it is really hard to find a nice hotel outside the tourist areas), I recommend the Hotel Solo de Este.  The nicest rooms are on the fifth floor.  The fifth floor is the only floor with hot water in the rooms.  When you inquire or check in they usually tell you that they only have presidential suites (about 1800,000 CP/night for two people, including breakfast) on the fifth floor.  However, I learned that they have a few rooms that are exactly the same as the presidential suites (except they are about 2-3 feet shorter in length.)  I have paid 120,000-130,000 CP per night for the slightly smaller room without breakfast.  If you stay here get a room on the northwest side of the hotel as the rooms on the southeast side (southeast side would be side that is closest to the major intersection and opposite from the Exito up the street) get really hot in the afternoon, even with the AC blasting.  The rooms are very nice, clean, great beds, large flat screen TVs, small refrigerator, and large balconies.  There is no pool or other common area amenities other than the dining area downstairs.  They also have an armed guard at the entrance all night long and for most of the day also.  Lots of Colombian business travelers stay here as well as some Colombian families.  None of the staff speaks English. 

[Woody]

I've stayed at he Sol del Este, I liked it. Unfortunately I never knew you could get hot water, I was in the executive room for about three weeks.

[benjio]

I've stayed at he Sol del Este, I liked it. Unfortunately I never knew you could get hot water, I was in the executive room for about three weeks.

In Cartegena?! Take showers around 3 p.m. Believe me, you don't need a water heater there.

[John W]

In Cartegena?! Take showers around 3 p.m. Believe me, you don't need a water heater there.

I agree, you can comfortably get by without hot water in Cartagena.  For me with nighttime or early morning showers it can be a little uncomfortable, but if I have gone out somewhere during the afternoon I always take a cool mid-afternoon shower.  So far, seems to me like Cartagena is almost always hot and humid. 
 

[John W]

My second trip to Cartagena was in early February and was very short.  I was only there for five days but it was worthwhile. We mostly just hung out with my girlfriend’s family and at our hotel.  Although the trip was worthwhile, it did feel way too short given the distance, and I have gone for at least 7-8 days on my subsequent trips.

I made my third trip in April during Semana Santa.  Like many Colombians, my girlfriend had a four day holiday, so we decided we were going to head over to Santa Marta to see something a little different.  My girlfriend had only been there for one day for a work related conference, so she had never really seen the city, and I had not been outside of Cartagena within the costa region of Colombia.   As things turned out, we didn’t really get to see much of Santa Marta on this trip because we ended up staying in Taganga, which is located just outside of Santa Marta.  Taganga is billed as a small, sleepy fishing village, and although I did see some fishing boats while I was there, the place was wall to wall people during Semana Santa.  The beach was so crowded we did not even spend any time laying out during the day.  One day we took a boat to a beach at Tayrona, and we rented a kayak and went out to one of the coves on another day.  We stayed at the Ballena Azul Hotel which is right on the Beach.  I think it is the nicest hotel in Taganga as I think the other three or four hotels are hostels or hotels catering to divers.  However, the hotel is not as nice as the photos on the web.  Our room was small and the bathroom was not very nice.  The wifi worked the whole time we were there, but the cable only worked the first day.  Everything else in the room was good, and we really enjoyed the large balcony area where you can enjoy some drinks and the ocean view.  We hung out here almost every evening and watched the sunset.  Breakfast was included in the room price and they have a really nice outdoor restaurant located directly across the street from the main hotel building. Overall, we enjoyed our time at this hotel and in Taganga.  If you’re interested in staying in Taganga you’re going to have to give up a little in terms of hotel quality to get the quaintness of the small seaside village.

[V_Man]

That's awesome John!
I take it everything is going great with Maria?

I also didn't initally plan for it but ended up travelling to meet just one woman and it has worked out fantastic for us so far.
I spent a week in Cartagena with my novia on my first trip. We had a great time. Mostly we hung around the old city. Visited Rosario. We stayed in an apartment I  rented outside town for the week which she organised. She is also estado 3 but not from Cartegena. It's a middle class life style but just at Colombian standards of middle class. I wanted to go to Santa Marta and Tyrona but we never made it that far. I have been back to Colombia since but not to Cartegena.

Women who live there have told me that they get way too many men coming off cruise ships and being way too forward. So I'm not surprised you had to overcome some family concerns. No doubt they now appreciate you all the more for proving that you are not like that.
 

[John W]

 
I made my fourth trip to Cartagena in May.  During trips two and three I stayed in Alpes at the Hotel Sol de Este.  One problem for me with staying in this part of town was a lack of nearby places to visit and things to do while my girlfriend is working.  Although I would not consider Alpes a bad neighborhood, my girlfriend was concerned about me walking around the neighborhood alone.  One thing I did find was a Bodytech at the nearby La Plazuela Centro Comercial.  There are also some nearby movie theaters, and plenty of restaurants, but not nearly as many things to do and see as in Bocagrande or the walled city.  For trips two and three, I was committed to staying near my girlfriend’s apartment so I could experience “Cartagena Real”, but by trip number four I was getting tired of staying in a hotel.  We started trip four at the Hotel Sol del Este, but found an apartment a few buildings down from the Hilton in Laguito mid way through my stay.  It was a very nice one bedroom in a very nice building on the lagoon side of Laguito.  They were asking 150,000 CP/night and accepted 130,000/night.  It was so much better staying in an apartment, and although the experience of staying in Cartagena Real was a good one, I had had enough and preferred returning to the Bocagrande area.  Also, my girlfriend’s work had changed her territory, so now staying in Bocagrande was not any farther from her job than staying in Alples.  If you’re looking for an apartment in Bocagrande there are several buildings right by the Hilton that offer short term rentals.  We had to look at six apartments before we found one we liked, but it only took about 45 minutes. We did not like any of the other apartments we looked at because they seemed to cater to Colombian families.  The apartments usually had two beds in the bedroom and sometimes a bunk bed in the living room and outdated furniture.  The one we stayed in had modern appliances, bed, and furniture; two large flat screen TVs and a DVD; and a good AC.  The building also had a very nice pool area.  I am heading back down to Cartagena next week to spend more time with my girlfriend, and we will definitely go the apartment route for this trip and future trips.