Review of La Passion Hotel, by Simon Crerar

There are hundreds of reasons why you should visit Cartagena – and almost all of them are clustered together within the 16th-century walls of the most perfectly preserved colonial city in the Americas. Perhaps the most compelling motive of all is the beautiful boutique hotel La Passion: the perfect place for any discerning visitor to base themselves while delving in to the stunning shops, restaurants and bars than make Colombia’s cultural capital one of the most sensual cities in South America.

Today the host of one of the continent’s biggest literary festivals, perfectly preserved World Heritage site Cartagena is famously the lifelong home of that titan of Latin literature Gabriel Garcia Marquez: such is the vibrancy of the Old Town that every corner evokes sights, sounds and sensations from Gabito’s myriad masterpieces.

Once the Spanish Empire’s gateway to their South American colonies and the storehouse for plundered booty on its way to the motherland, Cartagena has a history of keeping her treasures under lock and key, and La Passion is no exception: hidden away behind massively thick 19th-century walls, the hotel is housed inside a classic colonial mansion, with beautiful black and white check tiling, shady, palm-filled courtyards, stripped back walls, massive windows and wonderful wood doors.

Designed and built by a French movie producer and his Colombian partner, style influences are a mix of North African, Greek and South American, blended with classy contemporary photographs. Every bedroom is different, all come with opulent bedding and lavish bathrooms (some with deep set Roman baths), plus modern touches such as sleek lighting, flatscreens and WiFi internet access. As if location and luxury were not enough, La Passion also boasts Cartagena’s most striking swimming pool, set on the terrace with incredible views across the rooftops of the Old City.