Casa Oropéndola

Casa Don Sancho is a lovely boutique hotel towards the edge of the walled city but within easy reach of everything Cartagena has to offer.

This is a tall townhouse with six bedrooms spread over three floors. Greenery hangs down from the wraparound balcony, tumbling down to the ground floor where you’ll find a small shaded pool.

Rooms are bright and fresh with lots of natural materials and neutral colours. There is a lovely living room and library which leads onto a dining room where a large table is set up for breakfast. Shuttered windows look out over Calle de Don Sancho.

The small rooftop terrace is the perect place to watch the sunset. In one direction you have the colourful spire of Cartagena Cathedral and the high rises of Boca Grande in the distance, and in the other you have the pale pink facade of the theatre, beyond which are the vast waters of the Caribbean.

The beautiful Four Seasons Casa Medina was the creative vision of Santiago Medina Mejia, a Paris-educated artist and architect from Medellin. He salvaged local architectural treasures, such as stone columns and hand-carved wooden doors from two recently demolished colonial convents, to create was declared a monument by the country’s Ministry of Culture in the 1980s.

The hotel features 62 rooms and suites, where beamed ceilings and aged leather accents coupled with fresh, contemporary touches making them a sophisticated blend of old and new.

The hotel has two restaurants; the lively La Bodega that focuses on tapas and Colombian coffee, and Castanyoles Raciones y Tapas, where guests chave the option to dine in the beautiful glass atrium with Spanish tiles, living walls and drop lights.

There is also a gym and a spa with treatment rooms, relaxation room and steam room.

Just a short stroll from Plaza Mayor, the historic centre of Villa de Leyva, lies Casa Terra. Located on a quiet street, this boutique hotel is full of character and the perfect base from which to explore the surrounding area.

Seven bright rooms are filled with local artwork and textiles and shuttered windows that flood the space with light. Surrounded by pretty gardens this tranquil hideaway is the perfect place to relax with a cup of Colombian coffee while the birds come and splash in the fountain.

Local materials were used in the construction of the building, preserving the original architecture and maintaining features such as the stone walls, wooden beams and clay tiles. Some of the doors and windows were rescued from a convent in the nearby town of Chiquinquira.

There is a small lounge area where you can enjoy a glass of wine while leafing through the many books on Colombian culture and nature. Your hosts are attentive and incredibly friendly but discreet, so you can properly relax and enjoy soaking in the atsmophere of this charming town.