Grand Occidental

I really wanted to have a very relaxing one week holiday. I wanted a mixture of beach fun and sightseeing. I started browsing at South American destinations and Colombia never even came to my radar until my bf got an e-mail promotion for Cartagena. I researched for about 10 minutes before agreeing to visit Colombia. One of the best travel decisions I ever made!

We stayed at Grand Occidental Cartagena. It's an all inclusive resort located in Manzanillo. It's about 15 minutes from the Rafael Nunez International Airport. It's a secluded resort which was perfect for relaxation. 

The Old City Cartagena was only 30 minutes away from our resort. We had a free shuttle to and from the resort to the Old City daily. It was great way to see the city without having to pay for a taxi. One of the pluses of the resort. 

The resort is fairly new so everything was clean and in order. I liked that we had 3 swimming pools that were shallow. I could just dip in the water anytime and not feel panicked that I might drown (I can't swim!). The only downside was having to wake up super early to reserve beach loungers since everyone woke up earlier than me to take them all. It was really annoying. 

The food was amazing as well. We had a main buffet for breakfast and lunch. Lots of choices for everyone. I loved the fresh fruits and juices! 

At night, we had the main buffet, pizzeria, the grill, the mexican restaurant, and the Nativo restaurant (rotating menu every night). I got obsessed with eating empanadas and arepas. They were so delicious! Food photos coming up soon. 

The service at the resort was at times a bit slow but overall the servers/managers/bartenders were really friendly. They were very helpful and accommodating especially at breakfast.