The Dann Cartagena: Mixed Impressions

The white building in the middle is the Dann

Its quite a puzzle to choose a hotel in a place you have never been. You just have pictures of models lazing about the place and the price range. After being totally confused by many such pictures, we chose Dann, Cartagena, situated in Boca Grande. And after we reached there, we were pleased and peeved in different ways.

View from our balcony

As we arrived amidst a downpour, I noted that

View from our balcony

there was no roof over the porch where our taxi parked. But as soon as the automatic glass doors opened, we entered a well lit and grand reception area. The staff was well dressed, smart and alert, 

but there was a sense of city slickness, loss of  personal touch. Our room was on the 17^th floor, and we loved it immediately. It was spacious, with a king size bed (important for us because of the kid), very good closet space, and a big balcony. We got a sideways view of the sea and the beach, flanked by the new and old city buildings, making for a brilliant skyline. Also, our room faced east, so that the morning sun flooded the room cheerfully.

The restaurant, though classily done up, was a little disappointing. Breakfast, which was complimentary, as is in most hotels, was mundane. 

The bar

 The same thing was there every day. And the dinner menu had more chicken dishes than fish! We tried the Catfish Medallion on our first night, which was delicious, but couldn’t find anything else worth ordering. However, the hotel is minutes away from the market and thus has access to several cafes and restaurants. Maybe that’s why they haven’t done anything about the restaurant.

They do have access to the beach but they don’t have a private beach. The photographs suggest otherwise. This means that you meet the entire city on the beach. It was quite crowded. And you have to pay for the chairs and tables that you use. However, their pool is unforgettable. It looms up as soon as you enter from the beach, sweaty, sandy and tired of taking care of your stuff. And you just abandon everything on one of the deck chairs, take a quick shower and plunge. The toddler pool is the safest I have seen and the Jacuzzi is a part of the pool too. And the pool bathroom showers are equipped with both shampoo and liquid bath soap. Very convenient.

For a pricey hotel, the Dann could have done better. But overall, it wasn’t all that bad. Next time if I happen to go to Cartagena again, I’ll try another hotel and let you know my opinion.