The Best Hotel in Cartagena Has a Convent Past, a Walled City Address, and Overflows With Historic Charm

Cartagena is a city shaped by walls. They frame the Old City, define its movement, hold back the Caribbean heat, and quietly organize daily life. Staying inside them changes how the city is experienced. The Sofitel Legend Santa Clara sits within those walls not as an addition, but as part of their long history.

Once a 17th-century convent, the property has endured centuries of change while remaining intact in spirit and structure. Today, it is Cartagena’s most complete hotel experience — one that reflects the city’s past, its rhythms, and its lived reality, rather than competing with it.

It’s enchanting, charming, and filled with personality — and it’s the premier place to stay in the city (although it will soon be getting competition from the new Four Seasons).

Where It Is

The Sofitel Legend Santa Clara is located inside Cartagena’s Walled City, near Plaza de San Diego, one of the Old City’s most active and social squares. From the hotel gate, the city opens immediately: narrow stone streets, informal cafés, neighborhood bars, small galleries, and the slow choreography of daily life.

From Santa Clara, everything unfolds on foot. There is no need for transport, planning, or distance. The city reveals itself naturally, one block at a time. Cartagena is walkable, and this is the perfect jumping off point. 

The History

Santa Clara began life in the early 1600s as the Convent of Santa Clara, home to the Order of Poor Clares for nearly three centuries. The building was designed for enclosure, contemplation, and routine — qualities that still shape the hotel today.

The original cloister layout remains intact. Thick stone walls moderate the heat. Vaulted ceilings create air and volume. Wooden doors, worn smooth by time, retain their original proportions. The structure has been carefully restored rather than reimagined, allowing its age to remain visible and felt.

The Rooms

The 124 guest rooms and suites are distributed across the former convent, each shaped slightly differently by the building’s original design. Some rooms face the interior gardens and cloister courtyard. Others look toward the city walls or catch Caribbean light through deep-set windows.

Suites housed in former convent cells retain original stonework and proportions, paired with modern comforts introduced with restraint. High ceilings, clean lines, and muted tones allow the building itself to remain the focus.

Beds are generous. Bathrooms are quietly luxurious, with deep soaking tubs in select categories. Sound insulation is natural, created by centuries-old walls rather than modern intervention.

Suites get you dedicated butler service, which is worth the splurge. 

Food and Drink

I loved the food here, particularly the impressive breakfast spread at El Claustro, beneath the arches of the former convent: the Colombian coffee, the colorful, fresh tropical fruit, eggs prepared to order, and the steady light that moves across the courtyard. The atmosphere remains unhurried, shared by guests and locals alike.

El Jardín Santa Clara becomes the heart of the property late afternoon. Set beside the pool and shaded by palms, it is where light lunches turn into long afternoons. The menu leans toward fresh seafood, ceviches, salads, and regional flavors. Rum selections are guided by knowledge and familiarity, not presentation (I like Dictador).

In the evening, El Coro Lounge Bar comes alive in the former choir loft. Arched windows frame the space. Cocktails highlight Colombian ingredients. On select nights, live piano fills the room softly. The crowd blends hotel guests with Cartagena residents, a reflection of the property’s integration into the city.

Room service follows the same understated rhythm, arriving quietly and efficiently.

The Service

Service at the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara is outstanding. Staff members greet guests by name. Concierges suggest experiences based on curiosity rather than checklists. Housekeeping adapts to each guest’s schedule.

The concierge team excels at guiding guests toward experiences that feel authentic and manageable — walking routes through the Old City, reservations at restaurants that match mood rather than reputation, introductions to the city’s quieter corners.

Wellness and Experiences

The So Spa is located in a quieter wing of the hotel, its atmosphere shaped by the same principles as the rest of the property: enclosure, calm, and privacy. Treatments incorporate regional elements and traditional techniques, with a focus on restoration rather than indulgence.

Experiences offered by the hotel feel rooted and appropriate. Rum tastings draw on Colombia’s Caribbean heritage. Guided walks begin at the hotel gate and work at a perfect rhythm. Cultural moments are presented simply.

The hotel’s large central pool remains one of the Old City’s most inviting spaces, framed by arches and palms, used throughout the day by guests seeking relief from the heat. And it does get hot, particularly in the summertime.

Why It Matters

Cartagena continues to evolve, drawing increasing attention while working to protect its character. Hotels play a role in that balance, even as new properties emerge in the Colombian hotspot.

But here, you feel like you’ve gone back in time, without compromising anything. And you leave with an understanding of the city’s soul. And you leave with the sense that the place has been experienced fully, through architecture, movement, and time.

I fell in love with this hotel when I stayed here, and it’s the kind of place that lingers in my memory. 

That is what makes the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara the best hotel in Cartagena.