We booked 3 different hotels for our honeymoon in Colombia. After a 4 hour drive from Cartagena, we arrived at Gitana Del Mar. We arrived at dusk so I was eager to explore the next morning. Adriana, who checked us in and worked with us to arrange daily activities, showed us all around the hotel as soon as we arrived. Even though we arrived at night, the chef on site made us a delicious teriyaki chicken meal with rice and a raspberry brownie for dessert. The chef makes dinner for all of the hotel guests. There is one set meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We let the hotel know of our food allergies before arriving. The chef and staff made sure to accommodate our allergies with every meal they served us.

The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. I was able to snap a few photos in the daytime but we were off to Tayrona National Park. Our hotel arranged a taxi driver to take us and another couple to the park. It was great having the hotel sort out taxis for us. None of the drivers we encountered spoke any English. After a tiring day at the park, it was so relaxing to come back to our room. The room is a bungalow, situated about a 3 minute walk to the beach. The hotel has direct access to a very secluded beach with intense currents. You cannot swim in this water unless you are very familiar with swimming against high currents. The waves were massive and I never once saw anyone in the ocean here.

The room featured a queen size bed, a twin bed/daybed and an outdoor bathroom. The room was the perfect size and we used the daybed to sort out our luggage and get packed for daily adventures. I have never used an outdoor bathroom before. The toilet, sink and shower were all outdoors. There is no hot water at this hotel so you have a cold shower waiting for you each night. Luckily, the weather never seemed to drop below 80 degrees Fahrenheit so once you got used to the water, the shower was pretty enjoyable. It was also a nice change to shower among palm trees and flowers.

Now, if you are really afraid of bugs, I would not recommend this hotel. We had to battle crickets, mosquitoes and jumping spiders. Shout out to the maintenance man who got a JUMPING SPIDER out of our room at 11 pm at night. You will also always have small ants in your room. It wasn’t too much of an issue but you definitely have to remember to close all your bags at nighttime. Andrew is pretty afraid of bugs so it was good we were only staying for 3 nights at this hotel. I would also not recommend this hotel if you are afraid of dogs. There are 2 dogs that live onsite but they are very tame and friendly. They will come up to you and hang out with you during meals. I am not a dog lover but these dogs didn’t bother me! They followed us out to the beach one day and just laid next to us.

The entire staff at Gitana Del Mar is wonderful. I became very ill one day from some bad ice water I drank while staying there. The staff MORE than assisted me with a speedy recovery. They brought me tea to my room. They made special food for me to eat. They repeatedly asked Andrew how I was feeling. I have never felt so taken care of by any staff at any hotel. Although being sick for a day was terrible, I was in the right place! Thank you AGAIN to the entire staff of Gitana Del Mar. I will always remember all of you for helping me recover from a nasty stomach illness.

I recommend this hotel to any couple looking for remoteness. You will only hear birds, monkeys and ocean waves while sleeping. It was very peaceful waking up to the sound of birds chirping just outside your window. The hotel offers many day trips and the food is delicious. You will find a number of hammocks and shaded daybeds to relax on, too. We laid on a daybed outside during a rainstorm. It was a tranquil way to enjoy the rain. Thank you, Gitana Del Mar! Shout out to Adriana for being a beautiful person. Your advice about setting intentions will stay with me always.

Hotel Website: //gitanadelmar.com.co/