Top Tips for Booking an Airbnb in Cartagena, Colombia

Airbnb in Cartagena, Colombia, much like the rest of the world, has become an increasingly popular choice for booking accommodations.

Renting a Cartagena Airbnb can work really well for a short vacation getaway, a longer stay of several weeks or even months, and everything in between.

I lived in Cartagena for over a decade and made this website to use that experience to help people plan. Since I lived there, I don’t have a ton of experience staying in Cartagena vacation rentals myself, but I have had friends come and visit and use them, and I know the city very well.

Susana and I have also used Airbnb extensively traveling around other parts of Colombia (do check out the Other Destinations sections by the way for lots of ideas for other neat places to visit in the country!).

So, I feel confident I can help anyone looking for a Cartagena, Colombia Airbnb.

If you are considering booking an Airbnb in Cartagena for your stay, I’ll share some practical tips and things to keep in mind when deciding which options might be the best Airbnbs in Cartagena, Colombia for you in this post.

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn from purchases made after clicking those links. Disclosure Policy.

Tips for Airbnb in Cartagena, Colombia – Contents

• Cartagena Airbnbs vs Hotels
• A Great Best of Both Worlds Option
• Alternative Platforms for Cartagena Vacation Rentals
• Top Areas for Cartagena Airbnbs and Cartagena Vacation Rentals
• Some Things to Watch Out For When You Book Your Airbnb in Cartagena

Airbnb in Cartagena vs a Hotel

So, if you landed on this page, there’s a good chance that’s because you are searching for the best airbnbs in Cartagena, Colombia or are at least considering booking your accommodations in a Cartagena Airbnb.

I think there are a lot of great advantages to booking a Cartagena Airbnb for your stay.

Practically all of the Airbnbs in Cartagena are true private vacation rentals where you’ll have a full apartment, complete with kitchen and things like a washing machine.

I know for Susana and I, when we were slow traveling around Colombia over the period of a few months, we often stayed in Airbnbs for a few days between trips to some of the remoter places we visited like the rainbow river of Caño Cristales or the great hiking in the remote area of Guaviare, to take advantage of having a washing machine and do laundry.

Having the kitchen can be really handy too to save some pesos on meals, especially breakfast too.

Airbnbs in Cartagena work especially well for small groups or families so you can all stay together.

Many of the best Airbnbs in Cartagena also offer access to nice pools in apartment buildings, and some of the really large and swanky ones may even have their own little private pools or jacuzzis.

Now that we’ve talked about the good things about Airbnb, let’s talk a bit about the cons, and why I think it’s worth at least considering other options for booking your accommodations in Cartagena.

The first is Airbnb as a company.

I think there are legit criticisms to its business model and its implications for society and affordable housing for local residents, but that’s really another issue.

My personal experience, as well as what I see anecdotally talking to people or in Facebook groups and other travel forums, is that as the company has grown its customer service has declined.

Also, as more and more people see it as a viable and seemingly easy to profit from business venture, quality for Airbnbs in Cartagena and elsewhere has become increasingly hit or miss.

Some hosts are genuinely interested in providing a great experience, some are just trying to make some easy money.

Prices can also sometimes be heavily inflated.

Another drawback to booking Cartagena Airbnbs is the way the platform handles location.

In the section on location below, I’ll cover how to mitigate this a little bit, but there are some areas that the radius of a handful of blocks the site shows can make all the difference between being in a safe area to stay or not.

So, I’d encourage you to consider a few other options alongside an Airbnb in Cartagena to compare and decide what’s best for you.

The first thing I’d encourage you to look into is just a traditional hotel.

You can rest assured that practically every decent hotel in Cartagena is safe and secure.

Many also include breakfast, which makes life easier and cancels out one of the main advantages of an AirbnB in Cartagena.

Also, many have terrific pools.

If you would like to consider a traditional hotel route, check out my posts on the best luxury hotels in Cartagena and the best boutique Cartagena hotels. You could also check out my picks for the best beach hotels in Cartagena.

Casa Claver Boutique – Best of Both Worlds Option

If you are considering a Airbnb in Cartagena, let me tell you about what I see as the very best happy medium between them and a hotel.

The Casa Claver Boutique Hotel has several loft style apartments that come with kitchens and multiple bedrooms.

It has a great pool and view and is in a can’t beat location right in the historic city center.

In my opinion, it offers the best of both worlds between a hotel and Cartagena Airbnb.

If you’re a couple or a small group or family, it makes a great choice for being safe, secure, but having a larger space too.

The only downside is there aren’t larger apartments, so if you want more than 2 bedrooms, you will have to look at a Cartagena Airbnb or some of the other options for Cartagena vacation rentals I’ll discuss below.

Alternative Sites for Booking Cartagena Vacation Rentals

If you definitely prefer not to go the hotel route and want a Cartagena vacation rental like a Cartagena Airbnb, I do think it’s at least worth checking out the options on other platforms to see how they do or don’t compare.

My personal favorite platform for reservations is Booking.com. While we use it all the time for traditional hotels, it’s also increasingly become one of our go to places for booking apartments and Airbnb-esque vacation rentals.

I use it enough to where I get the so called “Genius Discount,” which is more useful for hotels but does occasionally apply to apartments. Staying in one should also help you accumulate the stays to qualify for it too.

I have also noticed more recently that there are more and more Cartagena vacation rentals listed here, and since you can also book hotels on the site, it’s really easy to compare price and the cost benefit of a hotel vs an apartment vacation rental in Cartagena.

Overall, I just tend to trust Booking, their payment system, and their user interface too.

I used it to book a great apartment in Cartagena on our last visit which was a better deal than anything I found on Airbnb, and I would use it again. Some renters may ask you to pay them outside the platform, so check what the listing says, and decide if you are comfortable with that.

Another option is VRBO.

To be honest, I’ve never booked anything with VRBO. I also frankly don’t love its interface, and I have noticed that it has a lot of what I can only assume are 3rd party listings because some are duplicated.

I do however, think it can be a good option, especially for larger groups looking for a complete Cartagena vacation rental home as opposed to just a small apartment.

Here is a nice write up about VRBO vs Airbnb for families that gives a good look at the pros and cons from someone who has used both. While it’s more aimed for traveling with children, I think it raises some good points to consider for adult groups too.

There are lots of great full homes listed there, many that come with included or optional amenities like chefs and security.

Speaking of larger, complete home rentals, there are actually a few historic homes that can be booked as one large vacation rental in Cartagena.

A few standouts I found on Booking are the 5 bedroom Casa Gastelbondo, the 3 bedroom Santos de Piedra, and the Casa Morales by Soho, which offers several 1 to two bedroom apartments in the same building that can be rented all together or seperately.

I think these make another great option if you are a medium to larger sized group and want a happy medium between a hotel and Airbnb in Cartagena.

Areas to Look for the Best Airbnbs in Cartagena

Location, location, location!

The best Airbnbs in Cartagena as well as the best Cartagena vacation rentals on other sites are in or near the historic and touristic city center.

You can read a lot more about the pros and cons of these areas in my longer post on the best areas to stay in Cartagena, but I’ll briefly touch on the main areas I’d suggest looking for Cartagena Airbnbs in and what to keep in mind for each here.

First, I can’t recommend staying in the historic city center, sometimes called Centro, Centro Histórico, or the Walled City enough. You might also see listings for Cartagena vacation rentals that say San Diego or La Matuna, two of the neighborhoods within the Walled City.

It’s easy to walk to lots of great Cartagena restaurants and the best nightlife in Cartagena if you stay in this area.

It’s also just charming and captures the magic of Cartagena perfectly.

Neighboring Getsemaní is also terrific and offers a similar experience.

I would play close attention to reviews and comments on rentals here since there are a handful of streets that can still be a tad seedy.

Outside of those two areas, you could consider the areas along the waterfront in either direction outside the Walled City.

The peninsula of Bocagrande and the areas of Laguito and Castillogrande towards its end offer a sort of mini South Beach vibe with lots of restaurants, shopping, and modern high rises. There are also lots of hotels as well as condo style apartment buildings in these areas popular for Cartagena Airbnbs.

The best beaches in the city proper are here but do tend to get quite crowded, and I’m not a huge fan of them to be honest.

In the other direction, the beach front neighborhoods of El Cabrero and Marbella have less restaurants and things around but still offer a beach and are walking distance from Centro. They also often have much more budget friendly Aibnbs and Cartagena vacation rentals available.

I lived in these two areas for a number of years and loved how easy it was to get around from here.

The one thing I’d say about looking here is to make 100% sure you are on the block or two just off the beach.

Some listings may list these neighborhoods but actually be in Torices, which is a neighborhood I would not want to stay in unless I knew my way around Cartagena. Parts of it are rough.

You want to be on the ocean side of the small lake and creek that runs along these areas. Be especially careful with Airbnbs here that show you a radius that includes the other side of the creek.

If that’s the case, I would send the host a message asking the name of the building.

To be honest, that’s not a bad tip no matter where the location is.

That way you can do a quick Google search and see exactly what’s around restaurant and shop wise and maybe even see some more photos of the exterior of the building, which Cartagena Airbnb listings won’t always have.

I really wouldn’t recommend any other areas for Airbnbs in Cartagena.

Manga and Crespo are fine, but I’d strongly suggest just staying closer to the attractions in the Walled City unless you’re coming for a particularly long stay and also find something in those other two areas that just perfectly suits your need for a great price.

Other Tips for Finding Cartagena, Colombia Airbnbs

Here are a few other things I’d suggest keeping in mind when looking for Airbnbs in Cartagena or other Cartagena vacation home rentals.

Be Sure to Review the Rules

It’s easy to take for granted skimming the rules on Cartagena Airbnb listings.

Most should be pretty standard things like no super loud music or parties, no drugs, etc. Still, you want to make sure you understand and agree to them. The last thing you want is to get to your Cartagena Airbnb and be disappointed.

I’d pay close attention to check in and check out times as well as what the listing says about the following tip.

Double Check if it’s a Guest Friendly Airbnb in Cartagena

This of course only applies if you think you might invite guests to your vacation rental in Cartagena. If you think you might, you should consult the rules related to guests at your Cartagena Airbnb.

I would suggest double checking with a message to the host too.

Some friends that came for our wedding stayed at an Airbnb in Cartagena that said guests were allowed in the listing, but the building had a policy against it.

So, we weren’t allowed to visit and hang out at the sweet pool they had.

That’s why I recommend double checking with a message to the host confirming guests are allowed in the building.

For buildings and rentals that do allow them, you may need to register them ahead of time, so be sure to ask about those logistics.

Do note that most apartment buildings will have doormen and will likely need to see an ID for any guests, even if they don’t need to be registered before hand.

To be honest, this is a good arrangement that gives you some extra safety especially if you happen to be bringing back a guest you recently met.

Be Sure to Check the Amenities

When looking for an Airbnb in Cartagena, I would pay special attention to if there is a pool, and if there is a washer and dryer.

Have a sweet pool is totally worth it, especially if you think you’ll have some downtime to enjoy it. For a super short trip, it might not be necessary, and you’ll probably pay less in a building without one though.

Susana and I have used Airbnb a lot as sort of a base for a few days between trips, and so we often want to take advantage of washers and dryers to do laundry. If you’re just coming for a few days or even up to a week or two, this might not matter to you.

It can come in really handy though if you need to do any laundry. There aren’t laundromats in Cartagena, and while there are some services that wash clothes, they tend to be costly for what it is.

I would double check there is not only a washer but also either a good space to hang clothes to dry or an actual clothes dryer. Dryers aren’t all that common in Cartagena, but lots of Airbnbs do have them.

There are some other amenities that might be worth looking for and/or double checking with the host about.

One is internet speed.

Pretty much everywhere has it nowadays, but if it’s important you have fast speeds for work or something, I would read the reviews carefully and double check with host.

Smart Tvs have become pretty common for streaming, and many places may also have cable TV.

I think a balcony is a definite plus, especially if it has a nice view of the Caribbean.

Another thing that might be worth double checking and asking about is if there is hot water.

Most people do not have hot water heaters in Cartagena.

For example, we never had hot water in our apartments when we lived in Cartagena. To be honest, I rarely missed a hot shower considering how hot it is just about all the time in Cartagena, and rarely is the water actually ice cold, more like refreshingly cool. So, I think you can get by without it.

Hot water is fairly common in nicer Airbnbs though, especially those in newer buildings.

If it’s important to you, be sure to look for it or ask the host.

Dishwashing machines are also very rare, even in vacation rentals. So, you may need to wash some dishes by hand during your time in Cartagena.

Finally, you might be able to find some nicer places that have things like jacuzzis.

Some larger vacation rental homes may offer things like private security guards, maids, and cooks too. These are usually more common on sites like VRBO or direct rentals, but may also be available at some swankier Cartagena Airbnbs too.

Check the Sleeping Arrangements

It can be easy to just look at the number of people a Cartagena vacation rental can accommodate, but be sure to also check the number of bedrooms and the way beds are organized too.

It’s fairly common to have sofa beds and bunk beds or multiple smaller beds in rooms so the total number that can be accommodated is higher.

If it’s important for your group or family that some people or everyone have their room, you’ll just need to make sure you keep this in mind when looking at Cartagena Airbnbs. Look for listings that have photos of the room and bed arrangements as you don’t want to end up too cramped even if you are ok sharing rooms.

See if There are Discounts for Longer Stays

If you happen to be coming for a longer stay, be sure to see if there are weekly or monthly discounts offered. Most of the time these are automatically applied on the Airbnb site.

Things like the washer and dryer are probably more important if you are doing a longer stay. You could also ask if the host offers any kind of cleaning service once a week or something.

Ready to book your Cartagena vacation rental?

Now you’ve got lots of things to keep in mind when booking a vacation rental in Cartagena, rather that be on Airbnb or some other site.

I really can’t recommend enough comparing what’s available on Booking and VRBO to what’s available on Airbnb in Cartagena to make sure you get the best deal and best fit for your trip.

I do hope these tips were helpful no matter where you make your reservation. More importantly, though, I hope you have a wonderful time in Cartagena!

Please do check out all the other content on this site to help you plan your trip.

Cheers and Happy Exploring!

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You might also want to see my suggestions for the best tours in Cartagena, the best day trips from Cartagena, and my guide to Cartagena’s beaches. If you’re traveling elsewhere in Colombia, you might want to see my tips for the best areas to stay in Bogotá or how to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta. Do also check out my guide to the Cartagena airport and how to fill out the Check Mig immigration form.