Decameron Cartagena All Inclusive

Not impressed

We selected this hotel because it was the only one offering an "all inclusive" option. The food was satisfactory but not that good. The room was spartan but acceptable. Things we did not like: having to use a traditional key attached to a large plexiglass keychain holder instead of the modern plastic card type, having only one towel per guest, hotel sponsored sightseeing trips were terrible (except for the city tour), not being able to control the A/C in our room, not having a guide to hotel services and extension numbers in the room, slow elevators, having to pay for security safe in room, too few hangers in closet, etc.

Lovely Hotel for the Price

The staff was wonderfully attentive. Food in the hotel was tasty and well presented. Hotel is undergoing some renovations now (2-2009) as it is not high season.

Traveler's tip on recreational activities

Be prepared to be overwhelmed by vendors on the beach selling trinkets. They are very persistent and pesty.

We were pleased for the price

We stayed in Decameron on Sept 2008. The service was excellent after the check-in confusion. The bellhop took us to a wrong room but they finally directed us to our room on sixteen floor with a gorgeous ocean view. The bed was firm and comfortable. The air conditioning was cold and had no adjustment. The on-off switch is located in one of the two adjacent rooms and fortunately it was in ours and no one occupied the other. We just left it on when we were not there and turned it off at night. We cracked the sliding balcony door a little and slept in the cool Caribbean breeze. The food was acceptable, we could count on fresh cut tropical fruits, cold cuts, vegetables, rice, pasta, and soup in every meal. The cheap cuts of meat in the four restaurants were completely cooked and tough for my taste. Do not expect rare steak or sautee fish for the price. All alcoholic drinks offered were included. The tours were reasonably priced and they were accommodating. It rained on the morning we were going to Rosario Island and they rescheduled us to the next day even though the trip was not cancelled. The live music by the pool played until 11 P.M. every night but we danced there almost every night. We chose Cartagena instead of San Andes because there were much to see and do. I wished we could stay another two days.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

Wished we knew: Panoramic City Tour is better than the City Tour because it included the Convent de Popa. Baru is better than Rosario because it had a better beach and we were not impressd with the aquarium. Wished we had time to go to Totumo Volcano.