Cartagena Reports

[Black Page]

. Because the building is right next to the ocean, the crushing wave could be noisy for light sleepers.

You must be joking or what? I call that MUSIC for my ears. The majestic sound of slow ocean waves crashing to the shore beach is the best to accompany sleep. It makes you feel immersed in nature, far away from the trafficked cities where most of us live.

[Black Page]

I'm sure I've seen this question asked in the discussion. But the search function won't find it. Is there a way to get a local sim card at the airport? I remember reading they ask for local IDs. Sounds kind of stupid.

I bought two sim cards at the airport of Bogota on my arrival well after 10 pm, just 2 weeks ago. Several shops were selling. No need of registering passport or ID, although now it's getting the norm in most countries.

In Cartagena airport, I do not remember I have seen such a cell phone shop, but you can go to Centro, if you can wait few hours or the next day.

[Xpartan]

I'm sure I've seen this question asked in the discussion. But the search function won't find it. Is there a way to get a local sim card at the airport? I remember reading they ask for local IDs. Sounds kind of stupid.

[Viajando Musico]

The area of El Laquito as a whole has older buildings that have either been remodeled or are being remodeled. There is a lack guest policy attitude at most of the building in this area and some units in numerous buildings are used by working girls providing incall services. No, it's not a bunch of hookers hassling people that walk by, it's not seedy at all. You wouldn't know it if you weren't looking for it. You are encountering them more in their natural habitat as they relax, shop and eat in restaurants. I personally found them unguarded and more natural when interacting with them. You are sure to encounter many beautiful women in this area which makes for some interesting day time and night time opportunities if you got some game.

We stayed in the Marinaire Building, located in El Laquito across the street from Atlantis building. The area is safe to walk at any hour as there is always either people or a taxi or two on the roads, as the end of this one-way street has the popular Hilton hotel.

You are only a 5 minute leisure walk to Playa Hollywood and there are bus stops located along the way. Within 5 buildings in either direction, there is a money exchange, an ATM which limited me to 300,000 per transaction, a small grocery, a few small convenience stores, 3 or 4 small restaurants and a pharmacy. Pretty much anything you need on short notice is available within a one minute walk.

Along with the bus stop, there are always taxis waiting right outside the door. 7 K to Centro and about 5 to 8 minutes. Sometimes the taxi back doesn't quite know the building name. Just tell them the Hilton and they will have to drive right past the building (there is no other way to get to the Hilton). Alert the driver to the building as you get close, you are about 5 buildings on the right before you hit Hilton.

The building itself is a bit dated as most of the buildings in this part of town are. There was obvious signs of remodeling and efforts being made to improve and update the property. There is full time security guard at the entrance who did their business and stayed out of ours. Always polite, respectful and responsive. All guest must sign in and they record the information but do not keep possession of passports or ID's. They will call your unit and just say the name of the guest that is there and ask if OK to let them in.

One thing that did happen, once the same girl came back twice, she was allowed access without the phone call. This is a two edged sword. I am sure they were just trying to be accommodating and it makes the repeating guest feel more welcome but this also places an onus on the guard being aware if other guests still are the unit. One slip up and this will could cause some awkward moments for the renter. As I know his intent was good, I appreciated it since it was clear during the second half of the trip that we had wifed up.

The building has an elevator, button for our floor stopped working on day 2. We took it one flight above and walked down one flight of stairs. Without a word from us, it was fixed the next day. There is a small pool out back with a few chairs but not much seating. It did not seem like they were trying to encourage people to hang there. The pool looked clear, there was no chlorine smell and I did not see a circulating pump. I looked on about 6 other pools at other buildings and many did not have them. I never use public pools or hot tubs so can't attest to the water besides it was clear. Best to avoid these bodies of water and not be the one on the hospital with the flesh eating bacteria.

There is beach access to a small but clean beach through a gate at the back of the property. Normally there is a buzzer to get in and out but the electric latch wasn't working, so there was no way to open it. Had to ask security guy and he came out and did the credit card swipe to "pick" the latch and let us pass. He said the part was on order. No biggie, we walked the "long way" back from the beach, a total of about three blocks.

The beach has about 10 cabanas with two plastic chairs in them. There was lounge style chairs for rent for an additional fee. Gringo price was 20 K cabana and 10 K per lounge. We paid 10 K for the cabana and I had a beach towel so never checked the chair price but I'm sure we could have gotten for half the quote or less. There is a prison looking restaurant at one end, never tried it. The touts and hawks are more bearable and accepted no on first or second command. On weekdays, normal beach hawks, fruit, beer, water, fish, food, and Jet Ski rides. On Fri, Sat and Sun, the hawks for water floats, temp tattoo, hats, clothes and jewelry also showed up. Weekdays bring a Bluetooth speaker and weekends they got music playing. Mixed crowd from child to grand ma with few eye candy opportunities. Mostly Colombians with friends or family. Relaxed and fun.

We stayed in unit 1004 for a week. At first entry, it seemed sterile. It was clean but it did not feel like home. The furniture is a bit dated and not very comfortable for long periods of time. There is a patio overlooking the beach but it only has an old wooden bartop table and two wooden stools. A couple of hammocks or a couch or something would have made this space 100 X better and more functional.

The television cable was spotty, reminded me of direct TV with a rain storm, if you know what I mean. It never actually worked normally our entire stay. The internet was reasonable enough to watch movies on with a small buffer time. Kitchen is small stocked, a few of everything you need. No spice rack besides salt and pepper, a clue about the units use. The bathroom was clean and the shower was HOT all the time!

Bedroom two has an in-suite bathroom, was large and had a walk in closet with a safe. Enough extra room for a guest to dance and be active. Bedroom one has access to the patio and a wall of mirrored closet doors along the bed and also a safe. This room is a little tighter and not much room for dancing and action. The beds were very comfortable and had 4 or more pillows each. What neither had was any kind of blanket or cover besides the sheet. Thought it would bother me but it never did. Both rooms had functional ceiling fans, a / see units, cable TV, safes, alarm clocks and plenty of lighting.

There is a washer and dryer in the closet of bedroom one. We also found hangers for clothes, iron and ironing board, hair dryers and can openers. There was only 2 towels in the unit. We asked for more and got 4 more the next day. Never did see Juan. We knew he wouldn't be there on arrival day and he tried to call us the next morning but we were sleeping it off. He tried again the next night but we had company. He was available by phone if needed and his assistant checked on us every few days.

All in all, it's a mid-level condo that met our needs at a cheap price We paid 630 for a week in a 2 bedroom condo for which we got what we paid for and more. I would say it is 3.5 stars and it would not take much to elevate this unit to a 4 star unit.

The big items needed are a new living room set and some kind of patio furniture. The little things that were missing and the reason for the sterile feel, bath mats, rug in bath in front of sink, hand towels, hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and paper towels. I get the feeling either the unit has not been rented much or they take everything left behind after every user. We left many things as should have the people before us. Soaps, spices, towels, a bath mat, laundry detergent, paper towel rolls, some cleaning supplies and extra toilet paper. I wonder if the next guy gets them or if the staff takes them home.

Pro tip: Always pull up the felt liner in the safes of your unit, there may be some goodies under there as some things left behind should not be left in public view.

I stayed in a different unit at the same building that Juan manages not long ago. Everything Linyjo described was spot on. I did get to meet Juan during my stay and talked to one taxista who happened to know him very well, Juan is a very very nice guy indeed. I'd like to add a couple more points here about the accommodation. Because the building is right next to the ocean, the crushing wave could be noisy for light sleepers. Also the beach in el laguito is not that great comparing to other Caribbean destinations. Even el laguito is only 7 k taxi ride from el centro, it could turn into a 20-30 min. Ride during rush hours. Other than the beach, unlike el Centro full of interesting places and restaurants, there is not much to do. So if you are not particularly a beach person, it could be boring. Don't picture prostitutes running up and down the street, looking for clients. This is an area visited by mostly Colombian families on vacation. For me, I'd look for a place in the old town or close to the old town next time. I know bring back a girl is an issue for accommodation in el centro, but there is short term motel for that purpose.

Also, one of the girls I brought back from the clock tower who was all sweet and GFE, stole a brand new hairdryer I bought at Panama airport before arriving Cartagena. Fortunately it was my last night, and I didn't need it much anymore, LOL. So make sure you lockup important stuffs.

[Xpartan]

The area of El Laquito as a whole has older buildings that have either been remodeled or are being remodeled. There is a lack guest policy attitude at most of the building in this area and some units in numerous buildings are used by working girls providing incall services. No, it's not a bunch of hookers hassling people that walk by, it's not seedy at all. You wouldn't know it if you weren't looking for it. You are encountering them more in their natural habitat as they relax, shop and eat in restaurants. I personally found them unguarded and more natural when interacting with them. You are sure to encounter many beautiful women in this area which makes for some interesting day time and night time opportunities if you got some game.

Can't tell you how great this detailed report is! I'm staying in what I believe is your unit in just a few days. Very useful!

Is there a supermarket or supply store in walking distance? Just debating if we should get the supplies on the way from the airport or after settling down.

[Lefeu]

The first thing I do is buy supplies after arriving. It's pretty normal in Cartagena apartments. The place I usually stay at gives me 2 towels (of questionable quality), 2 rolls of toilet paper, 2 soap bars. I bring my own towels, and buy the rest at the nearest exito...

The area of El Laquito as a whole has older buildings that have either been remodeled or are being remodeled...

YK,
LJ,

Thanks to both of you for taking the time and writing these excellent reports.

[YippieKayay]

The first thing I do is buy supplies after arriving. It's pretty normal in Cartagena apartments. The place I usually stay at gives me 2 towels (of questionable quality), 2 rolls of toilet paper, 2 soap bars. I bring my own towels, and buy the rest at the nearest exito.

I stay in Bocagrande. Never tried El Laguito. A couple of chicas I know invited me back to their place in El Laguito after we spend the day at the beach for them to change before we head back to my place. They had these one room studios that felt like they were doing web cam shows or some shit. Of course they would describe it as a PENTHOUSE they are in with all their friends. It's actually a corridor with single rooms they all live in, heh.

I've noticed there's one nice thing about getting a more luxurious apartment. Most chicas do notice and do like to spend time in them. It beats going back to their rat hole. They've all had me take photos of them on their phone posing in the apartment. Instant vanity facebook posts for them. One even took a video and walked around the place.

It then becomes very easy to get them to wife up if that's your thing.

With that said look for deals. I get nice places in Bocagrande that are chica friendly for around 90 $ USD or less. Totally doable with a little research and contacts.

[TheShadow2]

The big items needed are a new living room set and some kind of patio furniture. The little things that were missing and the reason for the sterile feel, bath mats, rug in bath in front of sink, hand towels, hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and paper towels. I get the feeling either the unit has not been rented much or they take everything left behind after every user. We left many things as should have the people before us. Soaps, spices, towels, a bath mat, laundry detergent, paper towel rolls, some cleaning supplies and extra toilet paper. I wonder if the next guy gets them or if the staff takes them home.

The cleaning ladies take all that and anything left in the refrigerator. They consider it a propina.

[Linyjo]

The area of El Laquito as a whole has older buildings that have either been remodeled or are being remodeled. There is a lack guest policy attitude at most of the building in this area and some units in numerous buildings are used by working girls providing incall services. No, it's not a bunch of hookers hassling people that walk by, it's not seedy at all. You wouldn't know it if you weren't looking for it. You are encountering them more in their natural habitat as they relax, shop and eat in restaurants. I personally found them unguarded and more natural when interacting with them. You are sure to encounter many beautiful women in this area which makes for some interesting day time and night time opportunities if you got some game.

We stayed in the Marinaire Building, located in El Laquito across the street from Atlantis building. The area is safe to walk at any hour as there is always either people or a taxi or two on the roads, as the end of this one-way street has the popular Hilton hotel.

You are only a 5 minute leisure walk to Playa Hollywood and there are bus stops located along the way. Within 5 buildings in either direction, there is a money exchange, an ATM which limited me to 300,000 per transaction, a small grocery, a few small convenience stores, 3 or 4 small restaurants and a pharmacy. Pretty much anything you need on short notice is available within a one minute walk.

Along with the bus stop, there are always taxis waiting right outside the door. 7 K to Centro and about 5 to 8 minutes. Sometimes the taxi back doesn't quite know the building name. Just tell them the Hilton and they will have to drive right past the building (there is no other way to get to the Hilton). Alert the driver to the building as you get close, you are about 5 buildings on the right before you hit Hilton.

The building itself is a bit dated as most of the buildings in this part of town are. There was obvious signs of remodeling and efforts being made to improve and update the property. There is full time security guard at the entrance who did their business and stayed out of ours. Always polite, respectful and responsive. All guest must sign in and they record the information but do not keep possession of passports or ID's. They will call your unit and just say the name of the guest that is there and ask if OK to let them in.

One thing that did happen, once the same girl came back twice, she was allowed access without the phone call. This is a two edged sword. I am sure they were just trying to be accommodating and it makes the repeating guest feel more welcome but this also places an onus on the guard being aware if other guests still are the unit. One slip up and this will could cause some awkward moments for the renter. As I know his intent was good, I appreciated it since it was clear during the second half of the trip that we had wifed up.

The building has an elevator, button for our floor stopped working on day 2. We took it one flight above and walked down one flight of stairs. Without a word from us, it was fixed the next day. There is a small pool out back with a few chairs but not much seating. It did not seem like they were trying to encourage people to hang there. The pool looked clear, there was no chlorine smell and I did not see a circulating pump. I looked on about 6 other pools at other buildings and many did not have them. I never use public pools or hot tubs so can't attest to the water besides it was clear. Best to avoid these bodies of water and not be the one on the hospital with the flesh eating bacteria.

There is beach access to a small but clean beach through a gate at the back of the property. Normally there is a buzzer to get in and out but the electric latch wasn't working, so there was no way to open it. Had to ask security guy and he came out and did the credit card swipe to "pick" the latch and let us pass. He said the part was on order. No biggie, we walked the "long way" back from the beach, a total of about three blocks.

The beach has about 10 cabanas with two plastic chairs in them. There was lounge style chairs for rent for an additional fee. Gringo price was 20 K cabana and 10 K per lounge. We paid 10 K for the cabana and I had a beach towel so never checked the chair price but I'm sure we could have gotten for half the quote or less. There is a prison looking restaurant at one end, never tried it. The touts and hawks are more bearable and accepted no on first or second command. On weekdays, normal beach hawks, fruit, beer, water, fish, food, and Jet Ski rides. On Fri, Sat and Sun, the hawks for water floats, temp tattoo, hats, clothes and jewelry also showed up. Weekdays bring a Bluetooth speaker and weekends they got music playing. Mixed crowd from child to grand ma with few eye candy opportunities. Mostly Colombians with friends or family. Relaxed and fun.

We stayed in unit 1004 for a week. At first entry, it seemed sterile. It was clean but it did not feel like home. The furniture is a bit dated and not very comfortable for long periods of time. There is a patio overlooking the beach but it only has an old wooden bartop table and two wooden stools. A couple of hammocks or a couch or something would have made this space 100 X better and more functional.

The television cable was spotty, reminded me of direct TV with a rain storm, if you know what I mean. It never actually worked normally our entire stay. The internet was reasonable enough to watch movies on with a small buffer time. Kitchen is small stocked, a few of everything you need. No spice rack besides salt and pepper, a clue about the units use. The bathroom was clean and the shower was HOT all the time!

Bedroom two has an in-suite bathroom, was large and had a walk in closet with a safe. Enough extra room for a guest to dance and be active. Bedroom one has access to the patio and a wall of mirrored closet doors along the bed and also a safe. This room is a little tighter and not much room for dancing and action. The beds were very comfortable and had 4 or more pillows each. What neither had was any kind of blanket or cover besides the sheet. Thought it would bother me but it never did. Both rooms had functional ceiling fans, a / see units, cable TV, safes, alarm clocks and plenty of lighting.

There is a washer and dryer in the closet of bedroom one. We also found hangers for clothes, iron and ironing board, hair dryers and can openers. There was only 2 towels in the unit. We asked for more and got 4 more the next day. Never did see Juan. We knew he wouldn't be there on arrival day and he tried to call us the next morning but we were sleeping it off. He tried again the next night but we had company. He was available by phone if needed and his assistant checked on us every few days.

All in all, it's a mid-level condo that met our needs at a cheap price We paid 630 for a week in a 2 bedroom condo for which we got what we paid for and more. I would say it is 3.5 stars and it would not take much to elevate this unit to a 4 star unit.

The big items needed are a new living room set and some kind of patio furniture. The little things that were missing and the reason for the sterile feel, bath mats, rug in bath in front of sink, hand towels, hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and paper towels. I get the feeling either the unit has not been rented much or they take everything left behind after every user. We left many things as should have the people before us. Soaps, spices, towels, a bath mat, laundry detergent, paper towel rolls, some cleaning supplies and extra toilet paper. I wonder if the next guy gets them or if the staff takes them home.

Pro tip: Always pull up the felt liner in the safes of your unit, there may be some goodies under there as some things left behind should not be left in public view.

[Black Page]

You can't be serious, on google, in less that 30 seconds, I have an email address and phone number. I suppose undesirables can't do that?

:eek: I am speechless. You too can't be serious asking this, or so I hope.
Then why someone asked to post the contact? Do you think it is the same to post your address on a punter web site, or have it available on Google by specific search? (not associated to P4P, but to simple rental).
PLEASE, let us not help to associate those apartments to this kind of business. It will be better for Juan, if we respect him, and for us, next time we go there.

[Bbond]

You can't be serious, on google, in less that 30 seconds, I have an email address and phone number. I suppose undesirables can't do that?

Sharing is what we are about. Share or STFU.

[Bbond]

Please DO NOT.
Better use PM, and with someone you know. You never know who reads here. Members and not members. A good number of those who read here are not the ones you'd like to have as neighbours.
Please let us protect Juan and his apartments.

You can't be serious, on google, in less that 30 seconds, I have an email address and phone number. I suppose undesirables can't do that?

[Black Page]

Would someone post a link to Juan Venturas apartments?

Thanks in advance.

Please DO NOT.

Better use PM, and with someone you know. You never know who reads here. Members and not members. A good number of those who read here are not the ones you'd like to have as neighbours.

Please let us protect Juan and his apartments.

[John Gault]

Would someone post a link to Juan Venturas apartments?

Thanks in advance.

[Black Page]

That shit with the two pick pockets was a bit disconcerting. Glad it's working out.

Most likely it was me a bit paranoid. Who knows.

It happened to me in Medellin*, but in Cartagena it really seems odd. I just had the feeling that something did not click right. Better safe than sorry, even if maybe I lost a splendid night in the middle of two hotties.

*(Two girls met at Lleras: my phone was in her hand during a tight dance, me in the middle of the two. She claimed she avoided it fell down. I am sure I reported that here, but years ago).