We really enjoyed our time at Chicheria. It can be hard to figure out the room configurations when using booking websites so here's the deal: you can stay in a mixed-gender dorm, a private room without its own bathroom (i.e., you share the hall bath with people staying in the dorm), or a private room with private bathroom. There are only three rooms in the entire place, so it has a very small, intimate feel to it.
The staff are very friendly and Miriam, who was on duty during the day, speaks good English so this was a good place to stay as our first stop in Colombia, given that we don't speak much Spanish. Chicheria feels very safe. Because so few people stay here, the staff lets you in just by recognizing your face -- the door is always kept locked. There isn't a safe in the room, or other secure area to store your valuables, so we had to resort to hiding things in different spots in our room or carrying it with us, but the place is so small that there really isn't much danger of a break-in. Anyone coming in off the street would be seen by the staff or other guests.
There is a small pool of the same type that most of the typical Cartagena houses have -- it used to be a cistern. It was very pleasant to swim there, since it's in the middle of an open air courtyard. My husband actually gave me my first snorkeling lesson here. Signs say the pool closes at 6pm, so there's no danger of people being loud late into the night. In general, this hostel prioritizes peace and quiet for its guests. If people were talking in the common areas late at night, staff would ask them to keep voices down. This is not a party hostel, so it is perfect for budget travelers in their 30s, like us. While we were there, a couple probably in their 50s was staying in the private-bath room and seemed quite content. It seems like a hostel appropriate for all ages. Chicheria is located on one of the quietest blocks in the walled city, so you can go out and have your fun, then come back and get a good night's sleep. You'll be located a bit away from the hustle and bustle, but almost anyplace in the walled city can still be reached in a 5- or 10-minute walk. Getsemani is a bit further away (15 min).
Chicheria has a clean and well-maintained kitchen, where the sink has hot water, so even though food is not provided, you can make your own. There is a grocery store around the corner.
We stayed in the private room that doesn't have a bathroom, and our bed was two twin beds pushed together -- so unfortunately it really wasn't comfortable. My husband and I either had to cram onto one bed, or sleep completely separately. I suppose they keep this configuration for the case of two same-gender friends traveling together, but for us it was unfortunate. But the mattresses themselves were comfortable, and the air conditioning worked well. We only had housekeeping on the first day out of 5 days we stayed, so that was a bit odd.
The only other downside was the bathrooms. For up to a dozen people, they have a total of two toilets and two showers. I have never stayed in another hostel that didn't have multiple stalls or small rooms in the bathroom. Chicheria has a men's bathroom and a women's bathroom, but in either case you can't even use the toilet if someone else is taking a shower, because of the way it's configured. It turned out to be less of a hassle than I expected, but for example when we were getting ready for a wedding we were attending, we ended up running late because other people were in the showers at the time we wanted to start getting ready. Women commonly use the men's shower if the women's is occupied. Putting some mirrors in the guest rooms would help because then at least people wouldn't need to use the bathroom for doing make-up and hair.
Chicheria seems expensive by U.S. standards for what it is, but the bottom line is that hotels in the old city of Cartagena are all very expensive. This is among the cheapest you will find, and based on reviews we read and conversations with friends, a good value for the money.
