Cartagena’s Top Wellness Hotel Has Ayurveda, Rooftop Yoga and a Plant-Based Menu

The colonial grandeur, the colorful streets, the vibrant soundtrack. Cartagena is known for many things. But tucked within the stone walls of the Old City lies something altogether quieter, and far more transformative.

Welcome to Casa Carolina, a 15-room wellness retreat that just opened in February that’s quietly rewriting the story of luxury travel in Colombia’s top Caribbean destination. In less than five months, it has become Cartagena’s leading sanctuary for mindful hospitality, blending Ayurvedic healing, silent luxury, and cultural authenticity.

Now, it’s been nominated for Colombia’s Best Hotel Spa in the 2025 World Spa Awards—an accolade that affirms what its guests already know: this is no ordinary boutique hotel.

How it all started

The vision behind Casa Carolina is deeply personal. Founder Caroline Soetaert Tchekhoff began her own healing journey after a near-paralyzing accident in 2007.

“Yoga, Ayurveda, and conscious living saved me,” she tells Caribbean Journal. “Casa Carolina is an invitation to return to what matters—purpose, presence, and connection.” Every inch of the property reflects that ethos.

At the heart of the experience is the Yoga Shala, a tranquil space offering daily practices ranging from Hatha to Kundalini, guided meditation, and sound healing. Led by Tata Umaña and a team of expert instructors, the Shala is not a performance space—it’s a refuge for inner work and self-discovery.

Then there’s the Casa Carolina Spa, where Ayurvedic therapies meet ancestral Colombian techniques in a setting that feels both sacred and serene. Treatments are designed not just to relax, but to rebalance. Guests emerge lighter, quieter, changed.

A plant-based culinary ethos

Food here is not an afterthought—it’s a continuation of the philosophy. At Just B Wellness Café, guests dine on plant-forward, Ayurveda-inspired meals crafted from local, biodiverse ingredients. Cold-pressed juices, dairy-free dishes, and house-made elixirs flow from the open kitchen, where each plate feels like an offering. Head barista Ángel Fagundez curates a coffee program as mindful as the menu, with every cup brewed from ethically sourced beans.

Up on the rooftop, the views are pure Cartagena—but the vibe is something else entirely. There are no loud DJs or velvet ropes. Instead, there’s a sunset ritual, where wellness cocktails meet locally sourced small plates, and the city’s golden hour takes center stage. It’s sensory, slow, intentional.

What makes Casa Carolina so singular isn’t just its spa menu or yoga calendar—it’s its commitment to conscious hospitality. Every design element, every partnership, every ingredient is part of a broader vision: to support the health of the guest, the community, and the planet.

That sounds pretty good to us, and it’s part of our travel mission, too — inspiration, impact and authenticity.

So what about prices? If you book direct, you can find rooms as low as $390 per night, according to Google Hotels.