Cartagena, Colombia
Nacar Hotel Cartagena
Curio Collection by Hilton
What it is
A 49-room retreat with a sleek rooftop pool by fashion designer Silvia Tcherassi, known for her deft hand with puff sleeves and Crayola-bright hues.
What it isn't
All that colorful. You might expect vibrancy in each room, given the hotel’s background, but Tcherassi employed hues carefully—so they’re as magnetic as a rainbow against a gray sky.
What we think
Rising from the gracious pile of a circa 1765 Colonial mansion, this property was designed with help from New York power designer Richard Mishaan and architect Alvaro Barrera. The result is as megawatt as you’d hope—with beachy crisp white rooms that have an art gallery’s airy fee (note the LED lights glowing under your ‘floating’ bed)l, plus luxe amenities like rain showers, 300-thread-count sheets, and robes and slippers for bringing a #spa mood into your getaway (or just a bounty of room service). We particularly love the King Deluxe Junior Suite, which has glass doors that open onto a balcony overlooking lush and fragrant inner courtyards.
You're here because
Rooms are fitted with all the niceties you require to feel your best on vacay, including mini fridges, hairdryers and irons—plus (hallelujah!) adjustable thermostats and blackout curtains.
The Moment
Sitting in the sultry air at Moaré, the hotel’s poolside cocktail bar, there’s nowhere on earth you’d rather be but here: overlooking the cityscape, breathing in life, and watching the twilight cast the terracotta rooftops in a purple glow.
Restaurants & Bars
Vera Restaurant - Italian cuisine by Colombian Chef, Daniel Castaño
Aquabar - Wide variety of drinks and snacks
Location
Less than four miles from Rafael Núñez International Airport in Cartagena’s El Centro district, a.k.a. the heart of it all. A block away? Famed author Gabriel García Márquez ’s own home, now a pilgrimage site of sorts for fans of his work (“One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “Love in the Time of Cholera,” and other tomes).