Casa de Alba Hotel Boutique

We booked three nights at Casa de Alba, checking in on March 20th. This lovely boutique hotel, located on Calle 34, opposite to Santa Catalina Cathedral in Cartagena’s old town and just a few meters before Plaza de Bolivar, opens behind Casa Drake’s door (yes that’s Sir Francis Drake, the Pirate). Upon arrival we were immediately enchanted by the inner architecture, the peaceful atmosphere and the friendliness of the staff. We were assigned room “Caballito de Mar” on the first floor. The property is built around an inner courtyard featuring a luscious small garden with a pool and waterfall fountain. The whole is tastefully furnished with a lot of both useful and decorative elements. The open tower structure of the building produces a natural airflow which keeps the temperature in check. On the first floor there is a bar, the kitchen and the room where breakfast is served. Breakfast can also be had on the colonial balcony which opens on Calle 34. On the rooftop there is a second small pool and a second bar. Our room was rather large with a huge wardrobe, a comfortable double bed and a large bathroom. Our room featured also an internal mezzanine with ladder, with additional two separate beds. All very tastefully designed and furnished. Staff were amazing. We spent some quality time chatting with them, as we were old friends coming for a surprise visit. Our stay was nothing short then wonderful. While in Cartagena we had dinner in following restaurants, all very good and warmly recommended: Cuzco Cocina Peruana (located on 33-48 Calle Santo Domingo just 3 minutes walk from the hotel), La Unica Mexican (located on Carrera 8 8-47 San Diego, approx. 10 minutes walk) and Donjuan (located on 34-01 Avenida Carlos Escallon, approx. 5 minutes walk).

Great House/ Hotel. Fantastic Staff, very attentive, nothing was an issue. Rooms are nice; not over the top, comfortable and the area the hotel is in has great access: Don’t worry about the lack of restaurant there are great options all around and the hotel is happy to set up a table at a moments notice: Nightporter - also excellent, One of the few hotels of the 100 or so I stay in each year that honestly looks out for you l.

I surprised my wife with a surprise Valentine’s trip to Cartagena and was looking for a romantic place to stay. We couldn’t have been happier with my choice! The Casa de Alba is a truly wonderful boutique hotel! The building itself is incredible and historic, being the house where Sir Francis Drake, the English privateer, stayed when he captured the city in the 1500’s. The stone house, built in the 16th century, is in the Colonial style and, while relatively unassuming from the street, is simply beautiful inside. There is a lovely pool on the ground floor and up a winding set of stairs, a beautiful little rooftop patio. We were in the Suite Grand Salon, which was delightful and very romantic. It opens onto a balcony with a lovely view of the street. On a practical note, you definitely need good air conditioning while in Cartagena (it’s hot!) and our room stayed very cool and comfortable, even in the middle of the day. Our room faced the street, which we loved as the view was charming and to us, was worth a bit of noise. But Cartagena can be a noisy city so if you’re sensitive to noise you might want to ask for an interior room. I’d arranged for transportation from the airport and it was perfectly seamless. I’d also arranged the “romantic welcome package” so my wife was greeted with a bouquet of roses, chocolates, and Prosecco, which was wonderful. The hotel’s location is perfect. The Cathedral is a few steps away, Plaza Bolívar is just down the street, as is the beautiful and highly worthwhile (and free!) gold museum. You can easily walk to all of the top attractions in the walled city and the charming neighborhood of Gestemení is an easy walk. One of the very best things about our wonderful stay was the people. Everyone was friendly, helpful, and seemed genuinely interested in making our stay fantastic. A special shout-out to Ivan, who served us a superb breakfast (fresh fruits, eggs, toast, coffee, etc.) each morning! And thanks to the staff for humoring me while I practiced my Spanish!

My holiday started at the Leones de Alba. At the front desk, I was greeted by a very personable and most helpful young man by the name of Juan Pablo. From the day of my arrival, he assisted with booking my desired tours with reputable tour operators. He also assisted with suggestions and reservations for some of the most awesome restaurants. After a few days, unfortunately, there was an issue with my room that couldn’t be resolved. The hotel was booked, so I was moved a few blocks away to their sister hotel “Casa de Alba”. I was sad to leave my new friend Juan. I jokingly asked the manager if Juan could come over to work at my new “home” because he is an awesome person, a great help and that I didn’t want to lose him. After reaching my new home at the Casa de Alba, I met Rodrigo at the front desk. He was quite entertaining, pleasant and of a great help. The days that “Rod” was off, Juan filled in. The two of them assisted in making this a very enjoyable holiday for me. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Job well done fellas!!’ Both hotels are awesome. I enjoyed the stay(s) at both of my “homes”! All of the staff at both properties were pleasant and always helpful. Juan P. & Rod: In spite of the cruelty that we encounter in this world, keep your heads up. Keep smiling. Keep being consistently courteous and helpful. You both are awesome individuals. The world is a better place with YOU and ROD amongst us. Thank you for all of your contributions that allowed me to have an awesome holiday in Cartagena!

Casa De Alba boutique hotel is great for friends, family or solo travelers. We traveled in Oct, 2023 for girls trip. We stayed 3 nights 4 days and our stay was absolutely amazing. They served gourmet breakfast and met all the requirements as some of had dietary restrictions. Hotel has rooftop pool and main pool on ground floor. We used rooftop pool almost every single night until 2 in the morning. No issues, hotel is very safe and fulfilled all our requests. With minimum charged, they arranged private taxi for to and from the airport. Hotel is at center of everything, restaurants, clubs, etc. We felt very safe and secure inside and around the hotel area. Thank you Alba group, we will be back in again for sure.

Beautiful hotel with all the amenities. We were greeted with ice cold mojitos upon check in. Staff was always friendly and accommodating. Our room was spacious and super-clean. Breakfast was wonderful and the bartenders attentive.

We had an amazing stay at Casa de Alba - also known as Casa Drake. What an absolute privilege it was to stay in the house that Sir Francis Drake lived in while he was running rampant around Cartagena. The building is incredible - we were able to have our scrumptious breakfast on the balcony overlooking the street next to the Cathedral, which was busy with weddings most days - great people watching! The breakfast was awesome - fresh fruit, a main course of eggs and veggies, with toast and house made marmalade - yum!! Our room was a double level suit - the stairs are very steep, so probably wouldn't be suitable for young kids, but our teen scampered up and down no problem. There was a great little pool in the middle courtyard - caught plenty of sunshine and was such a great spot with all the ferns cascading down from the internal balconies. Staff were awesome, so helpful and friendly! Special shoutout to Carlos and Jorge who are the sweetest, and helped with all manner of things, including a boat out to the islands. We had a top notch stay and absolutely hope to return!

I stayed in room 11 at Casa De Alba for 9 nights in early September 2023. This was a great hotel with excellent staff and an awesome location. The staff went the extra mile helping me plan my days and navigate the streets of Cartegna. I really enjoyed the pool after a long day of adventuring. My only complaint is there is no hot water unless you ask for it. It was explained that the d city doesn’t have adequate water but I’m not sure if that’s true or not. I would stay here again.

This is a 5* if all that counted is charm character, design, excellent location, and friendly helpful staff. 4* rating is mainly because it presents a number of practical challenges for those expecting your typical luxury / high-end business hotel. Biggest is the lack of phones in the rooms, so even for a cup of coffee, or simple question in the middle of the night you have to lug it down to the reception desk. Again, it’s a wonderful, 5* level property when it comes to charm, character, and design, but definitely not for those looking for more traditional 5* level amenities and services.