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Cheaper
Average
Higher
About
4.5
#43 of 254 hotels in Cartagena
Location
4.3
Rooms
4.3
Value
4.4
Cleanliness
4.5
Service
4.6
Sleep Quality
4.4
In front of the Colombian Caribbean Sea, there is the Cartagena Karmairí hotel with a unique experience for trips as a couple or with children from the age of 15 who seek to stay in a magical place. It is located to 15 minutes from the city of Cartagena de Indias, a fascinating city that combines colonial architecture, the friendliness of its people and dishes with exotic seafood. The concept of the hotel is based on the new trends of environmental care, carbon footprint reduction and spaces dedicated to achieve between the mind and body of each guest with elements such as a nearby beach and accommodation options with optional food for all guests and pleasures.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Trendy
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Vía Manzanillo del Mar Km. 3, Cartagena 130001 Colombia
This is a great hotel 15 minutes from the hectic city center. Be wary though there are different types of stays in this hotel.
If you are looking for Luxury retreat do book the "level's" rooms, a bungalow like house attached to the main building by a road.
If you are looking for econo-lux then book the other rooms. It's all inclusive, the food is great alcohol and cocktails are premium, but if you want to change your menu up you can book the fish house restaurant which is in the "levels" quarters. Mini bar drinks are included!!!
The levels bungalow area is off limits to the rest of guests so I'd really suggest booking if you want more of an exclusive area. You can use the beach facilities though right in front of the "level".
The hotel was completely full but I never felt it was crowded. There are various activities at night and the staff are really nice and helpfull if you want to book tours.
There's a shuttle that takes you to the City center and back at no cost, do go in the mid afternoon it gets pretty hot in Cartagena at midday.
The beach is nice and not as crowded as the others like Bocagrande and laguito and you won't get pestered as much. Do NOT pay more than COP20k to COP25k for a beach hut and if you want extra chairs you will have to pay 5k more.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed there after a round trip through Colombia and enjoyed our stay very much. Make sure to stay at ‘The Level’ which is the smaller building at the beach and separated from the main building. They only have about 7 ‘suites’ there and it is very cozy there. Only guests from The Level can use the restaurant and the pool area. During our stay we literally had the area for ourselves as there were only a few to no other guests. To note: they also offer people from outside to use the restaurant which we think is quite fair and is actually not really bothering at all. The main building offers lots of rooms and the pool over there is quite small. Wondering how that works out if all rooms are occupied, so better stat at The Level.
Food is nice, even though the menu at The Level is a bit limited. Would be great to have more choices but quality was always good. It’s that if you stay there one week having the same menu for lunch and dinner it can get a bit boring. However, as said food is great. Breakfast at the main building is buffet but also good.
The suites at The Level are very nice, modern and quite spacious. Make sure to ask for a suite with a balcony if you enjoy sitting outside a bit during the morning. The pool area is very nice and there are enough sunbeds in case all suites should be occupied. They also have sunbeds down at the beach, below The Level building. The beach, to us, is not that nice and as the pool was we enjoyed staying there the whole time.
Spa is also very nice and modern. We booked a massage during the stay and enjoyed it. They do have a little gym at the main building which is equipped with the essentials. Ok to have some workout or going in the treadmill.
The staff is very polite and friendly. While all staff at the reception speaks very good English, the waiters don’t. Not a big deal though because they are extremely friendly and we had lots of fun ordering in a mix of limited Spanish and English. There are a few waiters at The Level learning English and it is great to see that they are more than eager to improve their skills, especially young talents.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hoteles ESTELAR, Owner at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Jul 10, 2020
Dear Guest, We hope you are well with your family. On behalf of the General Management and the team of collaborators of the Meliá Cartagena Karmairí Hotel, we thank you for taking the time to share with us the impressions of your stay at the hotel and the pleasant experience during it. We are pleased to know that we have met your expectations, so we will continue working to provide the best of us to satisfy you and improve on the suggestions you provide us. We hope to be able to reopen our services as soon as possible and assist you in this your home in Cartagena. Cordially, Carlos Eduardo Arias Avila General Manager Hotel Meliá Cartagena Karmairí
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The Good: Quiet Not many people Always have a chair Staff are very nice The birds are hilarious and great entertainment Staff cleaning up consistently Paper straws! We got 30 minutes free spa time due to staying in the levels Food Options Halita is pretty amazing Beach massages are so affordable and great Sunset is almost #1 in our books and we have been to 30 countries Pool is great some people said it is too deep but perfect for 5 6 wee folk The staff were very kind to every animal. There was a stray cat with kittens and the staff were so kind and worked on finding them a home and fed them the whole time we were there until the person who was taking them got there a few days later.
The Bad: (can be fixed) Ran out of hot water in shower within 5 minutes. The staff did address this when I made them aware Service is lacking but this is cultural and not because they are not trying No menus for breakfast No room service menu You have to ask for spa entrance from the front desk - knock really loud or go to the front desk because they will not hear you
The Ugly: (can’t be fixed) Huge jets flying over
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:The Levels is a must, do not go if you don't do Levels
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Carlos eduardo Arias Avila, Propietario at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Sep 24, 2020
Dear Guest, We hope you are well with your family. On behalf of the General Management and the team of collaborators of the Hotel Meliá Cartagena Karmairí, we thank you for taking the time to share with us the impressions of your stay at the hotel and the pleasant experience during it. We are pleased to know that we have met your expectations, which is why we will continue working to do our best to satisfy you and improve the suggestions you provide us. We hope to reopen our services as soon as possible and serve you in this your home in Cartagena. Cordially, Carlos Eduardo Arias Avila General Manager Hotel Meliá Cartagena Karmairí
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Everything about this resort was perfect! We (my husband and I) stayed in "the Level" and cannot stress how much better it is than staying in the main building (it is well worth the upgrade fee). The food was amazing, the pool was amazing, the drinks were great, and there are no words to describe how good the staff is. They were so attentive and friendly and helpful. They always had a big smile and were willing to help in any way that they could. Although all the staff were great, I want to give a special shoutout to Angie, Jose, Yuliana, John, David and especially Ricardo and Yordano. We never wanted for anything, and these staff members bent over backwards to make our stay memorable. In short, this is by far the best holiday we have ever had, and we cannot wait to go back!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Upgrade to the Level suites
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Hoteles_Estelar, General Manager at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Mar 2, 2020
Dear guest, On behalf of the General Management and the team of collaborators of the Meliá Cartagena Karmairí Hotel, we thank you for your time to share the impressions of your stay at the hotel and the pleasant experience during it. We are pleased to know that we have met your expectations, so we will continue working to provide the best of us to satisfy you. We hope to have you again for this your home in Cartagena. Cordially, Carlos Eduardo Arias Avila General Manager Hotel Meliá Cartagena Karmairí
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We were pleasantly surprised upon arrival on New Year’s Eve. The open space of the lobby and bar is tastefully decorated and has an upscale vibe.
We have traveled to several countries and stayed in numerous resorts and this one has the smoothest check-in process.
Lunch just ended but Oscar asked us what we would like and soon after we were presented with fresh grilled fish and vegetables.
Our room was in the Level section which is indescribable. My husband continuously said, “This is the most relaxing vacation.” With only nine rooms, the place is nice and quiet. There are more than enough lounge chairs so there is not a need to run out early to claim a spot.
The food is SPECTACULAR- fresh seafood and flavorful dishes.
The staff - THE STAFF!! What can I say about the staff other than they are simply amazing. There was not a single frown or bad attitude. Tonight is my last night and I am eternally grateful for their hard work. They put forth great effort to make sure we were completely satisfied.
A special thank you to: Mileydis (who took care of my upset stomach due to seasickness), John, Katarina, Elsa, David, and Gustavo. The service at the Fish House is top notch.
We will return.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at The Level which was supposed to be a better and much more expensive option within the Melia hotel. That's where the mistakes started. Let's start by saying that this hotel is not a luxurious option. It was dirty, full of stray cats ready to bite and scratch, there are bats!!! inside the rooms that make a lot of noise in the evening and it is almost impossible to sleep, dirty laundry every day in the hallways, the food was terrible and if you are willing to visit this hotel along with people with disabilities or reduced mobility, stay way from it, there are stairs everywhere!!, no elevators. In short, The Level at Melia, is a very expensive hotel for what it is, it is very small (9 rooms), the food takes forever to be prepared and the staff, even though there are few guests, never offer you a drink or something to eat, you have to ask them for everything, and their response is usually with a bad attitude. This is explained by something I noticed when I arrived, which is that this hotel is operated by the Estelar chain, which stands out for its poor service and terrible attitude of its staff, far away from the service of Melia Chain. I tried to talk to the manager Carlos Arias to express the number of bad experiences that were supposed to be premium, but they did not allow me. When I asked for their email, they refused. At the end of the day, we arrived home after having paid for one of the most expensive stays in Cartagena, with the worst experience possible. If you are planning to go to Cartagena, choose Hyatt, Santa Clara hotel or Santa Teresa. Stay away from Estelar Hotels.
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Date of stay: March 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Stay in another hotel, don't waste your money
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ingrid Mieles, Atención al cliente/recepción at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Apr 23, 2022
Dear guest, We appreciate you contacting us. Feedback from our customers is always welcome and received positively. More than disagreements, they are opportunities that you give us to be able to provide a better service to the guests who visit us. Come back soon. Regards, Luis Alejandro Blanco Ruiz General Manager Melia Cartagena Karmairi Hotel
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I stayed at Melia Cartagena Karmairi with my couple for a weekend in November 2022. We were attracted to the offering of a hotel for adults only, looking for some rest and quiet along the sea. We couldn’t imagine that our stay would be a really bad experience. To start, the hotel only has two restaurants (this is important because there aren’t any other restaurants close to the hotel). One restaurant was a buffet with average food, and the other is a la carte with better food, but one night it was closed because they were hosting an event. There is no menu for room service, so when you call you have to guess your order because they ask you what you want, but you don’t know what’s available or the prices. We ordered some cocktails, and they were terrible. About our intention to rest and have a quiet time, forget it. The music in the pool area and the beach area is loud and on top of that, one night there was a party in the room for hours. We call reception and they sent security and made the guests close a window, but the party went on all night. We also had a problem with air conditioning in our bedroom that wasn’t solved during the weekend. The service was bad. To finish, although this is no direct responsibility of the hotel, the beach near the hotel is a mess, cars and motorcycles are circulating the beach, and literally, there’s organic waste (to say it in a decent form) floating in the seawater. In conclusion, it was an awful experience and sincerely we believe that Melia Cartagena Karmairi and Cartagena city are overrated.
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Date of stay: November 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid it
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Laura Madrid, Atención al cliente/recepción at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Feb 15, 2023
Dear Guest, Let us know the details of your experience in order to implement the necessary improvement actions in order to fulfill your expectations. We hope you give us the opportunity to have you at home again. Best regards, Rafael Uribe Castellon General Manager Hotel Melia Cartagena Karmairi
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We had half day without any water TV did “not get signal” 1 bath towel had a huge “type of circular” hole
Even though we were told it was a 3 years old building there were signs of accelerated deterioration around the physical structure (either bad workmanship or poor materials) ei you can see signs of water intrusion on the walls and the ceilings
Doors that didn’t close unless were slammed and doors into he common areas that were in bad shape Location is great, and generally speaking the personal trying to make it as better as possible but somehow there is a lack a proper management that translates in these type of poor client service
As Melia international resort they have no control over this property because works as a franchise therefore are kind of “independently owned and controlled”
We are middle class US travelers, so if we take in consideration this chart you will understand where I coming from we can establish a reasonable grading points just for argument sake of average Disney Resorts $300 as a 10 and low class side of the road US motel $50 like a 1.
Then this resort will be a 3 now when you factor in the price of $200 per room compare with the local Cartagena completion then we have to scale the rate and downfall it to 3 points the most.
Here in todays rate $250 is the Hilton in Cartagena with a much better serivce will be a 6.5 o 7 for an extra $50
However after we complained we were invited to meet with the Hotel Manager and he did work around the issues and find a away to compensate us and make our stay much better with not that much. ex our flight was schedule for 1.30am and our check out time was 1pm in the afternoon the day before so he offered us to keep the room until we were leaving to the airport and other amenities were we found that the hotel was trying to make things rights
At the end of the day we left with a good feeling about the hotel, also management was in the mist of a transition with a new manager that was brought in from a high end hotel chain I guess with the hopes to make this hotel to work as expected
Thank you
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Laura Madrid, Atención al cliente/recepción at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Jan 5, 2023
Dear Mr. Loza, Thank you for sharing your experience with us, we would like to inform you that the procedures were reviewed with the area involved and corrective measures were implemented to ensure compliance with our standards. We appreciate your comments as an opportunity for improvement. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and offer you the warm treatment that characterizes us. Best regards, Rafael Uribe Castellon General Manager Hotel Melia Cartagena Karmairi
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They made our Honeymoon a nightmare, from the moment we arrived at the hotel the first conflict was with the payment, we are residents abroad and they wanted to charge us VAT, when we requested that one of the employees "Richard" check it (According to his colleagues why not He has a badge) he said that was the case and that he was not going to do anything, fortunately his other colleague went to ask (The manager never showed his face) he later returned informing us that we were right. Upon entering, the hotel has only 2 elevators and one is permanently damaged, they are always missing something, if not beer, they are missing something from the snack menu, the first dinner (the day of the employees' New Year's Eve dinner) was completely salty The only elevator was damaged and was out of service for some time, the spa jacuzzi does not work and was not fixed during the entire stay and apparently they do not plan to fix it, there is not enough staff with the hotel full, orders can take a while more than one hour. The disposition of the waiters is the only good thing, at reception there is only one person who is saved (Frank) the others have a terrible attitude! There is no logistics nor management, this is non-existent in this hotel, it is noticeable by the lack of products, maintenance and personnel. The rooms facing the restaurant are noisy from 8 pm until midnight. Also nearby is the stellar hotel that plays music at such high levels that it can be heard in the rooms of the Karmairi hotel. The soundproofing is not good, the keys are They are confusing, sun loungers are limited, the beach is public therefore the view is of the awnings and vans parked on the beach. On the last day to check out we asked if it was possible to go on the hotel bus to Cartagena, first we had scheduled it for 12:30 pm and we had asked for a snack at 11:50 am because the snack arrived at 12: 50 pm we could not take the bus, despite seeing us with our backpacks on our backs they told us to take the 3 pm bus, it turns out that at 3 pm when we went to get on the bus they informed us that due to hotel policies we could not take the bus. No one carrying a suitcase got on board (we had a back pack that fits under the seat of the plane) again when we went to ask how this was possible the same guy from the first day came back to pretend that he didn't care, no one showed up. Management, no one cared! They made us lose 3 hours! By the way, when we checked out they did not want to give us an invoice and again tried to collect taxes that do not apply to residents abroad!
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:If you are looking for all inclusive try another place / Si buscan un todo incluido hay otros...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Booked a night here to get away from the city during a week in Cartagena. We figured 1 night was cheaper than 2 day passes and were excited by the spa and beach. While booking the room via Melia Customer Service, we were told the spa was available for the next day but we neeeed to contact it directly. We also confirmed we'd have access to all inclusive food and drinks if we arrived at breakfast time. We then called over 10 times and got disconnected after asking for the spa twice then no answer afterwards. Then, on arrival, we were told that we wouldn't have access to any all inclusive food or drinks until 3pm, opposite of all inclusives we've visited elsewhere, including within the same chain, also inconsistent with what we were told when we booked the room. After some argument, we were eventually told we could have breakfast which was very tasty. After that we chilled, were able to book massages and laid out by the pool. We visited the beach but didn't feel safe leaving our stuff in the designated seating area because it's so far from water, you can't see your stuff if in the water. Then, much to our horror, once we got our room in the afternoon, we were subjected to major construction right outside of the room and the smell of sewage. This smell pretty much permeated the entire resort. The room itself was tiny, had bugs stuck to walls ans had no safe and a messed up shower head. After our massages (very good for my friend, decent for me), we couldn't get out of there fast enough. We didn't even spend the night. Also, at checkin, we noticed a much older fellow adding what appeared to be a local teenager to his room for fun...gross. Pro here: staff was very nice, cocktails were tasty, tasty food.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Don't bother coming
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Laura Madrid, Atención al cliente/recepción at Karmairí Cartagena
Responded Aug 18, 2023
Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We would like to inform you that the procedures were reviewed with the area involved and corrective measures were implemented to ensure compliance with our standards. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again and offer you the warm treatment that characterizes us. Best regards, Diego Manrique Narváez General Manager Hotel Melia Cartagena Karmairi
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Yes, it offers a shuttle to the city, I think every 30 mins, but the last bus from the city to the hotel is around 5pm, so if you want to go out for a dinner you would need to take a taxi, which is not that expensive either. The hotel is great indeed, that’s my place to go when I go to Cartagena and I really enjoy it is very different from the usual hotels in the city because it’s so peaceful, it also offers great food and very comfy beds.
Yes, menu includes a variety of meat options, although seafood is featured. Dollar would likely be welcome for tips, but I would contact the hotel to confirm whether they would accept dollars for hotel charges. They do accept credit cards. Not sure what you mean by restrictions on use of the property...
Dunstable, United Kingdom346 contributions84 helpful votes
"Shuttle takes you to Cartegena Town. This saves you money.
From the hotel the cost of a taxis should be no more than 40000 peso.
To tour the city take the sightseeing bus.
"
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