DISCOVERING PIECES OF COLOMBIA: SANTA MARTA.
SANTA MARTA: You are a piece of heaven.
Not going to lie, I am a sucker for bikinis, sun, & beach.
I have had the great fortune to be able to travel a lot, and most of my travel is with golf. So I don't usually have time to actually see the city and be a tourist. Also, dating a professional athlete, it's complicated to have short couple's escapes. Since we both became professional athletes 9 years ago, our sports and schedules always got in between us. But, we've managed to make it sacred to have that one week of time - without golf & tennis- together, somewhere chill.
In 2014, we decided to stay local. We went to Santa Marta, the Caribbean coast of Colombia. You can fly there and arrange a hotel pickup service, it takes an hour and half to get from the airport. Or if you have time and also want to spend a few days in Cartagena, you can commute by bus. It's a hassle, it takes 4 hours, but there are many private tours that do it.
There is a very famous National park in Santa Marta, called Parque Tayrona. They have boutique hotels inside the park called Ecohabs Tayrona, but when we booked our trip, it was too late, everything was booked. We went the week of Thanksgiving. But, we did luck out! We stayed in Finca Barlovento , just outside the park. To be honest, after our experience, I believe it's better to stay outside and have the freedom to go in & out at your free will. Also, the park can get very crowded. People stay not only on the boutique hotel, they also have the choice to camp out. So if you want privacy, Finca Barlovento is definitely a better choice. It might be a little downscale, but in this kind of vacation, what I pay for is exclusivity, freedom, fresh air, raw nature, and kind people.
View to part of the finca, from my balcony.
Every morning, views from out deck.
In Finca Barlovento, the crew is there for you. You let them know what you want to eat every day and they fix it for you. They make you feel right at home. It is recommended to bring your own alcohol/beverages, snack or any cravings from the city before arriving to the hotel -VERY IMPORTANT bring bug spray-. They don't have open bar, but they accept your own alcohol.
The beach is the purest there is. Absolutely raw nature. No infrastructure, no noise and light pollution. However, you're not allowed to swim due to its strong currents.
If you ask me, and what you need is total disconnection; bring your other half or best pals. Ask you driver to stop at a market, buy the necessary snacks/booze for a couple of days and do ABSOLUTELY nothing the rest of your time there. When it's time to eat, swing back to the Finca to have your fresh fried fish with coconut rice and patacones.
DEALING WITH OVERLOAD OF STRESS? NEED SOME ONE-ON-ONE TIME WITH YOUR PARTNER? CATCHING UP ON MINDFULLNESS?
Santa Marta
its the place for you.
Some of the activities to do there besides reading, doing yoga, and drinking wine; you can also go fishing. Going fishing is not something I like to do, but Robert loves it. However, the waters are very, very rough. So if you are not used to this and suffer from sea sickness, don't do it! If not, ask my boyfriend! LOL.
Another great adventure is to head over to the park. There is a fee to enter the park ($12 for foreigners and $4 for locals) and they are very strict of presenting valid documentation at the entrance. My recommendation to you is to rent horses to take you from the first cave to the last one and then come back walking slowly. Its' a shame I didn't take photos of the experience riding horses in the middle of the jungle, just feet away from the ocean. But it's as savage as it can be with a hint of charm.
One of the beaches at the Park. These are safe bays to swim.
And kiss...
So far, Robert and I, agree that it has been one of the best escape we've ever had. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and hopefully I can guide you in the right direction with some recommendations. But trust me, you will never go wrong visiting Santa Marta.
Os tengo el mejor paseo para desconectar y alimentar cuerpo y mente. Se llama Santa Marta, justo a las afueras del Parque Tayrona, en la costa caribeña de Colombia.
Yo estuve ahi con Robert en el 2014, nos pegamos una escapada de unos 5 dias. Necesitábamos tiempo en pareja, sin ruidos, ni música, ni infraestructura, ni gente! No es siempre lo que uno quiere, pero si es verdad que hay momentos que necesitas estar solo en pareja.
También puede ser un buen paseo en grupo, con tus mejores amigas o grupo de parejas.
NECESITAS UN SITIO APARTADO PARA MEDITAR? TE GUSTA PRACTICAR YOGA Y SENTIRTE PARTE DE LA NATURALEZA? TIENES ESTRÉS ACUMULADO?
Nosotros elegimos Santa Marta, y no nos equivocamos. Y ojalá logre convenceros! Santa Marta tiene un diamante en bruto, que es el Parque Tayrona. Uno de los lugares mas bellos del mundo y que quizás no mucho de vosotros conozcáis todavía. Es un Parque Natural en la costa caribeña de Colombia, donde la jungla y el océano se junta, formando un ecosistema precioso de animales y vegetación salvaje.
El Parque en sí tiene muchos hoteles boutiques ( EcoHabs), pero se agotan muy rápido. Nosotros llegamos tarde, y de casualidad fuimos a parar a la Finca Barlovento. Pero menuda casualidad mas buena! Después de nuestra experiencia, quizás os pueda recomendar la Finca antes de los EcoHabs. La Finca se encuentra justo a las afueras del Parque, y aunque haya comentado antes que quizás no sea muy conocido, es bastante cotizado. Con lo cual, el flujo de gente es bastante grande, lo que hacia tu estadía no tan íntima y privilegiada. Nosotros buscábamos intimidad y desconexión. Quizás, busques algo un poco mas ameno.
En la Finca no tienen alcohol, pueden tener un par de cervezas, pero si queréis vuestra cosita de vino en las noches, os aconsejo que antes de salir de la ciudad, pares en un supermercado a comprar alcohol, spray para los mosquitos y snacks. Una vez allí, no hay nada cerca.
El plan perfecto es no hacer nada. Tirarse en la playa, leer, meditar, hacer yoga, comer, beber vino y estar con tu pareja o amigas. A la hora ce almorzar y cenar, os preparar el menu al gusto. Como si estuviérais en casa.
La playa es completamente desierta, y eso es lo que mas me enamoró del lugar. Abajo en la playa, hay un chiringuito donde te hace jugos frescos y pescaito frito.
Cuesta $12 para los extranjeros entrar en el parque y los locales solo tienen que pagar $4. Mi recomendación es alquilar caballos al llegar para poder recorrer el parque casi entero, y luego volver caminando/hiking. También podéis volver a caballo, porque quizás no lleves zapatos recomendable para caminar.
Como alternativa a pasear en el parque, puedes ir a pescar. Aunque no te lo recomiendo ya que la corriente es tan fuerte, que si sufres de marearte en mar abierto, olvídalo! O si no, preguntarle a Robert!
Nosotros disfrutamos demasiado de este viaje, y ojalá podáis disfrutarlo vosotros también. Si venís de fuera, no os olvidéis de quedaros unos días en Cartagena. La ciudad es mas caótica, mas bares y restaurantes top, buena música y mucho cachondeo. Pero Santa Marta es un lugar donde desconectar y reconectar cuerpo y alma.
Cualquier preguntita, no dudéis en escribirme!