I had a terrible time staying at this hotel. The service was awful and the owner of the hotel had nothing but rebuttals for all of the complaints I had. I stayed there for a week with no hot water to shower with, the gym was closed the entire stay, staff wouldn't provide me with fresh towels, instead they'd hang up dirty towels to dry, and someone took three days to open our balcony door (you need a key to unlock it which only staff is allowed to do). It's 25 mins away from the city where you can find great restaurants, clubs, and bars. It's not worth the price & I highly recommend staying within the city so you don't have to spend money taking Ubers/Taxis back and forth (even though it was cheap). The food was very eh as well. Don't ever stay here.

My room was hot, and it had a mildew smell. They changed my room, and the air conditioner worked well. The towels were hard and had a dingy look. All of the restaurants were outdoors, and I was extremely uncomfortable eating bcuz of the number of cats and dogs . The dogs were walking through while eating . The cats were sitting in the chairs at the tables. Not to mention the number of pigeons that would land on the buffet line to get cheese, bread, fruit, etc. My friend complained so that they put saran wrap on the buffet to cover the food for one day out of the 5 days we were there. I will not recommend this hotel. Although, the staff were nice. The language barrier was a lot. The waiters in the restaurants thought it was funny that we felt uncomfortable eating around animals. It is not the norm for me. I will say Luis at the Cafe near building 2 was very nice. Belky's was attentive when we went down for breakfast. She would get our drinks and make sure the animals would not come near our table. We complained to the front desk manager. She thanked us for our complaint and said she would share it with her manager. I love traveling, I enjoyed my time in Columbia, but I will not stay here again. I hope that my comments are taken into consideration. Thank you

Beautiful resort. Pools well kept. Daily fun at the pool like aqua aerobics. Nice beach area. Fridge in the room didn't work. I told the maid but they never came to fix it. The hair dryer didn't work either. I enjoyed the food and drinks.

Very unhappy with my stay. Planned this trip for my mother's birthday and I'm disappointed. The staff didn't speak any English, the food options were mediocre and the rooms need immediate upgrades. Aside from that, the pool areas weren't clean and stray animals roamed the property. At check-in, the room smelled of dirty mop and again updates are needed ASAP..... This is definitely not a four star resort! Compared to Royalton resorts, this resort is a one star. Much is needed for good ratings. Really sad that I didn't choose a better resort.

Horrible!!!! I made the decision to have Christmas Eve at this resort. I was looking forward to enjoying the all-inclusive package, beautiful pools, and beach, but it all turned into a nightmare just before Christmas Eve at 11:50 pm. Let’s start with the facility. This hotel claims to be a 4-star resort, but as a design professional with over 20 years of experience, I disagree. The sleeping accommodations need a renovation. The interior plaster walls in the rooms are uneven with random bumps, the flooring has uneven bricks, and the rooms are dark with single-pane glass sliding doors. The bathrooms are run down, with old fixtures, barely attached towel hangers, stained tubs, and uneven glass walls. The couch had rust, and the beds are on a concrete platform. The building’s exterior has water and mold damage, and there’s no sound barrier from room to room. Back to my story, at 11:20, we were enjoying a Christmas show at the beach when my 18-month-old daughter started showing discomfort. By 11:40, she threw up, and my wife and daughter got food poisoning, ruining our Christmas. We called medics at 12:15, but they didn’t arrive until 2:30. I got food poisoning the next day. It was the worst vacation ever. My advice: don’t come to this resort. The beach and pools are nice, but not worth getting sick. The beach isn’t private, and there are wild dogs and cats around. The resort seems more geared towards Colombians. I can handle rundown rooms, but not getting sick on my hard-earned vacation. Think twice before choosing this resort; I don’t want anyone going through what we did.

More than 90 minutes just for the check in?? Please, be efficient. My family was expecting to have a good time, not to spend the whole morning waiting for our room to be assigned even when I booked it through despegar.com Be ready to spend a lot of time at their check in saloon. Everything else, was good, great food, nice rooms, I'm changing the review from 1 to 4 stars just because they have 3 stray dogs and 1 cat foster there! Check in is unbearable, though.

The hotel is ideal to take a good rest, the food is average (not many options if you stay many days) but delicious... The attention was excellent, a thing to improve is to develop more amenities for entertainment, a game room or something similar, the beach is quiet and clean and you can do several water activities such as jet ski, boats, and similar stuff

I loved my stay at the Esterlar Playa Manzanillio Resort. The resort was simply beautiful and well maintained. Beauty surrounded me as it made me feel 100% relaxed. The service is what stood out as it was 2nd to none! I encountered one bad issue but Mauricio the supervisor over the front desk went above and beyond to rectify the situation resulting in me becoming happy and extremely satisfied. My concierge person Mildreth was so sweet and helped me accommodate my every need to including moving my room to a ground floor as I was in a wheel chair scooter chair. The day I encountered a problem she was actually off due to not feeling well but when I WhatsAppd her she still tried to help me. The food service was exceptional as well. One particular waitress/server Maria E. went out of her way to serve me with a smile. She made me and my grandmother who traveled felt special like we were celebrities. I must not forget Sebastian as well he worked at the front reception counter. He was so sweet and was quick to help resolve any issue or concern.

Estelar Playa Manzanillo was the perfect place for my husband and I to vacation with our 5 month old. There were a few minor disappointments (mostly related to lack of information available online, and inability to get through to reception when we tried to call before booking/arriving) but by the end of our stay we were happy with our choice of hotel. We assumed transportation would be included to/from the airport, especially since our flight info was requested during the booking: however, there was a 50.000 charge for transport each way. This was cheaper than an Uber Comfort though and it was easy to arrange as there was an Estelar office right at baggage claim and they escorted us to the vehicle right away. We also were surprised by the cost to have lunch prior to checkin (85.000 per person), but were pleasantly surprised that lunch was included after checkout on our last day. Once we were checked in, we really started to enjoy. All the staff were very friendly and attentive, special shout-out to bellhop Argel who was there for us from the moment we arrived to the moment he arranged our transport back to the airport (including finding a way for us to use our foreign credit card as we weren’t anticipating needing cash during our stay). Any time we passed by reception, Argel was always ready to answer any questions or accompany us wherever we needed to go to find out the answers to the questions we had. Breakfast and lunch were both buffet style and with good variety and quality. I appreciated that the salad bar always had cooked options like grilled zucchini, tomato and eggplant, and we didn’t have any issues with food related illness. For dinner you can reserve at 1 of 3 restaurants. We only ended up trying the Italian which was nice (pizza and lobster ravioli were both tasty), and I’ve attached a photo of the menu for Nativo, the Colombian restaurant onsite that we didn’t have a chance to try. There were also snacks (mostly hot dogs and ice cream) available between meals and a cafe that offered complimentary Americanos and croissants (lattes, capuchinos etc and other pastries were not included). The beachfront is a short walk from the main area of the resort and there were plenty of seating options. We didn’t end up spending much time there as it was hard to get enough shade for our infant, even in the beds as the curtains were made from netted material. We were approached by 2 vendors, one selling hats and the others providing massages. They were persistent but respectful. There were 2 pools, one of them for adults only which looked peaceful, and the other located next to the restaurants, bar and beach which often had music and sometimes activities. There were shows every night at 9 but besides that it was hard to know what the schedule of activities was. We tried asking at reception but they said to ask the animation team directly. I would’ve liked to have participated in a dance or aquafit class (which I believe they offered) but I never did manage to find out when they were happening. It would be helpful in future if there was a daily program posted in the reception or somewhere easy for guests to check. Overall, we were happy with our stay and would likely come back if we can find a promotion. Definitely recommend for families (although not sure if there is any kind of kids club, didn’t see anything) or couples wanting a relaxing getaway.

Pools are nice and clean👍. The staff was friendly and very helpful. The eating areas has a lot of cats and a few dogs some good some bad. I think the four star rating needs a review? Rooms need attention mold, furniture, shower, and the sliding doors don’t lock. Overall this facility has a lot of potential to be a five ⭐️

We spent one day at the Resort. We had a few Margaritas they were really good. There is a morning and afternoon snack with lots of options we had fruit salad (salpicon), chicken kabobs, hot dog and empanadas everything was delicious. Lunch was buffet style included a big variety of foods like fish, meat and pasta, salad and soup. It was okay. By the time we got to the beach, the only available seats were at the back, so we had to take turns to watch the kids while they were in the water. The beach seems a bit small for the size of the Resort. The pool was really good lots of activities going on. Also, I booked a massage at the spa it was very relaxing. I speak Spanish, so that wasn't an issue. Overall we had a good experience and we are planning to spend a few nights at the Hotel on our next visit to Cartagena.

The overall experience was good but I think could be improved in terms of infrastructure because intensive rain (electric storm) affected it. However the staff was so ready to help each customer.

Me and my family stayed there for a week. For my son and my wife who came from New York we were surprised by the quality and respect for the environment, flora and fauna. The optimal customer service. I invite you to meet him. They were splendid days. We will be back soon

I have no complaints about this hotel the staff were very helpful and the commodities included with the booking were amazing. It was a very refreshing taste we felt close with nature but with a luxury feeling, and the food was absolutely amazing. Would def recommend bringing your kids or family and friends here. Truly a beauty

Extremely long check in that was frustrating. They did give me an upgraded room and late checkout without asking for it, so I appreciated that. Grounds look lush and the room is enormous, clean with a nice view. Pools are really great, especially if you have children.

Mildred’s was the best at answering questions and was very humble. Noemi was fantastic at organizing excursions! Great time overall everyone was super helpful!

Staff from the cafe booth going to the rooms way too unfriendly, rude and terrible service in that point, several things at the room were broken. Good service at buffet area , Yuranis very nice person, nice entertainment group , even though no body take control on rules, people with out shirts and wet taken lunch , no body take shower before go into the pools.

The beach landscape is awesome, but the bar and available hotel furnitures are not at the expected level. The buffet is limited in meats and desserts, the coffee "el arbol" is the better spot however there is not umbrellas that protect you against rain. There is lack of places for reading.

More than 60 minutes to check, the people on check-in área doesnyt have a good attitude, a lot thing to improve.

Great all inclusive hotel. The en tiro menor is more familiar, where it offers spaces for kids. Food overall is good for Colombia standards. The staff is very friendly. It has access to the beach, although vendors at the beach are annoying. You’ll definitely have a pleasant stay at this place. Note that it is about 20+ minutes away from the historic center of Cartagena.

Excellent hotel. Great food. Perfect location

I will dream about this place until I can return! I spent 2 nights there and decided to add 2 more, so in total 4 nights. It was pure pleasure, you walk from your room to the most beautiful outdoor settings. I basically spent like no time in my bedroom, just to sleep. The outdoor had everything. Quiet pool area (also very beautiful), 3 bars, active pool area, the beach, snack bar, the buffet restaurant and few other restaurants, a tennis and gym, the gym is currently under maintenance but you just go to the reception and they pay a taxi for you to the next hotel where you can use the gym. The food was good, really good in my opinion for a buffet style, always plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. The beach is so nice and well managed, yes there are some people there trying to sell you stuff but thats just part of it no, and they were all polite. The staff of the hotel was simply amazing, every question or inquiry was met with a smile and solved on the spot. I dont understand all the bad reviews here. Its a wonderful place. I recommend the cafè, it was my favourite place, so beautiful and quiet. Thank you, staff of Estelar!

I came to this resort looking for a potential wedding venue, and I left appalled. The beach is incredible and some members of the staff are great (Moises and Maicol at the bar are excellent, to name a few) but everything else was remarkably poor for how expensive it was. We received no information after the longest check-in process ever (in which one of the staff members accused me of entering the country illegally because I didn't have my passport on me at the time), so we had to figure things out as we went. We had no hot water in the room and the bed cover had blood stains on. The food at the dinner buffet was cold and below average, and you needed a day in advance reservation for eating at the other places in the resort (again, it would have been nice to have been informed). The checkout process is also a nightmare. I wouldn't recommend it if you have standards for good service.

60 minutes to make checkin it’s a total nightmare, they ask for each personal data for each guest you should be good with only if and name that’s it. There is no maps of the facility not too much information about it just the web site and wasn’t working so nothing to do on there. Regarding service, most of the personal are nice and kind so it’s a plus but the all inclusive piece it’s in someway terrible, one night the buffet just opened and they ran out of food and the best option was change to pasta the entire menu it’s a shame cause I had heard good comments but wasn’t like that.

The hotel has beautiful facilities, comfortable and quiet, I think there was a little delay during check-in in terms of the delivery of the rooms, the rest was a spectacular experience.