Sofitel Baru Calablanca image

Sofitel Baru Calablanca

Hotel

👍👍 Gorgeous resort with impeccable grounds and design. Lots of great pools, super easy access to beach, amazing breakfast, and very kid friendly - they gave my 2 yr old son a special kid cup and plate at meals. Outstanding service all around. It was the perfect, tranquil escape after four days in bustl... People often mention hotel, experience, great, beach, service, stay, good, staff, restaurant, rooms,


Address

Km 7 Sector, Cartagena de Indias, Provincia de Cartagena, BolĂ­var, Colombia

Website

all.accor.com

Contact

+57 605 6411690

Rating on Google Maps

4.70 (757 reviews)

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Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: hotel (44) experience (20) great (20) beach (20) service (20) stay (18) good (16) staff (16) restaurant (15) rooms (14)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 1/5 Brandon Meyer D. 2 years ago on Google
    I don't think I've ever had a worse hotel experience. I’m a semi-frequent Sofitel customer and I don't plan on staying at a Sofitel again after this experience. We booked four hotel rooms for two nights, and were contemplating extending our stay depending on our experience at the hotel. Needless to say, we did not extend. The problems began at check-in, at check-in they offered to upgrade one of our rooms and when we got to the room there was no upgrade. From there, we went to dinner. There was one other table of customers at dinner, yet it took two hours to receive our main courses. We ordered three steaks (2 medium well, one medium) all were served close to raw. We sent the three steaks back and they were returned overdone on the outside and very rare on the inside. The quality of the food was dismal. Not dismal for a supposedly 4-5 star hotels, but dismal full stop. Later that evening we also book a massage for two which is to take place the next day at 6 PM. The next day, we are away from the hotel for the entire day (boating) and return in time for our massages. At 6 PM we show up for our massages and we are told that they only have room for one person to be massaged; despite the reservation being for two. After the Spa attendant is unable to provide any remedy, we speak to the hotel manager. He offers a 50% discount on a massage the next day, and tells us that because of our other issues, he will offer us a discount/comps at check-out. Later that day at dinner, we try the Asian restaurant on the property. Somehow it was even worse than the restaurant we ate at the night before. Not only does the meal take even longer, but we are served undercooked salmon, bleeding lamb, and RAW chicken. We have to send the lamb back three times for it to be cooked enough so the plate isn't bloody, the salmon is close to raw in the middle, and the chicken was completely raw on the inside (see photo). CAUTION: SALMONELLA. Oh, plus the rest of the food was awful. On top of that when we receive the bill, we are charged for a dish we didn't order. We also check out the rooftop bar where sushi is served. Fortunately, we didn't risk it after seeing that the raw fish is kept in a non-cooled environment at room temperature. At check-out, things got even worse. The hotel manager supposedly isn't there and hasn't done anything to adjust the bills despite telling us he would. On top of that, the bills are completely wrong. Double charging for meals, charging for more massages than we had, all sorts of strange charges. We request to speak to the manager and the restaurant manager comes out and begins arguing with us and even has the gall to tell us that the photo of the raw chicken must've been photoshopped; can you believe that! The restaurant manager; Ari gets visibly angry and makes several comments that could be perceived as threatening ("you'll never forget me" etc). Also when checking out, we speak to a couple that are checking out early since they got food poisoning their first night there. We aren't surprised. My family and I have spent tens of thousands of $'s at Sofitel’s and don't plan on ever staying at one after this experience. We've escalated our complaint to Sofitel corporate and plan on filing a complaint with the Colombian ministry of health. In terms of the good: The hotel is new, the rooms are modern and good value for the price, the pool isn't heated but is fine, the chocolate mousse is very good. But, all in all, STAY AWAY. Don't make the same mistake we did.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Ariel J. 1 year ago on Google
    Gorgeous resort with impeccable grounds and design. Lots of great pools, super easy access to beach, amazing breakfast, and very kid friendly - they gave my 2 yr old son a special kid cup and plate at meals. Outstanding service all around. It was the perfect, tranquil escape after four days in bustling Cartagena. Just felt the rooms were small for the price we were paying. Also the spa was amazing but please add the option for music in the massage rooms.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Traveling with J. 8 months ago on Google
    I absolutely loved my stay at this property! It is definitely worth a visit. I spent two nights here and was thoroughly impressed. Since it's a relatively new hotel, everything feels new and fresh. The food options were fantastic, and the service was consistently excellent throughout my stay. The room I stayed in was spacious, and the hotel's grounds are well-maintained. Also, the poolside drinks were great — try the coconut lemonade! One more thing, don't miss out on the spa! I treated myself to their signature massage experience, and it was truly wonderful!
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 March L. 1 year ago on Google
    This location is scary coming in, especially at night! However, once you're there it's like paradise. If you are looking for a place to relax and do nothing. This is the place for you. It was super relaxing, definitely enjoyed it. If you are looking for some activities to do or at least some sort of entertainment at night, this is not the place. 1. It's far from the city. 2. The hotel don't provide any entertainment besides a very low key bar. Which kinda sucked, because right after dinner we usually like to do something different. Instead it was straight to the room. Had we known, would have not come here. The room was super clean. The staff are amazing. The food was also very good. I have travel to quite a few countries and stayed at the resorts. The staff in this location are topnotch compared to other places. Very attentive! Now, Elkin is like no other. Such amazing and genuine person, went above and beyond for our needs! Really happy we made a friend for the next time we go back to Cartagena. I gave it a 4 star because they need to be more creative at night. At least a beach party, something! :)
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Michael G. 1 year ago on Google
    We really enjoyed our stay but unfortunately a few things caused the stay to be “good” and not “great.” This is a new world class resort that is almost there, but not quite yet. I would give it a few more months or a year to iron out the kinks, especially for the $. Note that it is remote and that the drive into the resort will be fairly bumpy for about 15 minutes. Once you are at the resort, you are not going anywhere so kick your shoes off and relax. Also note there is construction of condos and houses next door that you may hear in the morning. Good: wonderfully remote location that is probably the best and most exclusive on Baru. -our couples massage was absolutely excellent and totally relaxing. Worth every peso. -the staff is helpful and trying. English may be hit or miss, but everyone is patient and kind and smiling. A little Spanish goes a long way. Alberto drove our cart and was amazing. Jadder checked us in and was welcoming. Jose the beach waiter was always smiling. -rooms are spacious and very nice. The ocean view is unbeatable. Bad: -The food was overall tasty but not up to the price. Steak was a grey and lacked a good sear. Drinks are expensive and not that strong. Humo is the best option. (reservation required) -The hotel closed the pergola roof bar two nights in a row with no warning, and closed the Bahia restaurant due to a conference and a film crew filming at the resort. No warning and no offer to comp anything for this inconvenience. Guests should be informed before booking or before check-in. -Service is pretty slow and almost non-existent on the beach. Very fixable if they would just have 1 pool waiter, two beach waiters, or even better, dedicated ordering to your table/chair with QR codes. They will charge both a service fee AND a tip, but the tip is optional.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Stephano R. 2 years ago on Google
    My stay at Sofitel was good, most of the staff are very attentive to your needs and very friendly. The pools, gym, beachfront were all beautiful but the reason this resort did not receive a 5 star rating is due to my absolute terrible experience at the Humo Restaurant. First off, we needed a reservation to dine in at this restaurant and once we got seated, we did not get our orders taken until 30 minutes of seating. After ordering, our food came out 2 hours later. I told them we would just like to cancel our order and dine in at the Calablanca Restaurant but they insisted it would only take 5 more minutes. It did not, it took another 15-20 minutes. We only ordered the tuna tataki and tonkotsu ramen, I am not sure how that takes over 2 hours to cook but once we received it, it was terrible. There was hardly any flavor to the dishes. I also wanted to mention that if you order a beer, just tell them that you'll pour it yourself because they literally dump the beer into the glass rather than holding it at an angle so it's just straight foam. I think the servers and other workers at this restaurant need better training. This restaurant is definitely not worth the wait. When we were about to be done eating, I requested the check which ended up taking 30 minutes to get to me. The server told me I had to wait on the check because she was busy cleaning our table first. I've never dined in anywhere that cleans your table before giving the customers their check so they can pay and leave. I spent over 3 hours at this restaurant and only spent about 20 minutes of it actually dining. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Please save yourself some time and just dine in at the other 3 restaurants that they have on site.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 3/5 Adrianna 1 year ago on Google
    My fiancĂ© took me here for my birthday, it’s a great property and service is splendid, but the food is not up to part with the hotel. The Asian restaurant Humos was delicious, but the other two restaurants and the food for the pool service was below average and makes it difficult to want to come back, considering the price. If you care about good food, I would probably recommend you go somewhere else.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Gerardo G. 1 year ago on Google
    I stayed two nights and in general I had a great experience. The beach is amazing, the rooms are super nice, the food is okay, the staff was very nice. The overall experience was good, just some minor things that I would like them to improve but nothing that wouldn’t let me stay again. Good: -I like the design of the hotel, concrete and wood. Simple and good for the a hotel at the beach. -The food and liquor options were good. - Staff was really nice and kind -Private beach with trees in the middle is really cool and pretty -The interior design of the rooms is nice and modern. Bad - I hated waiting under the heat for the golf carts. Just walk, it’s easier and it’s not that bad. The walking distances are okay if you walk in your city. - Expensive and not easy to get from the city. The hotel offered me a boat or taxi service and it was pretty expensive. I asked a random Uber to take me from the city and charged me 4 times less ! I asked him to pick me and at the end it was way less than paying the hotel’s taxi service. - It rained for a while but later it stopped but they decided not opening the rooftop. I felt there are no activities at night, just go to your bedroom. Pools close super early. - There are too many buttons for the lights, AC in the bedroom and it’s super confusing. Add labels !
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Jon M. 1 year ago on Google
    Gorgeous hotel, The architecture, the design, incredible. Loved the beach there and the trees and the chairs and the food was great. Only problem is our room smelled mildewy, which I tried to get them to solve for two days, and nothing ever happened. Besides that, stunning hotel, though definitely isolated.

  • 5/5 Lev V. 6 months ago on Google
    Everyone at Sofitel is great as always. What I do enjoy is that every time there is an extra service added. This time it was personal trainer. Jorge Martinez is very knowledgeable, professional, patient trainer for all levels, for beginners all the way to advanced body builders

  • 5/5 Christoph B. 1 year ago on Google
    This has been my best hotel experience ever. As someone who’s travelled a lot I don’t say that lightly. This hotel boasts so much beauty, style, absolutely outstanding food, great service, wonderful beaches, pools and never once feels crowded. The attention paid to detail, the architecture of the hotel, so many things impress with this hotel. It was an incredible experience and I can strongly recommend this place. This place deserves more than 5 stars.

  • 5/5 MARIA CAMILA M. 9 months ago on Google
    The whole experience was amazing. The hotel itself is beautiful, the rooms are super comfortable, the staff is very attentive, and the service is incredible; they think in every little detail, which makes the experience even better. They have multiple bars and restaurants and the food and drinks are delicious. We had a great time! In general the whole staff is amazing, they are willing to help you with any request. Alberto, Denis, and Kevin were super attentive and they had the best attitude!

  • 5/5 Jeremy A. 8 months ago on Google
    The stay at Sofitel has been amazing. The service is top notch compared to other Cartagena locations. Specifically we had the best time at the private pool being catered by Ivan and David. Both were attentive and made our time memorable. The private beach is beautiful and the food is AMAZING. I'd highly recommend to anyone thinking about booking.

  • 5/5 Ricardo C. 8 months ago on Google
    Wife and I went to spend our anniversary there and were left blown away with the overall experience. The service from staff was incredible, Criseyra from guest services helped me plan a surprise for my wife and she was attentive to every need and very detailed, she welcomed us from day one and consistently checked in on us to ensure we were having a great time. Additionally, the server Irene Hernandez from Calablanca restaurant was amazing. She was always attentive of anything we needed. The rooms were great, the people who cleaned them would come twice a day to make sure they were clean and even left us really nice notes. If you want a place to truly relax, I 100% recommend staying here. Coming from someone who travels a lot, this has been one of the best hotels we have stayed in

  • 5/5 H C. 5 months ago on Google
    This hotel easily makes it on my top 5 hotels to stay at worldwide. I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels around the world and have only encounter this level of attention to detail a handful of times. They really do strive to cater to your every need and desire. And they do it with a big smile on their face. Everyone is so nice, and not only that, but they really do enjoy what they do. I talked to a lot of the staff ( I’ve never witness such happiness in people while working so I had to investigate ) and they’re legitimately happy to work there. The only hiccup during my stay is not even worth mentioning, since I brought up it to their attention and they were quick to find a solution and made sure that everything was perfect for my stay from that point on, and then they followed up with me the next day to make sure my stay remained flawless. Again, attention to detail is key in this business, and when your sole purpose is to make sure guests have everything they want and need, it’s a recipe for perfection! I stayed at Sofitel Legend Santa Clara a week before coming to Baru and must say I wasn’t very impressed with it, don’t get me wrong, it was nice, but it was NOWHERE near Sofitel Baru Calablanca’s standard. It really is a wonderful place. In fact after leaving I went to my next hotel, and a day after I arrived I cancelled the rest of my reservation with that hotel and came back to Sofitel Baru Calablanca. Why did I come back you ask? Well the service is second to none, and after meeting and interacting with JosĂ© A, Jonathan & Ana, it wasn’t hard of a decision to come back. They really do make you feel at home and I appreciate that to no end. Thank you my Baru family for such a wonderful experience. You are the best!

  • 3/5 Norbert N. 6 months ago on Google
    TL;DR: To expensive for experience provided, with some issues, which we would not expect in a five star hotel at all. - Beautiful and well maintained facilities. - Nice breakfast buffet with Many options. But it wasnt clear or marked what are vegetarian options. Also when we asked the staff they didnt know. Sometimes they Said it’s vegetarian. And then there was meat in it. - Clean Beach. - Service was not constantly good. (Sometimes we got a free water at the Pool or beach, Sometimes not). - Room Service was good, but was sometimes Not ready (eg we went out for hours and the room was not cleaned afterwards, Eventhough we asked to clean it when we went out and had to wait after dinner for an extra hour wandering around, after that experience we called ahead). - Reception and concierge Service was Not sufficient eg. Opening hours of the Restaurants were quickly told but Not in writing, no ocerview of the facilities, no overview of provided sport program or events. - The logistics from and to the hotel are very bad. The drive from and to the 5 star hotel is an imposition to all guests (1/3 of the time you drive on a „street“ which you would expect leading to a lonely farm house in the voubty side). Furthermore the service is way to expensive. The offered boat drive was fine, but the offered hours are not possible for a day trip to cartagena. For that price at least a bottle of water could have been included. - The Food and Drinks have european prices but not european quality. One liter of the cheapest water costs around 17.000cop plus service charge and expected tip. That is more expensive than in german hotels. - The day before departure we asked for the cost overview. On the next day while checking out, a service charge of around 1.300.000 cop was added to the bill. Just because we checked the bill so carefully we saw it and asked what this is about. They told us it is optional. Interestingly nobody asked us if we want to pay this or informed us when arriving of this practise - This vacation was our Honeymoon which we Told the Hotel via email in Advance. They send us a price list with additional romantic offers. But not once during our stay somebody congratulated us to our wedding

  • 5/5 Yasmin H. 8 months ago on Google
    We spent the holidays at the Sofitel Baru and we still talk about it. The food, service, drinks were incredible and very well priced. The rooms were high quality and beautifully decorated. If you want a place to truly relax I recommend staying here!

  • 5/5 Trevor G. 2 years ago on Google
    Excellent new Sofitel. Top-notch everything. The spa was excellent (we did "Soft Baru") and a great beach. The hotel never once felt crowded even though it was nearly full. Lots of children who seemed to enjoy the activities without distributing those of us without kids. The only thing is that the Peruvian restaurant was booked out all weekend, so book ahead if you want to dine there.

  • 5/5 Andres V. 1 year ago on Google
    Luxury & sophistication. Paradise like beaches, world-class service and all-round comfort. If you can afford a luxury experience, this hotel won’t disappoint. Adequately staffed and impressive facilities. Outstanding. *However if you’re planning on getting the “Pasadía”, check with the hotel first because they might revoke it (even if you bought it months in advance) citing that they can’t honor it due to “high season” which I found questionable.

  • 4/5 timothy c. 1 year ago on Google
    Staff were very friendly. Especially appreciated Patricia at the beach pools. Pools were nice but hours not ideal with early close and late open. Huge room but not very efficient layout or comfortable furniture. We had two balconies but one was empty except for some dead plants. Restaurants were good. Beach has potential but lots of rocks. Water is not clear at all. Boat ride in from Cartagena was a highlight, recommend it over Uber or taxi. Beautiful property that should mature into a nice resort once growing pains subside.

  • 5/5 Mo M. 1 year ago on Google
    The hotel is just beautiful, the location directly at the beach serene, the rooms generous albeit finishing touches are sometimes lacking the necessary attention - especially for the fact that this is a fairly new property. But beach, pools, atmosphere, food, location, landscape, sea are all fabulous. But getting to or leaving the hotel is treacherous and the stay has to be earned. The road leading to the hotel is basically just a very wide dirt path that turns into a swimming pool after each rain. And leaving by boat is cool but it was very tricky - we got soaking wet because the sea was not very calm and the speedboat for that purpose not fitted because there was no cabin for the passengers. But all in all the place is magic and we would go back - hoping that the new road will be constructed quickly.

  • 5/5 Teresa P. 1 year ago on Google
    Sofitel Baru is absolutely amazing! We went for our honeymoon and it was the most beautiful place we’ve been! Food was great, drinks were great—Elkin our pool waiter was THE BEST!! Elkin made our experience perfect, always there to make sure we had whatever we needed. The hotel is stunning, the staff everywhere in the hotel are so nice and welcoming. The pools and the beach are so peaceful and relaxing. We got a couples massage at the spa and it was so relaxing! The rooms are beautiful, very clean, great room amenities. We had a jacuzzi and ordered a floating brunch one day. It was the best trip we’ve ever had and we can’t wait to come back!

  • 5/5 Manuel F. 1 year ago on Google
    Amazing hotel and service, the stay was just beautiful. My only gripes are the prices they're charging for certain things, 20K COP for a beer is NOT ok guys. But the rest was just wonderful. But if you want to know the city I highly recommend go to hotel more near it, as this is a relax total, almost akin to an isolated all inclusive.

  • 4/5 Nathaniel 1 year ago on Google
    Beautiful property on a stunning white beach with Caribbean blue water. No need to fly to an island when you have the same on the mainland. New hotel with beautiful rooms all facing the sea. We found the restaurants quite good with plenty of variety to keep us more than satisfied during our 9 day stay. Very welcoming staff, any language barrier is easily overcome by their warmth and charm. We felt particularly welcomed by Said in the main restaurant, Patricia by the pool and Jesse at the gym. Each was exceptionally warm, kind and authentic. Areas for improvement: transfer arrangements (in my case requiring several emails, WhatsApps and a phone call until I received a response). Management should take a good look at the slippery slope (even without rain) when leaving the Flamenco building to street level. We had mentioned it to one staff member. It has the potential for causing a bad accident if not attended to in some way. Overall an excellent stay and beautiful property.

  • 5/5 Anne-CĂ©cile M. 1 year ago on Google
    We have just come back from a week in Baru Calablanca, and it was the most amazing experience we've had in a long time. The hotel is in a gorgeous setting, the staff was extremely welcoming and kind. We had a stunning room with a great view on the sea, but I found out talking to the staff that the hotel was designed in such a way that ALL rooms have a view on the sea. The kids club was the best I've seen to date. The kids kept asking to go back, the energy from the staff there was outstanding. But what made the stay perfect was the great selection of restaurants in the hotel and the quality of the food- from a vast and varied breakfast buffet, to beautiful roof terrace with great cocktails & tapas to see the sunset from, to the upscale fusion food restaurant that opens the senses in your pallet, or to the just simple but indulgent Burger ! It was all delicious. We are just back and are already planning to go back !

  • 5/5 Mya T. 1 year ago on Google
    ItÂŽs a wonderful place away from all noise of the city. The view is spectacular, the food was Delicious. I loved bahia seafood casserole and the calablanca creme brulee dessert. I hope to come back soon

  • 5/5 Rodolfo G. 2 years ago on Google
    Calablanca is the best hotel ever I visited. I invite you to come and live an awesome experience đŸ„łđŸ„ž

  • 5/5 Joella r. 2 years ago on Google
    Amazing place! Nice atmosphere and 5⭐service everywhere. Beautiful location. Beach, pool, spa, restaurants, private dining on the beach or boat ride to the islands. Transportation to the hotel from Cartagena is either car or boat!

  • 5/5 Juan Pablo B. 2 years ago on Google
    We really liked this place. There have different bars and restaurants around the pool and terraces with a great view. The beach is just when we was looking for. It's great place to relax and have a privilege view of the land scape of Cartagena and enjoy the far away from the hustling that exist in the beach in Cartagena.


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