Pulling up to the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena late at night, you'd be hard-pressed to guess there's a luxury hotel beyond the iron-gated front door.
Well, except for the doorman in his crisp, off-white uniform and tall hat.
There's no grand portico, special drive or large signs. None are needed. Because like so much of old town Cartagena, Colombia, the hotel's magic, and its secrets, are found beyond its simple exterior walls.
Indeed, once you walk through the door, you are entering a private oasis in the center of one of the city's most historical and colorful areas, Cartagena's Old Walled City, or Ciudad Amurallada, which was built along the Caribbean coast beginning in the 1600s to protect Spanish colonists and its wealth from pirates.
Between the property itself and the setting, it's immediately clear why this 125-room hotel is one of just five properties around the world deemed historically authentic enough to carry Sofitel's special Legend brand.
Stepping into the open-air reception area is like stepping back in time. The reception area, with wood ceilings and brick floors, is decorated in deep colors and antiques from the colonial era and the convent that it originally housed.
Rather than a traditional lobby, the reception area opens up to a large, lush courtyard that anchors the property with couches, dining and relaxation all around the perimeter of the open-air space.
The hotel's open-air reception area is decorated in deep colors and antiques from the colonial era and the convent that it originally housed. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
Honoring a rich history
The hotel was built in 1621 to house the Poor Clares order of nuns. During its restoration into a hotel, many original details, from confessionals to wooden balusters -- even crypts -- were restored.
Here, visitors can have a wedding or a meeting in what used to be the chapel; a special dinner in the 1621 restaurant, a former dining room for the convent's Mother Superior; or breakfast, lunch or a more casual dinner at the indoor-outdoor Jardin Santa Clara.
The original building also houses a variety of rooms and suites, including the colonial and junior suites -- with waxed wood beams and floors, soaking tubs and views of the city -- and the 1,582-square-foot Fernando Botero Presidential Suite. Named for one of Colombia's most renowned artists, the suite was designed by his daughter, Lisa Botero, along with a local architect to honor his life and work.
A crypt in the El Coro bar inspired a novel by Colombian author and Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
Beyond the original building is a more modern addition whose republican-style architecture blends almost seamlessly with the original colonial architecture. During our stay, which was part of a presailing land package for AmaWaterways' new cruises on Colombia's Magdalena River, we stayed in the new section.
While the inside of those rooms looks and feels like many modern luxury hotels, our French doors and balcony overlooked the gorgeous -- and huge -- tree-lined pool and garden area below.
The open-air hallway to our third-floor room boasted vistas of the Caribbean, as did the adjacent spa and outdoor Botika bar, which offered perfect sunset views.
We didn't have a chance to try the fine dining restaurant, 1621. But we had wonderful breakfasts at Jardin Santa Clara, sitting outside listening to the blackbirds, who were on constant patrol for unattended plates.
Rather than being pests, however, we found the birds to be an endearing part of the experience. In fact, my husband brought home a hand-carved version that now sits on a cabinet in our living room, right next to a colorful painting of boats that I bought on my first trip to Cartagena 10 years ago.
The 1621 restaurant, a former cloister dining room, takes its name from the year the building was constructed. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
The past is preserved
If travelers want to do more than just admire the architecture and fabulous setting, the old hotel offers a 30-minute tour of the property's secrets, including the old chapel area and now-empty crypt.
See the opening in the wall of the reception area, where residents used to be able to drop off food and gifts for the nuns, or the chapel where they held services.
My favorite spot, though, was El Coro Lounge Bar, with its dark woods and mixture of colorful furniture and whimsical touches, such as colorfully painted barrels and even an old-fashioned, hand-cranked ice shaver. In the center of the bar are steps that lead to another crypt, this one made famous by Colombian author and Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Marquez was a newspaper reporter in the 1940s when he visited the property to watch the emptying of the crypts. Inside the one in El Coro was a copper-colored mane attached to the skull of a child, which later inspired his novel, "Of Love and Other Demons."
The pool deck at the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena. Photo Credit: Jeri Clausing
Heart of the city
If you want to explore the history of Cartagena, there really is no better location than the heart of the walled city.
Wander the lively streets filled with boutiques, restaurants and churches as well as vendors selling art, handicrafts and a variety of unusual things, such as aldabas (metal door knockers that adorn the colorful buildings with large wooden doors) and, yes, hand-carved birds.
Also within walking distance are museums and the funky Getsemani neighborhood. It's an area that 10 years ago had just started gentrifying as an arts district. It had colorful murals painted on exterior walls as well as a few art galleries, but at that time it still felt a bit deserted and rough around the edges.
Today, it is bustling with visitors and locals alike. There are bars, restaurants and ice cream shops along with fruit vendors in colorful garb and streets lined with artists selling huge, colorful paintings that are very distinctly Colombian.
The hotel is also within walking distance of a marina area where clients can board the AmaWaterways ships or charter a boat to explore the Rosario islands and the many beach clubs on the archipelago about 12 miles from the city.