Royal La Merced

Excellent boutique hotel with only 9 rooms in the walled old city of Cartagena. The staff and service was 5 star and breakfast every morning was made to order, no buffet options in sight. It also has a lovely, but small rooftop and a lovely air-conditioned lounge to relax in after a long day of sightseeing. Due to the size, the did not have an elevator so that should be taken into consideration for those with physical limitations.

The hotel itself is absolutely beautiful and the staff are all kind, intelligent people who really want to help. The place is spotless, extremely clean. The breakfast was simple, but delicious but I would have appreciated more variety offered. (oatmeal, pancakes). The lack of a front reception desk is a distinct disadvantage for me as a tourist, as there is no central hub one primary person available with easily available information and it takes longer than it should to obtain basic concierge/front desk advise, which isn't always correct. That could be a function of the Old Town in that perhaps basic info is not available and it is no fault of the staff. One needs to ring the bell from the outside every time to get back into the hotel, as the exterior door entrance is always locked. If they put a very knowledgeable experienced front desk person in place at the main entrance and kept the front door open and unlocked from 7am to 9pm, it might work for them as a business, as the staff is already inside the hotel. The Jacuzzi was empty and should be kept filled up.

Staff are all amazing and very friendly! Breakfast has been delicious and it's close to everything in the city, great ocean views and quiet at night. Overall we've had a great stay. Only reason for 4 stars is the mattress was a bit uncomfortable.