There are destinations that enchant you, and then there are those that stop you completely in your tracks. Colombia has always been both. For those of us who have been visiting for years (falling in love with its colours, its warmth, its food, its extraordinary people), we have long known what the rest of the world is only now beginning to discover: Colombia is one of the most captivating countries on earth.
And now, with the opening of Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena in early 2026, the brand’s first property in this storied city, there has never been a more compelling reason to book your journey.
Colombia: A Country That Defies Every Expectation
I first travelled to Colombia with a sense of cautious curiosity. What I encountered was something I wasn’t fully prepared for: a country that is sophisticated, immaculately presented, deeply cultured, and extraordinarily welcoming. The people are upbeat, personable, and full of life, what I have always called “good people.” The food is brilliant. The landscapes are staggering. The cities hum with creativity and energy.
From the cool, spring-like streets of Bogotá to the lush coffee farms of the Eje Cafetero to the jewel-like Caribbean coast, Colombia offers a layered richness that rewards the curious traveller at every turn.
Bogotá is where the journey often begins, a capital city that surprises at every corner. A morning visit to the Montserrate Monastery, rising dramatically above the city at 8,000 feet, rewards with sweeping views and a sense of both history and devotion.
The Museo del Oro tells the story of Colombia’s pre-Columbian past through one of the finest gold collections in the world. The Botero Museum, free and beautifully curated, introduces you to the Colombian master’s gloriously round-figured sculptures and paintings. For families, the market town of Zipaquirá and its remarkable underground Salt Cathedral, carved directly into a working salt mine, is unlike anything else on the continent.
The Coffee Triangle, or Eje Cafetero, is the soul of the country in many ways. Flying into Armenia, the landscape below is a patchwork of lush green farms and wax palms, Colombia’s towering national tree.
Staying at a private coffee hacienda such as Hacienda Bambusa, with its al fresco dinners and guitar-playing evenings under the stars, offers an intimacy and authenticity that is increasingly rare in luxury travel. The Valle del Cocora and the charming colonial town of Salento are among the most beautiful places in South America, full stop.
And then there is Cartagena. Always, Cartagena.
Cartagena: The City That Enchants
This is a city straight from the pages of García Márquez, and fittingly so, since the Nobel laureate called it home. Cartagena de Indias, founded in 1533, is a perfectly preserved Spanish colonial jewel on the Caribbean coast, enclosed within the largest walled city in the Americas. Its cobblestone streets, balconies spilling with bougainvillea, vivid façades in saffron, coral, and turquoise. Every turn is a painting.
I have visited many times, and each time I leave with the same feeling: that I did not stay long enough.
The experience of Cartagena is best taken in a leisurely manner. Walking the Walled City with a knowledgeable local guide (as I have done with the extraordinary Eddy, a lifelong Cartagenero with fifty years of sharing his city with visitors) reveals history and humour that no guidebook can replicate. The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, widely considered the greatest fort the Spanish built in the Americas, is a masterpiece of military ingenuity and one of the most fascinating sites on the continent.
Beyond the history, Cartagena is simply alive. The neighbourhood of Getsemaní, just outside the Walled City walls, is where the city’s traditional soul remains most intact: colourful street murals, community life spilling onto the pavements, music at every hour. The Rosario Islands, reached by private boat, offer lobster lunches, warm Caribbean waters, and evenings that makes the rest of the world feel very far away. The shopping is exceptional. Colombian designers of international calibre, handwoven goods, Colombian emeralds, leather goods of extraordinary quality, all at a fraction of what you would pay in London, New York, or Paris.
As for the restaurants and bars: creativity abounds. The dining scene has grown dramatically in sophistication, with everything from Colombian coastal cuisine to Cuban and Peruvian influences, and cocktail programmes that are genuinely inventive. La Vitrola remains an institution, a beautifully theatrical restaurant where the Cuban band plays from eight o’clock and a reservation is absolutely non-negotiable.
Cartagena is, in my view, one of the great cities of the world. And it has always deserved a hotel to match.
Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena: A New Chapter for the City
Now accepting reservations and opening early 2026, Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena is, by every measure, a landmark arrival, bringing the brand to Cartagena for the first time and marking a new chapter for luxury travel in this iconic city.
Situated in the heart of Getsemaní, steps from the Walled City, the hotel brings new life to a collection of beautifully restored local landmarks, including the 16th-century San Francisco Temple and Club Cartagena, a 1920s beaux-arts masterpiece. The result is an intimate luxury hotel that feels rooted in place, not imposed upon it.
Rooms and Suites
Ranging from the generous Premier Rooms with courtyard balconies to the Grand Deluxe Colonial Rooms, a tribute to Colombian heritage with their dark wood detailing and natural light, to the magnificent Catroux Suite, a two-bedroom presidential suite with private terrace, plunge pool, and access by private elevator. Every category has been designed to offer a distinct relationship with the city around it.
Dining
Eight restaurants and lounges will bring the city’s extraordinary culinary culture inside Four Seasons walls, an offering that speaks to the hotel’s ambition to be a destination within the destination.
Images courtesy of Four Seasons Cartagena.
- The Grand Grill occupies the iconic Club Cartagena, the 1920s beaux-arts landmark designed by French architect Gastón Lelarge, and brings a steakhouse sensibility that marries tradition with modern innovation.
- Pizzeria della Chiesa inhabits the restored shell of the old Teatro Cartagena, its Neapolitan wood-fired spirit feeling completely at home within those storied walls.
- Café Rialto serves specialty beans sourced from the country’s finest suppliers. For coffee, and in Colombia this matters enormously.
- Come evening, the choices only get more interesting: Bar Lelarge for exceptional wines and expertly crafted cocktails, and El Aljibe, a speakeasy tucked into what was once a water reservoir beneath the hotel, for something rather more theatrical.
- The rooftop bar, El Palmar, with its 360-degree views over Getsemaní and the Caribbean beyond, will inevitably become one of the most coveted spots in the city.
- For something more serene, Atrio, the skylit lobby lounge with its glass ceiling, marble floors, and lush greenery, offers wines by the glass and specialty coffees in what feels like a chic garden conservatory.
As a collection, this is a dining programme that positions Four Seasons Cartagena as a thriving social destination for the city, not simply for its guests.
Spa & Wellness
UMARI, the spa and wellness sanctuary, deserves a mention of its own. Six treatment rooms, including a generously sized couples’ suite with lounge area, deep bathtub, and private shower, offer immersive facial and body treatments that draw on the therapeutic properties of Colombia’s native plants and fruits. The signature massages are designed specifically for Cartagena, including an arrival treatment conceived to gently release the effects of travel and ease guests into the rhythm of the city. The luxurious changing rooms include a steam room and relaxation lounge. And for those who want to take a little of UMARI home, the spa boutique stocks products exclusively from Colombia-based creators, a beautifully considered nod to the country’s rich biodiversity.
For the wellness-minded traveller, this alone is worth planning around.
The 24-hour fitness centre, equipped throughout with Technogym, rounds out the offering for those who prefer their self-care rather more active. Finally, the rooftop pool with its views over Getsemaní and the Caribbean beyond, a wonderful way to view the city from above.
Who is Cartagena for?
The answer is: almost anyone.
For couples, Cartagena is one of the most romantic cities in the world. The warm evenings, the candlelit restaurants, the horse-drawn carriages on cobblestone streets, the private boat to a deserted island. It is a setting designed for intimacy and discovery.
For a group of friends or a ladies’ escape, Cartagena delivers on every front. The shopping alone (Colombian designers, handmade jewellery, fine leather goods, swimwear unlike anything you will find at home) is worth the journey. Add to this the nightlife, the cultural experiences, the day trips, and the sheer pleasure of wandering a city this beautiful together, and you have a long weekend or week that will be spoken of for years to come.
For families, Colombia as a country offers extraordinary range. Bogotá’s museums, the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquirá, the wildlife of the coffee region, and the ease of Cartagena as a final destination make for an itinerary that genuinely engages every age. Four Seasons Cartagena’s family-facing amenities and curated nature experiences (including the cotton-top tamarin trek) bring the country’s remarkable biodiversity within easy reach.
The RTLM Perspective: Why Now
We have been advocates for Colombia for over a decade. I was among the early voices encouraging travellers to look beyond the headlines and discover what an extraordinary country this truly is: the people, the landscapes, the food, the culture, the sheer energy of it.
The opening of Four Seasons Cartagena is the moment that Colombia’s luxury travel story arrives at its natural conclusion. The infrastructure has long been in place. The dining, the guides, the experiences. All world-class for years. What was missing was a hotel that could hold its own against the best in the world, in a city that has always deserved one.
That hotel is now here.
Resort to Laura Madrid has the relationships, the insider knowledge, and the genuine passion for this destination to design your Colombian journey exactly as it should be, from the first cup of Eje Cafetero coffee to the last evening stroll through the Walled City, from the private boat to the Rosario Islands to the table at La Vitrola. We know this country with the depth of long affection, and we know Four Seasons with the depth of long partnership.
If Colombia has been on your mind (and it should be), this is the moment to make the call.
For an expertly guided travel experience, Resort to Laura Madrid offers full-service itinerary planning for a select group of clients. We keep our client list intentionally small to ensure every journey receives the care and attention it deserves. Please click here for more information.
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