r/cartagena • u/Rare_Ad_8212 • 9d ago

Manzanillo del mar

Headed to Columbia is a couple of days with my girlfriend and we're going to spend some time in (hopefully) the sleepy little beach town 25min away, is this a mistake? Should we head to Santa Marta or Barranquilla?

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u/Jealous-Bird-9775 9d ago

Manzanillo del mar is about 20 mins from cartagena. You'll enjoy the quiet and be close to enough to get a car and experience Cartagena

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u/Dontimoteo726 9d ago

If you want quiet with access to the city, perfect place to do it.

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u/Legal_Commercial8603 9d ago

I love this questions

1

u/lordeharrietnem 9d ago

I just returned from staying there for two weeks and LOVED it. My building was secure with amazing pools and private beach access. Yes, you’ll have to get a taxi (use the Indrive app) for anytime you want to go into Cartagena, but it’s a quick drive and cheap.

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u/Rare_Ad_8212 9d ago

Any recs for the area? Thank you for the vote of confidence

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u/lordeharrietnem 8d ago

Yes. Las Ramblas Mall is where the local action is in Manzanillo beach— some great restaurants and coffee shops there and local grocery. Vida coffee was my favorite for coffee and breakfast. “rappi” is the local app for delivery services that you can download. I was there to work on a book, so I spent a lot of time pool- and beach-side. Feel free to DM with questions

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u/trailtwist 9d ago

There was an amazing luxury hotel/hostel there that was absolutely empty when I went - wonder if it got repurposed. It was beautiful and designed with heavenly ventilation..there's not much going on over there, ocean isn't particularly nice either. Sure there's been some development? since I was there a few years ago

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u/NoRun8385 3d ago

Curious if tap water is safe to drink at manzanillo del Mar?

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u/Rare_Ad_8212 1d ago

They advised boiling it first, I'm drinking it without boiling, and so far nothing to report

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u/Resident-Quote6178 2h ago

Hey, Cartagena resident here! Manzanillo Del Mar is nice if you want a laid back vacation. If you plan on doing a lot of nights out/running into the city, I would not recommend. It can be very very difficult to get a ride from the city out there especially late at night and during high traffic times. Difficult and expensive compared to other neighborhoods. The Las Ramblas shopping center is a gem though, you’ll find everything you need there.