Why This Cartagena Neighborhood Needs to Be on Your Travel List
Plaza de la Trinidad (Wednesday nights are hopping).
Very interesting things are being whispered around and about Cartagena's up-and-coming Getsemaní neighborhood. The formerly sketchy enclave has recently blossomed into a nightlife and restaurant hot spot to which in-the-know travelers are flocking - and now international hotel chains are taking notice and possibly putting down roots.
A lopsided sign outside an abandoned convent on Calle Media Luna says Obra Pía (translation: “pious work”). Investors, looking to transform the building into a luxury hotel have been quiet since late 2012, but it seems that Viceroy Hotels might now be in charge of the project. What's more, it seems that Four Seasons is looking at another property nearby. For now, chic Casa Lola on Guerrero Street is the place to stay.
One of the city's most affable tour guides, Kristy Ellis of Cartagena Connections, would be the one to know. The vivacious Australian transplant crafts bespoke tours of the city, and always has her ear to the ground for leads on hip, new places to eat, drink, and play. In the mood for alfresco pizza? Try Di Silvio's annex in a roofless building on graffiti-famed Calle de la Sierpe. Tapas nibbled from rocking chairs? Hit newly opened Demente on Plaza de la Trinidad. A cool Caribbean hangout? Kick back at Café Havana's mellow new sister restaurant La Central Antillana.
Beyond the ongoing gentrification, Ellis can guide you through the jungle-like warrens of the city’s raucous main market, Bazurto, arrange cooking classes to hone your ceviche skills, and point you to places beyond the usual tourists haunts. Brand-spanking-new Frank and Frank bar has to-die-for slow-roasted ribs on its menu, and licks of a tamarind gelato are guaranteed to cool you down at La Palateria. In the swish, high-rise-filled neighborhood of Bocagrande, there's a branch of Bogotá's best health café Gokela(such a relief from the city's double-fried-and-stuffed-with-cheese local fare) and popular sushi restaurant Tabatei has just opened up a second location across the street from the beach in a converted shipping container, of all things.
