Santa Marta, Colombia: The “Other Cartagena” – UPDATE

Santa Marta is our current favorite beachside getaway!

Note: We first published this post in October, just after our first visit to Santa Marta. Last week, we made a return visit and have plenty more tips to share. Enjoy this update!

Santa Marta is a medium-sized city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, known to most tourists as the gateway to the fabulous Tayrona National Park and other coastal tourist meccas such Minca and Palomino. (We’ve blogged about those places here.) We had flown into Santa Marta three times before and then left quickly for other coastal destinations. But recently, some friends of ours came back from a vacation to Santa Marta and sang its praises. We decided to give it a try as a go-to beach destination, and we came back with a whole new outlook on this beautiful, historic city.

Here are some interesting facts about Santa Marta:

Santa Marta was one of the first Spanish settlements in South America. The town was founded in 1525 by the Spanish conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas, making it Colombia’s oldest colonial city and arguably the second oldest in South America. Of course, Santa Marta’s indigenous heritage goes back a lot further; one of the most important indigenous groups was the Tairona, for whom Tayrona National Park is named.

Simón Bolívar died in Santa Marta in 1830. He may not be a household name in North America, but Simón Bolívar is hands down the most important figure in this continent’s political history. Known as El Libertador, he was the George Washington of Latin America – a charismatic military officer who led the campaign to free a huge swath of South America from Spanish rule. Today, in virtually every city and town, you’ll find a Parque Bolivar and an impressive statue of the man, usually on horseback.

The city is pretty – really pretty. It turns out that Santa Marta is a very walkable city filled with beautifully preserved colonial buildings, lots of colorful street art, great restaurants, and some surprisingly gorgeous beaches. In many ways, Santa Marta resembles Cartagena, the much larger and better-known colonial city to the southwest – but without Cartagena’s crush of tourists and street vendors. Here’s everything we love about Santa Marta.

The Historic District

Santa Marta’s main historic district begins just a block from the city beach and is anchored by Parque Bolivar, Parque de los Novios, and the square of the Catedral Basilica. In this five-block-square area, you’ll find a host of beautifully restored old buildings, together with a few that need a major facelift. Surrounding the cathedral area are several shady pedestrian streets lined with shops, bars, and restaurants.

The Catedral Basilica of Santa Marta

The bishop’s palace across from the Catedral.

A rustic side street near the Catedral

The brilliant Caribbean colors remind of of Cartagena.

Pretty Parque de los Novios at night

The scene at Parque de los Novios

The Palace of Justice, completed in 1926

Another colorful side street

The city hall, built in 1914

One of the many shady pedestrian streets

The Street Art

No doubt, Cartagena has outstanding street art – but Santa Marta gives Cartagena a run for its money. We really enjoyed strolling around and finding our favorite murals.

Waterfront and Beaches

Santa Marta is not known for its beaches, but there are some gems. The most popular is El Rodadero, often ranked as one of Colombia’s most scenic beaches – but it gets very crowded, especially on weekends. After driving through the surrounding neighborhood a couple of times, we’ve realized El Rodadero is not our scene.

But we fell in love Playa Pozos Colorados, fronting our hotel – it’s clean and scenic, and it was almost deserted for most of our stay. An easy walk further down from Pozos Colorados is Playa Bello Horizonte, just before the group of high-rise hotels near the airport. The beach fronting downtown Santa Marta near the port is not attractive, but the city has done a nice job with its malecón (boardwalk).

Playa Pozos Colorados

Pozos Colorados in the afternoon light

Fishing camp, just down the beach

The beginning of the hotel district on Playa Bello Horizonte

We had gorgeous sunsets every night!

Directly behind the famous Santa Marta sign is the city’s busy port.

One more sunset, just for good measure!

Simón Bolívar’s Final Retreat

A must-visit in Santa Marta for patriotic Colombians and history buffs is the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, a large hacienda built in 1608. There, Simón Bolívar finally succumbed to TB and a range of other infirmities (including syphilis – apparently he had quite an eye for the ladies) on 17 December 1830, at the age of 47.

Today, the Quinta is a beautifully preserved monument to the greatness that was Bolívar. In addition to touring the house, including the very room where he died, visitors can stroll the leafy grounds and visit the on-site art museum.

Stately Bolivar statue at the Quinta. Some of the huge trees date back to well before Bolívar’s arrival.

The plantation house where Bolivar met his maker . . .

And the room where it happened.

On the grounds of the Quinta is this impressive monument to Bolivar, built in the 1940s.

Inside is this gorgeous Italian marble statue

The beautiful grounds are popular for photo shoots.

The Quinta’s art museum has interesting contemporary works, such as this homage to local indigenous communities.

Free Walking Tour

Our travel affiliate, GuruWalk, offers several free walking tours in Santa Marta. A free walking tour (you only pay a tip to your guide at the end) is a great way to get oriented to a new city or go really go into depth on a certain aspect of the local culture – whether it’s history, food, or street art. We can personally vouch for GuruWalk – we’ve taken many of their tours, and they always offer first-rate service and a wealth of information.

On our last visit to Santa Marta, we took the “Pearl in the Caribbean” tour with Javier. A proud native of Santa Marta, he offered a wealth of information on the city’s rich history and also gave great tips on restaurants and other sights to see.

Javier gave us a guided tour through the Tairona Gold Museum, with great info about the history of the area’s indigenous groups.

One of the fabulous pieces in the Gold Museum.

Getting There/Getting Around

Simón Bolívar (of course!) International Airport offers multiple daily flights from Bogotá, Medellín, and other Colombian cities. Our flight from Medellín took a little over an hour. The airport is about 30 minutes south of the city center, but there is a large hotel district just to the north on Playa Bello Horizonte.

Uber is fantastic in Santa Marta. On our most recent trip, every Uber we ordered was either right there, waiting, or came within a minute or two (most of the Uber drivers in Santa Marta are moonlighting taxistas). There are also taxis galore and plenty of buses.

Our Lodging

On our last visit, we started by spending a couple of nights in centro at the Hotel Alko Contona. Situated just a couple of blocks from the Parque de los Novios, this friendly and comfy hotel is a great base for exploring the colonial architecture, great restaurants, and nightlife of the Santa Marta historic district.

Then we headed for the beach to spend the rest of our stay at the beautiful Hotel Boutique Casa Verano. Located right on Playa Pozos Colorados, this 14-room, adults-only inn was once a family beach house, with beautifully landscaped grounds and pool. Breakfast is included, and the poolside restaurant serves a basic but yummy menu until 7 p.m. NOTE: The best way to book Casa Verano is through the link above.

Food and Drink

Santa Marta has scores of excellent eateries. Our favorite dining experience on our last trip was Guasimo, where we had a fabulous lunch (the langostinos negros were to die for!). We had a great anniversary dinner at BK, worth a visit for its panoramic views of El Rodadero beach (that’s where we took the photo above). Other good bets are Restaurante LamArt, specializing in locally inspired seafood; Serena Tropical Bistro on the waterfront; La Panetteria for excellent cappuccinos and breakfast; and Gnam for gelato (a must!). A runner-up for coffee and snacks is Ikaro Cafe near Parque de Los Novios.

We also wandered up the beach two nights in a row to Chiringuito Santamar, the beach bar at the Hotel Estelar. Great fish tacos and a fabulous place to watch the sunset – but take your bug spray; the mosquitos are fierce! And if you’re lucky, you might catch one of the hotel’s fantastic folkloric dance performances.

Next Up: Alaska, the 49th U.S. State – and One of the Most Scenic!

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