Cartagena Reports

[Nypher]

First time visiting Cartagena. After being in Covid Jail thought I will come here. My observation.

Arrival- flight on time from Miami. Had verifly filled and had no problem with American Airlines. Had filled out checkmig which was approved in minutes. It is important to print a copy. At immigration they check passport, covid vaccine card, checkmig. I tried to pull email for checkmig but internet not working. I had no problem.

Transport- Plenty of taxis available. No mafia taxi here. He only charged 15000 to Ermita Marriott hotel.

Hotel- Not an large impressive Hotel has sign outside saying Ermita. No Marriott sign. When the taxi dropped me off I thought I was in the wrong hotel because the picture on the website showed very big hotel. Room is clean and nice bed, pillows, towels etc comparable to other Marriott hotels. No issues. Plenty of hot water. Only complaint is there is no coffee. They said there is coffee in the reception area. Free breakfast which is buffet style with adequate choices. Plenty of fresh fruits. Beach is across the road not crowded. Walking distance to the wall and central of the city. Taxis are cheap.

Hotel is girlfriendly. Read below.

Girls- I got the impression that Cartagena hotels does not allow girls unless I checked in with one. With the help of a senior here I had arranged a girl. Quite pretty and let me leave it at that because I promised saying I will not write details and post pictures. I sincerely thank him for that.

Plenty of girls available. Make eye contact and talk. I am not fluent in Spanish but google translate does the trick.

Brought two girls in today and the front desk manager said all they require is hold the I. D and they need to sign a paper. Do not know what it said.

However suffice to say this hotel allows guests.

Weather is hot. So carry water bottles. Went for a tour of city, market etc.

Happening place is el centro with maze of streets. Plenty of restaurants. Bars with girls. Hard to differentiate between tourists and working girls. Once again make eye contact and smile like anywhere else in the world.

It can be difficult to know whose a working girl and whose not and this is where a little Spanish comes in handy. A quick "hola, como estas" to lure them in and see if they are willing to engage, then follow up with "estas trabajando". From there negotiations can happen, or go for a simple "I'm going to check out this new place for the first time, join me". The chicas in my circle look like regular girls 18 - 25, and I always have to remind them to cover up and not to attract attention due to they will show up in outfits that will turn heads. Some outfits I don't even want to take them into a resturaunt and just order in with Rapi. Fun girls non the less.

The tricky thing with meeting new chicas is trust, and normally, try them during the day then if they are cool they can come back to stay the night.

Ermita and OZ Hotel are two that allow guests. Oz Hotel is more expensive and always booked though because some travelers want luxury accommodations and it comes at tourist prices.

This is the only Marriott hotel for me to get points. I tried Sheraton Boca Grande but it was much more expensive. This hotel is pretty good. Can walk to El Centro to get some exercise. I found nice massage places. Extras were not enquired or not offered.

Yes, girls are pushy and ask high prices. However this is not Philippines, Thailand or China. Cannot find GFE here unless I guess you live here. Most girls enhanced and use heavy make up. For my first trip here I am taking in tourist sights. For a historic town it has some charm. As I am not much of a beach person this trip is good so far. Anyway off my bucket list.

I have plenty of experiences being with Colombians in Costa Rica and Panama. Those were totally GFE. Maybe other places other than Cartagena can find those in Colombia.

When the gringo is a new face the chicas will try to over charge by saying ridiculous high prices in dollars and will try charge by the hour. I normally counter by the polvo in pesos ad the price get cuts in half. I have a few that do GFE but they have to be attracted to the gringo to do it, and they have to trust the gringo to no cum inside, or they will have the IUD and charge extra to do it, but lie and say the extra money is to buy the pill.

The makeup can get highly annoying. Its fine if in a hotel where they change the sheets and fresh towels every day but when in an apartment or house with no maid service, it gets annoying real fast as the makeup gets everywhere.

Looks like your enjoying your first trip. I would suggest doing the segway history tour. Lots of history in Cartegena. Or if you're a food person grab a chica and check out Getsemeni at night.

Theres a video on youtube of someone throwing money in the air at the Clock Tower, so that's a place you may want to avoid at night. Its cool to pass through but not hang around as these "ballers" like to put on a show to impress strangers.

[Sammon]

Sounds like you were staying in the beach area. That's that is in the direction of the airport, not Boca Grande. Common Sense, advice, smile and be friendly and assertive if you need to, the people are too aggressive.

Still hard to believe that people actually don't read all the reports that are made on Cartagena.

This is the only Marriott hotel for me to get points. I tried Sheraton Boca Grande but it was much more expensive. This hotel is pretty good. Can walk to El Centro to get some exercise. I found nice massage places. Extras were not enquired or not offered.

Yes, girls are pushy and ask high prices. However this is not Philippines, Thailand or China. Cannot find GFE here unless I guess you live here. Most girls enhanced and use heavy make up. For my first trip here I am taking in tourist sights. For a historic town it has some charm. As I am not much of a beach person this trip is good so far. Anyway off my bucket list.

I have plenty of experiences being with Colombians in Costa Rica and Panama. Those were totally GFE. Maybe other places other than Cartagena can find those in Colombia.

[Kafka]

First time visiting Cartagena. After being in Covid Jail thought I will come here. My observation.

Arrival- flight on time from Miami. Had verifly filled and had no problem with American Airlines. Had filled out checkmig which was approved in minutes. It is important to print a copy. At immigration they check passport, covid vaccine card, checkmig. I tried to pull e mail for checkmig but internet not working. I had no problem.

Transport- Plenty of taxis available. No mafia taxi here. He only charged 15000 to Ermita Marriott hotel.

Hotel- Not an large impressive hotel Hotel has sign outside saying Ermita. No Marriott sign. When the taxi dropped me off I thought I was in the wrong hotel because the picture on the website showed very big hotel. Room is clean and nice bed, pillows, towels etc comparable to other Marriott hotels. No issues. Plenty of hot water. Only complaint is there is no coffee. They said there is coffee in the reception area. Free breakfast which is buffet style with adequate choices. Plenty of fresh fruits. Beach is across the road not crowded. Walking distance to the wall and central of the city. Taxis are cheap.

Hotel is girlfriendly. Read below.

Sounds like you were staying in the beach area. That's that is in the direction of the airport, not Boca Grande. Common Sense, advice, smile and be friendly and assertive if you need to, the people are too aggressive.

Still hard to believe that people actually don't read all the reports that are made on Cartagena.

[Sammon]

First time visiting Cartagena. After being in Covid Jail thought I will come here. My observation.

Arrival- flight on time from Miami. Had verifly filled and had no problem with American Airlines. Had filled out checkmig which was approved in minutes. It is important to print a copy. At immigration they check passport, covid vaccine card, checkmig. I tried to pull e mail for checkmig but internet not working. I had no problem.

Transport- Plenty of taxis available. No mafia taxi here. He only charged 15000 to Ermita Marriott hotel.

Hotel- Not an large impressive hotel Hotel has sign outside saying Ermita. No Marriott sign. When the taxi dropped me off I thought I was in the wrong hotel because the picture on the website showed very big hotel. Room is clean and nice bed, pillows, towels etc comparable to other Marriott hotels. No issues. Plenty of hot water. Only complaint is there is no coffee. They said there is coffee in the reception area. Free breakfast which is buffet style with adequate choices. Plenty of fresh fruits. Beach is across the road not crowded. Walking distance to the wall and central of the city. Taxis are cheap.

Hotel is girlfriendly. Read below.

Girls- I got the impression that Cartagena hotels does not allow girls unless I checked in with one. With the help of a senior here I had arranged a girl. Quite pretty and let me leave it at that because I promised saying I will not write details and post pictures. I sincerely thank him for that.

Plenty of girls available. Make eye contact and talk. I am not fluent in Spanish but google translate does the trick.

Brought two girls in today and the front desk manager said all they require is hold the I. D and they need to sign a paper. Do not know what it said.

However suffice to say this hotel allows guests.

Weather is hot. So carry water bottles. Went for a tour of city, market etc.

Happening place is el centro with maze of streets. Plenty of restaurants. Bars with girls. Hard to differentiate between tourists and working girls. Once again make eye contact and smile like anywhere else in the world.

[Mr Enternational]

No one believes an anonymous, unnamed "mugging expert". There is no such thing as a "Mugging expert". LOL. Does this person have a Ph. The degree in "Mugging"? Even if there were, the person would have to be qualified as an expert, for example, if a person witnesses 100 muggings a year, he now is a "mugging expert" based on his experience, knowledge and background.

I do not know his creditials, but he seems to have more experience than me. I have never had someone try to mug me, so to me someone that has had someone attempt to mug them 3 times in 5 days is undoubtedly an expert in my eyes. They know the ins and outs of how muggers operate, so it is best to take heed.

Gangs of muggers don't zero in on their target by walking in a large obtrusive group and announcing that they will rob you from a mile away. They separate into smaller, less threatening groups and approach innocently from different directions then suddenly come together to surround their target.

My first 5 nights in Colombia, I was victim of attempted robbery 3 times. Twice in Cartagena (read my TR there) and once here in Bogota. The street was well lit, and there were people everywhere. But still, I had a very uneasy feeling. The vibe of this place, it just had me very uneasy. Couldn't ever relax. I felt uneasy the whole time.

So a couple minutes later, I'm standing right in front of the stairs, a few feet from where I was previously standing, and I feel a hard blow to my back. Somebody hit me as hard as they could. Didn't knock me down though. I turn around and it's the same guy from upstairs. I go up to him to say WTF and he's shouting things at me I can't hear / understand, then he puts his hand in my front pants pocket in an attempt to steal what was in there. I immediately grab my pocket with both hands to secure its contents and turn away. I was surprised at how little he resisted and he let go rather easily. At this point I didn't know how many friends he had or weapons or what not, so I immediately headed for the exit and across the street to Venus. I was extremely agitated and trying to collect my thoughts as putas kept on approaching me. I was paranoid watching every customer enter the establishment, thinking that it was him returning with a weapon or with friends. I had enough and just hopped in the first taxi and headed back to my hotel.

I'm as hardcore and seasoned Tijuana monger as they come. And this Santa Fe place made me uneasy as hell. .

For those of you that are on the fence about going to Colombia, think about what I just wrote. A seasoned monger of Latin America jolted by the amount of crime. I wouldn't say don't go, but I certainly wouldn't go solo.

[Rzrfl69]

It looks a lot like sportsmens or something in Costa Rica. Google maps even shows it as a hotel.

[Rzrfl69]

Hey guys. Anyone have info on El Paraiso del Marino?

I have never been or heard of before. A girl I've been talking to said it's a great spot. Only escorts. More local, in the city.

It looks cool and legit. But pretty hesitant visiting alone. In all my trips I have stayed only from Laguito to centro and Getsemani.

Only once did I go to casa Rosario. And that was like 5 years ago.

[Kafka]

I'll be back first week of June.

Playa Hollywood during the day. No need to contact. See you there if you're around.

[NeilGeorge]

I was speaking from the mugging expert's point of view, not my own. He said they they do not mug the way you described.

No one believes an anonymous, unnamed "mugging expert". There is no such thing as a "Mugging expert". LOL. Does this person have a Ph. The degree in "Mugging"? Even if there were, the person would have to be qualified as an expert, for example, if a person witnesses 100 muggings a year, he now is a "mugging expert" based on his experience, knowledge and background.

[PerkinWarbeck]

Going to Cartagena this week. Just want to know if there are any legitimate good massage places. Looking to get nice massage, manicure, pedicure, facial etc. Do not know if Cartagena is known like that like in Thailand, Philippines, China.

In Centro, Diego Moya for mani / pedi. For facial and massage, Plenitud is next door. Enjoy!

[Mr Enternational]

Have been on this board, reading your posts Mr. Enternational, for 20 years now, under 5 or 6 different nics that I change after a couple years to keep my identity private. So I do not know why you are criticizing my life experiences skills as poor.

I was speaking from the mugging expert's point of view, not my own. He said they they do not mug the way you described.

[Sammon]

If your looking for ones that come to your place and give you and perform the services I know of 2 that will.

One does extras like happy ending or full service. 150 k extra for happy ending. Full service can be negotiated, YMMV on price.

The other won't budge no matter the offer amount. Both young 20's.

If interested, I'll PM you their instagram so you can see what they look like so you won't go in blind and solicit services from something your not attracted to. Jajaja.

I sent you a pm.

[AcesOnTheRiver]

If your looking for ones that come to your place and give you and perform the services I know of 2 that will.

One does extras like happy ending or full service. 150 k extra for happy ending. Full service can be negotiated, YMMV on price.

The other won't budge no matter the offer amount. Both young 20's.

If interested, I'll PM you their instagram so you can see what they look like so you won't go in blind and solicit services from something your not attracted to. Jajaja.

Damn, I would love to get these contacts. In house massages are my thing. Please PM- do I need to buy a subscription to this forum? Thanks for the info. BTW I'm going to CTG June 1 for one week. Will be posting a trip report then. Thanks for all the info fellas.

[HumbleHal]

You must have some pretty poor life experience skills. Didn't you see the ISG residential mugging expert say that they do not operate like that? So it is impossible for it to have happened as you say.

Have been on this board, reading your posts Mr. Enternational, for 20 years now, under 5 or 6 different nics that I change after a couple years to keep my identity private. So I do not know why you are criticizing my life experiences skills as poor. First hand experience is a life experience fact, not a fiction. And experience is what one gains after they get something different than they expect to get. And this was not a mugging, it was an attempted pick pocket experience that I recovered from successfully. Do not criticize other board members, someday you will probably meet me in a bar and ask me what my nic is on this board.

Have been coming to San Jose probably 8-9 times, but not lately since the Del Rey closed and reopened. Met up with John, the former Del Rey owner, in Cartagena once.

I saw the pickpocket happen because it happened to me, I saw and felt 2 of the 4 or 5 girls reached into my front pockets. I saw them walking towards me about a half block from the front corner door of the Del Rey, by a parking lot, in broad daylight, around noon. I keep my money in my right front pocket and do not use a wallet so my wallet does not get stolen. And one girl pulled all of my bills out of my front right pocket, and onto the sidewalk. In a quick swoop, I snatched them up and ran the half block or so, back to the corner door of the Del Rey. They appeared surprised, like they did not think they would see money come out of my front pockets. They could have been transvestites, as I recall a couple of them were about my height, but I did not bother to ask them or check to see an adams apple, LOL. No point in calling the police, it was an attempted theft, not completed.

[ChuchoLoco]

You must have some pretty poor life experience skills. Didn't you see the ISG residential mugging expert say that they do not operate like that? So it is impossible for it to have happened as you say.

Not sure who the expert is or why you believe him but in that area of San José the tavestis often travel in packs and do that type of robbery. I'm not relying on anything but my own experiences there, over 35 trips and many late night early morning walks over a 10 year period. Yes it was risky and I don't suggest it to anyone but I got to be a familiar face. There are no groups of real girls on the street there, only the trans.