We went to las Americas in a group of 18 from Toronto.
Flight on time and check in went smooth.
Safety:
Cartagena is a very safe place. Not once did I ever feel unsafe. People are very nice and they want the tourist. We took the free shuttle bus from the resort to El Centro (old city) everyday. El centro has many plazas and the streets all angle into another plaza. It is very easy to loose your sense of direction but no problem everyone there is very willing to help you. There are many vendors trying to sell you their wares. If you don’t want to buy their product just say NO and walk away . We had only a few that were persistant majority of the vendors were very good. The most persistant were in the jewellry store area because if they could get you to walk into the jewellry store they got paid whether you made a purchase or not. The vendors seem to have their territories. One street full of vendors , next street no vendors all clothing, next street all shoes etc. I personally enjoyed the bartering which was about half of the asking price. We felt very free to walk whereever we wanted whether we were in a group or just the my husband and I.
Resort:
You get an armband at check in time. Take a pen and put your room number on it because the resort is all inclusive -semi- inclusive and pay as you go. They ask you for your room number constantly ei: Not at breakfast but all the other meals, when you return from an outing or any time you return to the resort. They call it control. There are many different coloured armband on the resort and by giving your room number they know if you really belong to Las Americas. If you give the wrong number they Know right away. You will not be charged any money unless you order something special that is not included in your all-inclusive and then you will have to sign your name DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING FROM YOUR FRIG OR BASKET IN YOUR ROOM OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED. This is for the people that are not all inclusive. They check everyday. Go to the bar and get your water, pop etc and put in your fridg. DO NOT TAKE THEIR WATER OR POP.
Food:
The resort has buffet—la menu–and a la carte Sit at a table in the buffet area. Check out the buffet. If it is not to your liking ask for La Menu. Order what you like ei; Club House–Hamburger and fries—T-Bone steak–Fillet Mignon–Red Snapper–Pork chops–Grilled chicken etc It works the same as Canada. IF your order from the menu you do not get the buffet. Personally I usually prefer buffet but not here. I had the lunch buffet 3 times but usually ordered La menu . I tried almost every dish on the menu and every dish was excellent so good I asked what kind of oil they cooked with.
Activities:
The resort is very quiet and the activities basicaly non-existant. It was very warm and very very windy but comfortable. The beach area is patrolled by security for 2 reasons. One to keep others off the resort and two to keep vendors away. They did allow 3 vendors on their beach but they are not allowed to bother you. If you said no and they didnt leave the security blew their whistle and they left.
Tours: All the tours were very good the only problem was when vendors see the tour bus they are like flies on sugar and very annoying. You might have to say no 3 or 4 times. If you went on your own they were no problem.
ALL IN ALL We truly enjoyed our trip to Cartagena and especially Las Americas because it was the only private beach in Cartagena.
The People: Las Americas is a beautiful resort with the most amazing freindly staff. From the bartenders to the waiters and waiteresses cant seem to do enough for you. The first 3 days we did not tip and they dont expect any tip. They are constantly asking you if you would like a drink be it coffee tea water or a drink from the bar. If your meal is not just right like if your T-bone steak is not cooked well enough they will get it right for you with a smile. When we did tip we just put the money in their pockets and they were very grateful but the service did not change because they already did everything possible to make your stay a pleasant one. We had brought along our travel mugs like a Tim Hortons mug and a stainless steel mug and right away the bartenders asked if they could have our mugs on the day we returned to Canada. They filled them to the brim all week and it was our pleasure to hand then our mugs. Another thing they really wanted was a pin with Canada on it. I was really sorry we only had two because I would have liked to have given everyone there one. Our rooms were kept very clean every day and every evening the maid would take off the bedspread and leave us 2 chocolates. It was a very nice touch. i cant say enough about the people of Colombia. They were the most warm freindly people we have met in our travels Dont be afraid to go to Cartagena Colombia you will fall in love with the city and the people just like we did
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at sparkyb@porchlight.ca
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