Best Luxury Hotels in Cartagena, Colombia

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There’s nothing quite like being able to enjoy the finer things while on vacation!

And what better way to do that than staying at one of the best luxury hotels in Cartagena, Colombia?

You can choose from lavish former colonial era mansions and convents converted to Cartagena luxury hotels to modern high rises with views of the Caribbean stretching across the horizon.

Read on to see my picks for the best luxury and 5 star hotels in Cartagena, Colombia!

Luxury and 5 Star Cartagena Hotels Quick Picks

I’ll go into lots more detail below, but here are some quick picks if you’re in a hurry:

• Finest Hotel in Cartagena: Casa San Agustín
• Neatest Colonial 5 Star Hotel in Cartagena: Sofitel Santa Clara
• Best Value Colonial Luxury Hotel in Cartagena: Casona del Colegio
• Best Modern High Rise Cartagena Luxury Hotel: Hyatt Regency
• Best Beach Luxury Resort Near Cartagena: Sofitel Barú Calablanca

1. Casa San Agustín – Very Best 5 Star Hotel in Cartagena

The Casa San Agustín is undoubtedly the very best of the 5 star hotels in Cartagena currently.

Located in the space of what used to be 3 large former colonial mansions, it has amazing rooms, a pretty pool, and its restaurant Alma is also terrific.

The hotel is widely recognized and highly regarded for outstanding service, part of the group known as Leading Hotels of the World and often featured in travel logs and write ups in travel magazines.

If your budget permits it, this should definitely be your choice for the best Cartagena 5 star hotel and lands a deserved first place on this list.

It’s possible the Four Seasons will challenge it once it opens, but for now it’s the finest hotel in Cartagena.

2. Sofitel Santa Clara – Convent Turned Cartagena 5 Star Hotel

The Sofitel Legend Santa Clara takes a worthy second place among the best Cartagena 5 star hotels.

This gorgeous Cartagena luxury hotel is located in a charming former convent on the San Diego Plaza.

However, you’ll probably feel more like a prince or princess than a nun staying here though.

The rooms are luxuriously furnished with high, vaulted ceilings. They blend classy colonial elegance and charm with modern comfort perfectly. Some have views of the lovely gardens, and some even have views of the city walls and Caribbean beyond.

Just steps from the hotel you’ll find some of the best restaurants in Cartagena, including This area, besides being close to lots of restaurants is also a quieter part of the historic center of Cartagena.

The charm, beauty, and amenities at this Cartagena luxury hotel combine to make it a truly special place to stay and a worthy second choice for the best luxury hotel in Cartagena.

*If you’d like to get access to the great pool at Santa Clara and enjoy a luxurious experience at a slightly more affordable price, check out Las Bovedas de Santa Clara, located next door and offering access to the pool and common areas at the Sofitel Legend.

3. Santa Teresa – 2nd Convent Turned Cartagena Luxury Hotel

Next up on this list is another one of the best 5 star hotels in Cartagena, and another one located in a former convent with all its colonial charm and luxury.

The Charleston Santa Teresa has a lovely central courtyard with its own terrific restaurant (Susana and I love the crab nachos here!). The courtyard bar out front is also a great spot for a drink.

There is also an amazing rooftop pool and terrace with an amazing view overlooking the city wall and Caribbean Sea.

Rooms are elegantly furnished with the right blend of colonial charm and modern comfort that you’d expect at one of the best luxury hotels in Cartagena. It’s a bit larger than either the San Agustín or Santa Clara and offers something closer to a luxury hotel chain experience, but the setting ensures it keeps that intimate historic charm.

4. Casona del Colegio – Best Value Historic Luxury Hotel in Cartagena

If you can “settle” for a luxury 4 star hotel in Cartagena, consider La Casona del Colegio.

One of the newer Cartagena luxury hotels, it is in a great location within just a stone’s throw of the Clocktower. Susana and I actually treated ourselves to a staycation here and thought it was terrific (read a review of our stay here).

While not cheap, I think it offers a great value for a Cartagena luxury hotel, practically as nice as the the best 5 star hotels in Cartagena above, but at more reasonable prices. We also thought the service was terrific, and the food and drinks from the restaurant were absolutely top notch.

Pro tip: I wish we had gotten one of the suites on the corner that have balconies with private mini pools, which cost around the same as standard rooms at the places above.

In other words, if you want the best bang for your peso at a Cartagena luxury hotel, while also having a really romantic and relaxing place to stay, book one of the corner suites here and thank me later.

There’s also a great pool overlooking the Cathedral here if you don’t manage to snag one of those suites (of course, even if you do, be sure to enjoy those views at the rooftop pool too!).

6. Bastión Luxury Hotel – Classy and Elegant Cartagena 4 Star Hotel

Bastion Luxury Hotel Cartagena has its own gorgeous rooftop pool located in the heart of the Walled City.

While it doesn’t have quite the the view of Movich or Casona del Colegio, it’s still pretty decent. The pool is also a bit larger. So, it’s not the worst tradeoff.

It is also located in a pretty and charming building.

The rooms here have a Victorian era decor. There is a nice restaurant on site, and it offers easy access to all the main attractions downtown.

Bastion is also on the smaller side compared to some of the other places on this list of top luxury hotels in Cartagena, so if you’re looking for something a bit more intimate, closer to the feel of a boutique, this might just be the best luxury hotel in Cartagena for you.

7. Casa Pestagua – Live Like A Noble (Really!)

Its full name, the Casa Pestagua Relais Chateaux, is a mouthful. However, you’ll have a full on luxury experience here since this is the former mansion of a count.

It’s the smallest hotel on this list, and offers the best, boutique luxury experience.

Rooms here are absolutely lovely and befitting a noble, and they would be perfect for a romantic getaway.

There’s also a lovely pool, and the hotel has its own beach club and lodge on the lovely beaches of Barú you can include as part of your stay too.

8. Hotel Capellán – Historic Luxury Outside the Wall

Located a block outside the Walled City in the equally historic neighborhood of Getsemaní, the Hotel Capellán is one of the newest luxury hotels in Cartagena.

Its location still offers easy access to the attractions inside the wall as well as being close to some of the best nightlife in Cartagena on the Calle Media Luna.

There’s a rooftop pool and a well regarded spa here too. We have eaten and had drinks at the restaurant and enjoyed it a lot as well.

The rooms are very nice with a blend between a classy, historical style, and modern comfort. They also offer a few larger multi-bedroom suites that would be a great choice for families and small groups.

9. Hyatt Regency – Best High Rise Luxury Resort in Cartagena

Located in Cartagena’s more modern Bocagrande neighborhood, the Hyatt Regency is one of the newest high rise Cartagena luxury hotels. It’s also one of the very tallest buildings in Cartagena.

So, it’d be my pick for the best more modern, chain style luxury hotel in Cartagena.

At the very top there are several terrific pools that look out directly over the Caribbean. In fact, I’d hazard to say these are the best rooftop pools at any Cartagena luxury resort.

The rooms here are also terrific, exactly what you would expect for a high end luxury hotel in Cartagena with the name Hyatt. They are modernly, yet elegantly, furnished and many have amazing views out to sea.

The location is close to the beaches of Bocagrande, lots of great shopping, a slew of restaurants, as well as being just a short taxi ride away from the historic Walled City.

If you are looking for all the amenities that a larger chain hotel like the Hyatt can offer or just want a more modernly styled room than the more colonial, boutique style places higher on the list, this may just be the very best luxury resort in Cartagena for you!

10. Estelar – Another Great High Rise Cartagena Luxury Resort

Located right across the street from the Hyatt Regency is the Estelar.

It is basically the same height, meaning it is also one of the tallest buildings in Cartagena and also looks out directly over the Caribbean.

You’ll find an infinity pool here overlooking the Caribbean from on high. Although, unlike the Hyatt, the pool here is not on the roof but on a deck about half way up.

Instead of a rooftop pool, you’ll find 51 Sky Bar, the highest rooftop bar in Cartagena at the top of the Estelar. It has a fun vibe and some terrific views of its own out to sea on one side and of the bay on the other.

Rooms are are also gorgeous, comfortable, and modernly furnished.

*Estelar’s sister property in Manzanillo is located about half an hour outside of town on the beach if you want a get away from it all, all inclusive, by the beach Cartagena luxury resort experience.

11. Hotel Intercontinental – Another Great Beachfront Option

The Hotel Intercontinental closes out this list of Cartagena luxury hotels.

To be honest, if you really want to be beachfront in the city, it’s arguably the best overall option.

The beach here is much wider than the beaches near the Hyatt and Estelar. It does get more crowded too though.

Still, it’s the largest area of beach in Bocagrande and there are plenty of great places to eat and shop nearby.

The hotel isn’t shabby either!

Rooms are very nice, and there is a gorgeous pool on the deck overlooking the Caribbean.

Bonus Pick #1: Four Seasons Cartagena (coming soon!)

I have a feeling once the Four Seasons opens, it’ll go straight to or very near the top of this list.

The plans for this hotel just across from the Clocktower in Getsemaní have been years in the making. It’ll span several historic buildings, including the San Francisco Convent, one of the first buildings in Getsemaní.

The website says it will open in late 2025, but an exact date has not been announced as of my last update to this post in July 2025.

So, keep an eye out if they are taking reservations yet if you’re planning a trip late in 2025 or beyond and you want to newest Cartagena luxury hotel.

Bonus Pick #2: Sofitel Calablanca – Best Beach Luxury Resort in Cartagena

For a long time, I recommended Hotel Las Islas as the best of the Cartagena luxury resorts on the beach. Its rustic bungalows are still a great option, especially for those looking to feel like they’ve escaped it all and are immersed in nature.

However, I think the more modern Sofitel Barú Calablanca offers an experience appealing to a wider variety travelers, including families.

The hotel is absolutely lovely and is set apart on its own on an isolated part of Barú Island, giving it an exclusive and private beach.

Rooms are lovely, and there’s also a nice pool.

One of the things I really like though, and why I think it’s the best overall Cartagena luxury resort on the beach, is that the hotel offers a lot of activities, like mixology classes, cooking classes, movies under the stars, and coffee tastings.

Just keep in mind it’s at the bottom of this list because it is roughly an hour away from Cartagena proper.

So, you won’t want to stay here for your entire trip.

If you’re looking for a beach escape for a few nights to complement your stay at one of the 5 star hotels in Cartagena above, it’s one of the best places for it. You can also check out all my picks for the best Rosario Islands resorts if you don’t manage to snag a room here.