Santa Marta – quick travel guide

by

Small beach town, relaxed and quiet.

Cartagena and Santa Marta are 2 opposite beach towns. Those who like Cartagena may find Santa Marta to be boring (like I did). Those who hate Cartagena’s crowded touristy-ness will like Santa Marta’s peace. I’d guess you have to come see for yourself if it’s your vibe or not.

The town has very little to do. And by little, I mean nothing in terms of touristic value. The beaches nearby are also not so pretty…you’d have to drive to get anywhere nice. It does have some nice cafes and restaurants. The center park is controlled by the local drug mafia. And you’ll be propositioned often for drugs. Also, they’ll stop you from recording any videos.

Most of your time will probably be hanging out at your resorty hotel or hostel pool with the rooftop terrace overlooking the hills and sea. Which basically means Santa Marta has nothing going on. How many days of nothing would you like? You choose.

Where to stay:

  • Hotels, hostels, or AirBnB?

The nice thing is everything is cheaper so all accommodations here tend to be very comfy, spacious, pools, and nice amenities. I would definitely choose a resorty hotel or hostel over an AirBnB for maximum comfort and socializing (if you want that). They’ll have guided tours and activities in case you get bored and curious to explore.

Hostels:

  • Viajeros – nice and big. Well intended but sorry, but no. Not my vibe. Annoying loud music played all day. It’s not THAT loud, but loud enough that you can’t relax. You really can’t escape the music as it’s played everywhere. The big terrace and pool area on the roof is nice but the music blares nonstop. The ground floor restaurant (other chill spot) is more chill but doesn’t have the comfiest chairs. Everyone I met was pretty friendly but it caters to a more extroverted outgoing crowd (age was a solid mix of 20-40’s). If you want to be alone is also ok since you can just camp out in your dorm pod. But if you’re something in the middle, more chill but still wanna be social…I think Viajeros sucks for that.

Neighborhoods & Walking areas:

  • Town center – Santa Marta is not really big. Walk to the center where the Parque de los Novios Centro is…the cafes, bars, and restaurants are all here. Can also walk along the water.

Activities to do:

  • Beaches – nearby beaches were ugly. You can look up some prettier ones for yourself.
  • Tayrona Park tour – a day tour via boat is a good way to get to some difficult-to-access beaches. You can also go to the park yourself via taxi, etc. Go early as they close it off once it hits a certain number of people. I think try to arrive before 9am.
  • Arts & museums – museums were closed when I went.
  • Sunset views –

Restaurants & Cafes:

  • Guasimo – oh, this place is FREAKEN DELICIOUS! One of those “best food ever” type of places. Go here, go here! It’s more or less traditional Colombian food but with a very artistic and modernized twist, and very fancy (although still reasonably-priced for foreigners).
  • Ouzo Restaurante – I didn’t eat here but I wanted to. It has a nice outdoor area right across the street from the park where you can people watch.
  • El Mexican – nice big place with outdoor seating. Good Mexican food.
  • Marmi Ristorante – I wanted to try this but didn’t get the chance. It’s highly-rated Italian.
  • Sushisantamarta – super hyped on Google reviews. I went and it was very good but not THAT good. You won’t regret it though. The chef/owner is a really nice guy.

Bars & Clubs:

  • Go to the town center and follow the noise.

Miscellaneous tips:

Nearby towns:

  • Taganga
  • Tayrona Park
  • Minca
  • Cienaga
  • Barranquilla

Unfiltered notes:

Leave a Comment