Sarah Dayman

I always find that when I have a long day of travelling to a country that is extremely different from my own, I find comfort in staying the first night at a hotel that is of similar standards that I am accustomed to.

I love locally run boutique hotels!  They are always my preference and 1st choice if available.  I even don't mind a hostel or two thrown in but  I do find comfort in that 1st night at a modern hotel after the chaos of several airports and the culture shock that ensues.

When we travelled to Colombia in November 2015 we flew into a city called Barranquilla.  It is a city located on the Caribbean coast right smack dab in between Cartagena and Santa Marta, 2 tourist driven cities.  Barranquilla (where Shakira was born and raised) itself is not a tourist destination (yet), save for Carnival that takes place in February every year.  It is rather rough around the edges with many roads and buildings in need of repairs or at least that is what we found at midnight after travelling for 15 hours.


When I made my arrangements, I knew that I did not want to travel the 2 hours to Santa Marta after midnight.  Night travel is not recommended in Colombia if it can be avoided.  There are no hotels located close to the airport so the closest I could find available was a 40 minute taxi drive away which cost a mere 28000 COP (about $14CAD)

Upon arrival, an attendant came to the taxi and attended to our packs  while we took care of the taxi driver.  By the time we were at the front desk, they knew exactly who we were and addressed us by name.  The service was impecable from this moment on.
The crisp clean feel of the lobby was welcomed after the 40 min drive through an industrial town.

With a freshly squeezed local juice in hand, we were escorted up to our room.  The room was very spacious and with a king size bed beckoning to us.  We had a great sleep that night.

When we awoke in the morning, we had a full Colombian buffet breakfast waiting for us.  This was our first taste of Colombian dishes.  I fell in love with Arepas right then and there ..... that is for another conversation!  I think we spent a whole hour taste testing a variety of dishes, comfortably knowing that the quality of food would be high enough that there was no risk of developing any stomach issues.  

                                               

The front desk staff were happy to help us arrange a transport to Santa Marta for noon that day as we were to meet up with our group that afternoon.  They ensured that our drivers knew exactly where we were going and arranged for taxis to finish our trip once the transfer bus dropped us off.  They took care of all the details so that we did not have to worry which made our journey that much easier.  As it turns out almost no one speaks English in Colombia.

                                 

I do have to say a special Thank you to Vicente at the Four Points Barranquilla as he went above and beyond making all of these arrangements. He really did make a difference to us and our trip to Colombia.

Please consider the Four Points by Sheraton in Baranquilla as your hotel choice if you find yourself flying in and out of Baranquilla.  You will not be disappointed!

The hotel Website - Four Points Baranquilla
Trip Advisor - Four Points Baranquilla


How to Reach Me

Sarah Dayman
Travel Consultant
905 570 7498
sarah.dayman@fcatravel.ca