Cartagena, the “undisputed queen of the Caribbean Coast”, a “fairy-tale city of romance, legends, and superbly preserved beauty”.
The glossy magazine crew will certainly inspire you to read a little further and discover the real 16th-century treasure of colourful streets and picturesque squares that is Cartagena de Indias, a city blissfully trapped in the grandeur of its colonial history. In addition to its old-worldly charm, over the last decade, this Colombian hotspot has earned itself quite the party city reputation, featuring in just about every other roundup of top New Year’s Eve destinations. A memorable night of Latin style celebrations? Yes, please! Here’s how an NYE visit to this Caribbean gem might look…
29th December – touch down in Cartagena’s Rafael Nunez Airport and whip out your shades. Under the blazing afternoon sun, don’t expect your stay-in-place makeup to behave! Jump in a cab (pricey for this time of year) and head down to the historic old town to your lavishly decorated colonial-style hotel. Check-in, peel off the jeans, and head out in search of a refreshing limonada de coco, a creamy coconut drink far more addictive than any other similarly coloured concoctions you may unwittingly stumble across in Colombia.
Cartagena’s old town, the city’s principal attraction, is a small but concentrated space of well-shaded plazas, churches and colonial mansions, all complete with flower-lined balconies which look out to the cobbles below. Contained within centuries-old city walls, the best way to explore is to slowly wander the streets and absorb the sights and sounds. Considering the season, you may be pleasantly surprised by the peace and quiet and distinct lack of cruise ship passengers clogging up the pretty streets. The city will feel almost empty – the calm before la fiesta!
Arrive a day or two early for the wild celebrations and pick out a perfect spot for coffee near the Charleston Hotel. It’s well worth kicking back for a few hours and enjoying the spectacle of glamorous women floating by in their animal print kaftans and jewelled sandals. The anticipation will build and only from the 30th afternoon will the NYE buzz start to feverishly spread through the vibrant town. The occasional street vendors and their noisy mango pitches will fade into nothingness as the international revellers jet in, the rich and famous moor up their yachts, and the city becomes a prime people-watching location. After a few hours, you’ll have seen more palazzo pants than a Victoria’s Secret runway, and even some celebrities – don’t lose your cool when you see Eva Longoria like I did!
Just in time for the arrival of the masses, the streets of the old town convert into a sea of a thousand blackboards, each displaying different events, dinner packages, and a multitude of options for those who, like I did, arrive with all the enthusiasm and party spirit in the world, but with no plan. Restaurants and coffee shops join forces, turning their squares into big NYE al fresco dining spaces with live music, and on the 31st itself, you’ll be stunned to see that every table in the city is brought outside and rented to groups – even the narrowest of streets become full-blown parties and the enigmatic colonial town completely morphs into party central.
Despite a city full of options, choosing how to spend the evening is a daunting challenge. When it comes to New Year’s celebrations, you may quickly notice that the cartageneros will unashamedly take full advantage of tourists, both foreign and Colombian. Every eatery, even the local pizza delivery shop, will have its very own special romantic New Year’s Eve offer for you, at the exclusive, unbeatable price of over $100 per person, and the more excessive live music options are painful, that’s unless Shakira is headlining. If you’re really organised, you might want to book one of the street tables for a celebratory midnight picnic, but beware, sharing a table with four generations of a local family could be a little too bizarre!
Overall, in Cartagena there’s a risk that your year will end in a bit of an overwhelming daze and turn out to be a more stressful ordeal than anticipated! That said, if you plan well, New Year’s Day will bring with it a sigh of relief.
Avoid impulse buying tickets to a yacht party supposedly hosted by a high-end Italian fashion house and instead opt for a night of cocktails and fireworks at Café del Mar on the city’s walls, and some salsa beats at one of the numerous bars in Getsemaní, an upcoming neighbourhood to be found upon venturing out of the old city walls. If there’s ever been a bad New Year’s omen, it’s a $100 pizza, but a sultry night of Colombian salsa on the other hand, there’s a thrilling year right ahead of you.
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