I did extensive research reading travel blogs and hotel reviews and looked into around 20 different hotels in the old city and several Airbnb’s prior to booking Bantu. Bantu seemed too good to be true for the price, but I assure you it exceeded expectations. My stay was 4 nights. Fabian at the front desk went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. We speak very little Spanish and had no issues communicating with everyone at the hotel. The rooms are cozy but stylish. Bed is very comfortable. Air conditioning worked great. Water was hot. Large TV and I was able to stream Netflix to TV. I had no complaints. I had read the lighting was dim in some reviews, and it wasn’t super bright in the rooms, but plenty fine for me to do makeup. The hotel has a beautiful ground floor pool and also a rooftop pool and hot tub. They are small but perfect for a dip after waking around the hot city. The breakfast was exceptional with coffee, fresh fruit juice, pastries, bacon, empanadas, fruit, yogurt parfaits. The hotel also serves lunch and dinner which we did not eat at so cannot speak to that. I felt very safe the whole time. Overall, I am so happy I booked Hotel Bantu! I never write reviews but they deserve so much praise and thanks. So thank you to the staff who made our trip unforgettable.

Wow! How can we start? We loved this hotel and the people who work there. We totally felt like being at home! The property is a beautiful, remodeled colonial building (two colonial houses connected to each other) right in the San Diego district inside the historical walled city and a block from Plaza Fernandez Madrid. The location was excellent. walking distance to everything. The property itself was beautifully decorated, very clean, and very well maintained. The rooftop pool was great. The room was big and comfortable. The breakfast was amazing, homemade fresh, and delicious. The staff was not only professional and courteous, they treated us like family! Kudos to Arnold, Rafael, Jefferson, Keisy, and Eddie! They made us feel so welcome and taken care of. The staff in the kitchen was world-class level. The cook was wonderful. It was like eating at grandma's house. This was one of the best hotel experiences that we have ever had!

We didn't like that we didn't have time to spend another week there.

The location of the hotel is perfect physically right in the Centre with Carrera 7 to the left that runs north-south where there are many good restaurants. And Carrera 9 to the right that takes you up to Plaza San Diego and to the La Serrezuela mall with many other good restaurants along that route. Walking along those route felt very safe with a lot of tourists along those routes which are very well lit at night. Due to its location, it’s just away from the noisy areas so that you can get a good night’s rest. All the hotel staff were very hospitable, friendly and very attentive to any requests. The main entrance gate is locked and reception was always there to “buzz” you in and out. The hotel has its colonial architectural structure but room are air conditioned and fitted with the essential modern amenities- good comfortable bed and pillows, modern bathroom fittings with a rainfall shower. Breakfast included some typical Colombian options like egg arepas, empanadas, tequenos. Eggs how you like it are made on request.

The hotel entrance is a bit underwhelming not like some of the luxury hotels you may be accustomed to but most of the hotels here are boutique hotels which are similar in style. Coincidentally the hotel had a problem with their WiFi system and our room was located in the area that was most impacted. As such we didn’t have any WiFi access in the room for our entire stay! WiFi access was only available in the main common hotel areas- reception and dining. This was a bummer for us. Probably the only thing that impacted my rating.

Overall the property exceeded my expectations. The pictures really don't do it justice—the hotel is absolutely gorgeous, what with the breathtaking entrance way, charming dining area, hidden pool and rooftop pool, and very convenient location. It really had everything I wanted for myself and my guests, and it played a beautiful role in my birthday party celebrations.

We had a bit of a rocky start, as my friend and I were hosting a birthday party and tried getting a group rate. The person in charge of parties—in corporate, not the hotel staff—we dealt with was very unprofessional, got huffy, and then stopped speaking to us entirely. Not cool. Plus, we found better rates online, despite wanting to give the hotel—not a third party—our money. However, we still decided to move forward with Bantu due to the location and amenities. I'm glad we did :)

This hotel is a clear example of how you treat your customers, to the front door, to the breakfast, Herman is a example of a great server, Laura is amazing very humble waiter. Is the first time using massage services, was kind of skeptic due previous hotel experiences, was the best massage I ever taken wow. Was celebrating my bday and anniversary. The cook Geneise is very gifted also never eat in restaurant hotels due to same bad experience in low quality lousy attention and poignant attitude on the service. They treat us like kings.

All perfect for us

The hotel is very nice, located in an old building in the city centre of Cartagena, perfect location close to all attractions. It has a very nice patio and rooms are nicely decorated. It is relatively expensive for Colombian standards, but for European ones it is reasonable.

We stayed twice at this hotel, the first time we had an outdoor bathroom, which looks nice, but it uncomfortable, as it is too hot and humid in Cartagena. The second time we asked for an indoor bathroom and it was much better.

Gorgeous place to relax and retreat from lovely, lively Cartagena. Great central location but also down a fairly quiet side street so perfect. It’s a bit noisey in that other guests can be heard from your room but easily fixed with ear plugs. Two lovely pools and helpful staff. My only improvement suggestion would be to have either someone behind the bar at the pool or someone to come round and take orders. I had to go downstairs to order a drink which isn’t the end of the world but poolside service would be the icing on the cake. Thanks

Charming, charming, charming! From the beautiful layout and architecture, to the friendly and helpful staff who greet you by name, this is a perfect hotel for a stay in the old city. Centrally located and yet also peaceful and quiet. Delicious breakfast. Super comfortable bed. Excellent air conditioning. Lovely little nooks and crannies to relax in, including two swimming pools, one of which is on the terrace. Highly recommend. Wanted to extend my stay! Gracias.

- The hotel infrastructure was great, there were two pools, one jacuzzi, and a sauna. The place was great for relaxing after a long day of tourism. - Great location, 5 min walking from the tower clock and other main attractions of the city. - Comfortable room. - Friendly and helpful staff - The common area where we had breakfast was super nice. - Delicious breakfast.

- It was hard to order drinks or food close to the pool area, there was no staff at the pool bar.

The architecture was amazing! The room was large, cool, and just beautiful. I wanted to stay in a place where I felt I was in Colombia and this place did it. The staff super friendly and helpful. Breakfast was ok but there is a ton of places to eat close by.

Breakfast could be better: warm or hot arepas since many tourist look for this type of food as it’s associated with Colombia. We tried them but they were cold and hard.