Caribbean Coast Travel Guide

A place where I have been living for 1 year: the centre is the parque Santander

An absolute must for luxury and a view never to forget is the 5* Sofitel Santa Clara. Used to be a monastry which would be abandoned and later rebuilt to the current building serving as the hotel. The security is quite heavy as the hotel is rather small( as not many can afford it) and has only one entrance gaurding the door with a drugdog, to make sure nothing wrong comes inside the hotel... It's situated right in the middle of the Old Town, at the San Diego square where you have an art gallery full of (out of honour made) Bottero's at a reasonable price( with some negotiations you can get some extra discounts). Futher more you have salemen selling real hand made drawing and paintings( not like in other place where you see the barcode at the back. Really wonderfull atmosohere. Although during the day the old part is at good as dead, the expression of Bacardi stating TONIGHT IS ANOTHER DAY, is reality here. Going from bars, to dancings, to artists preforming the sqaure around the old town to lounges with matrasseats giving you a wonderfull view over the old city's rooftops( in La Tarzana in the Los Coches quarter). An nice end of the evening is the Cafe del Mar on old city wall north. Further more the new part of the cities offers plenty of off-shore activities. Cartagena Harbour gives you the offer of sailing to San Andres,   there I haven't been yet to, but I entend to do so soon and report it. In any case enjoy the trip/ visit.

Palomino est un petit village à environ 1h de Santa Marta en direction de la Guajira. C'est un endroit parfait pour se ressourcer avec de très belles plages d'un côté et la généreuse forêt vierge de la Sierra Nevada, de l'autre. Dans cette dernière, des arbres géants veillent sur une infinie variété d'autres plus petits qui eux voisinent avec les orchidées et les bruyères. Il est possible de voir à Palomino, un spectacle exceptionnel et pas banal. En effet, à l'extremité ouest de la plage, là où le rio Palomino termine son épopée en se jettant paisiblement dans la mer, on peut donc admirer la mer des Caraïbes à sa droite et, à sa gauche l'oppulente forêt vierge dominé par les montagne enneigées de la Sierra Nevada!! Absolument grandiose!! Moi en tous cas je n'avais jamais rien vu de pareil ! Mon séjour dans ce coin avait une saveur de paradis :)