Cartagena, ColombiaEl Centro
Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa
Restored Carmelite convent
El Centro Cartagena, Colombia
Renovated
2010
Price
$$$$
Rated for
Heritage Design LuxeOutside the door
The house
Charleston HotelsRestored Carmelite convent
A former cloister beside the ramparts, the hotel balances quiet arcaded courtyards with rooftop views over the walled city.
What it’s good at
Remarkable
A seventeenth-century Carmelite convent and Republican wing beside Cartagena's historic ramparts.
Notable
Exposed cedar beams, coral-stone arches, and courtyards uniting colonial and republican architecture.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Also in Forbes Travel Guide.
The rooms are contemporary in style, if somewhat conservatively so, and there’s a decided focus on physical comfort, with 600-thread linens and marble-clad baths.
In a lively part of town
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Plaza Santa Teresa sits right outside the doors, beside the colonial ramparts and the Baluarte de San Francisco Javier.
The rooms
Colonial rooms keep high ceilings and exposed timber beams, while Republican rooms open through large windows onto sunny balconies.
The rooftop pool
Bring a swimsuit.
Curtained cabanas and daybeds line the rooftop pool, looking across colonial church domes toward the Caribbean Sea.
The hydrotherapy tub
A mosaic soaking tub sits beside a spiral staircase in the spa, dressed with candles and flower petals.
La Terraza Restaurant & Pool Bar
Guests order cocktails and light lunches under exposed timber beams and ceiling fans beside the rooftop pool deck.
Walk through Hotel Charleston Santa Teresa and the building’s history unfolds around you: coral-stone walls, arched corridors, balconies and the quiet courtyards of a former Carmelite convent.
At the table
Harry's Restaurant Bar sits beneath the courtyard's stone arches, and tables spread across the plaza beside the historic ramparts.
How it began
Gabriel García Márquez spent a night in the cells here in 1948, when the former convent served as police headquarters.
Cartagena
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The app
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.