Charleston Santa Teresa Cartagena

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

910 reviews

• 

  Decent place to say, but not that good for a 5* hotel

  It’s a lovely old colonial building and they’ve done the most they can to try and make it comfortable for modern standards, but it does look tired in places. The rooftop is wonderful with a great large pool a fantastic view of the ocean, bocagrande and sunsets. The location is great, we walked everywhere in the walled city and Getsamani for tourism & dining. The service is very slow everywhere in the hotel (usual in Cartagena to be fair) but the service was less friendly than other hotels we stayed in, especially bar staff. Dining is decent, the location do breakfast and dinner is exquisite with the open roof and breakfast is fantastic (but slow for eggs) but dinner there’s much better value for money and luxury all within a 5-15m walk away. The main 2 bad surprises we had were no hot water, every shower we took was cold. When splashing out on the king room with balcony it was quite surprising. Despite it being hot most days I didn’t want a cold shower every time! Secondly, everything (all prices) excludes service, where a small bag of laundry ended up costing an eye watering $220, despite us asking them not to iron (triple the price). But if you avoid the rip off laundry and are good with cold showers it’s pretty good!

  Feb 14, 2025
• 

  Exceptional hotel and fabulous location.

  Exceptional service from the staff. They are very attentive to your needs. Love the rooftop pool and the buffet breakfast in the morning was fabulous. The housekeeping staff cleaned our room daily and had turn down service in the evening. Would highly recommend The Charleston Santa Teresa and would return in a heartbeat!

  Feb 09, 2025
• 

  Lovely hotel.

  A lovely hotel with excellent service, food, & accommodations. Located across from the water in the old town. Our stay was perfect. Some of our friends have stayed here several times. I can see why they keep coming back. It was our first time in Cartagena and we found the hotel and the city itself to be wonderful.

  Feb 06, 2025
• 

  Nice hotel, expensive, terrible service

  Great location, superb roof terrace and view (but closes at 6 pm, right at sunset, which is sad). Hotel facilities are fine, effective AC in room. Service was terrible, the worst we have experienced in 3 visits to Colombia. We asked twice to speak to a manager but were told no one was present and to our request for the manager to contact us, he or she never complied. Can only conclude manager isn’t motivated or doesn’t care, which likely explains the deficiencies. At the price this is unacceptable and we’ll go elsewhere next time.

  Feb 04, 2025
• 

  PERFECT wedding at the Charleston Santa Teresa

  We had our wedding at the Charleston last weekend, and it was FLAWLESS. Special thanks to Katherine, who handled our event, and Camila, our day-of coordinator. Both were incredible, and they and their entire team really created such a spectacular weekend for us. WHY YOU SHOULD STAY AT THE CHARLESTON: The hotel itself is stunning. Every wedding guest who stayed at the hotel was raving to us about how beautiful it was. Much of the hotel is built in a 400-year-old convent, and the Charleston has done a fantastic job of blending the history with local character and high-end luxury. We actually preferred it to the Sofitel Santa Clara (our second-choice for our wedding, a very similar hotel also in an old convent) largely because we thought the Charleston had significantly more charm and felt much less “corporate," while still feeling just as luxurious. The rooms at the Charleston, especially, were so unique and beautiful: they’re painted in this spectacular lavender blue. You just wouldn't get that in a chain hotel. We stayed in a colonial suite and THAT HUGE CEILING was the most incredible way to wake up in the morning. Not to mention, this hotel was spotless, meticulously clean in every corner. The rooftop pool was also fantastic. Has to be one of the largest pools in old town, with sweeping views of the cathedral on one side, and the Caribbean on the other. The food, both at the pool and in the downstairs restaurant, was superb and service was prompt. The location, of course, is about as central as you can get. It’s right at the entrance to the old town, right across from the city walls, on a big plaza. The hotel’s facade itself is an iconic building in Cartagena, and there’s a huge amount of restaurants, bars, and shopping right outside. The spa was also great. We also got a free couple’s massage as part of our wedding package, and loved it. We’re not usually spa people, but they might have converted us: it was a perfect way to start our wedding morning and just set us in such a relaxed mood for the big day. WHY YOU SHOULD GET MARRIED HERE: As for our wedding itself: it was incredible. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour in the colonial courtyard, followed by the reception in the Capilla, the chapel of the old convent. The Capilla, especially, was jaw-dropping when done up with our decor and moody lighting. The pictures online really don't even do justice to how beautiful it can be. The food, from Harry Sasson's Restaurant in the lobby, was delicious--our guests kept coming up to me the next day to tell me that it was the best wedding food they've ever had. If it sounds like I'm gushing, it's really because we were just so pleased with the Charleston, their team, and our wedding. SO happy we chose this hotel, and cannot wait to return soon.

  Jan 26, 2025