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January 11-14 2016
There is nothing like a few days of pure relaxation in a good hotel overlooking the Caribbean Coast. Hotel Casa Barlovento, at the far eastern edge of Tayrona National Park, met these criteria in spades.
An hour taxi ride through a forest from Santa Marta took us to the hotel, down a long dirt road. We found ourselves at a small hotel perched on a cliff over the ocean. All the common rooms, dining area, sitting areas and two infinity pools were on the first floor. Our large room was up one floor. We had views in all directions from our balcony, mountains behind us and beaches with surf crashes on the shore to the east and west. The current was too strong for casual swimming but surfers loved it. Every morning and late afternoon a few brave souls came to try their luck.
Breakfast and dinner were included and were served at a communal table. Mealtimes became the time we got to know our fellow guests. Everyone was very friendly and I got to try out some Spanish and the Spanish speakers got to practise their English.
We were interested in the tales of a British couple, Rachel and Paul, from Manchester, recuperating from their four day hike to El Ciudad Perdito (lost city) archeological site. We had been contemplating going to see the archeological site but had decided the cautions illustrated in our Lonely Planet were reason enough to dissuade us from the hike. We were glad we hadn’t gone. The British couple found the hike was more strenuous than they had anticipated and the facilities have not kept up with the popularity of the hike. If you were fortunate to reach each campsite early you got a bed in a dorm, otherwise there were hammocks to sleep in. There were only three toilets in each campground to accommodate 150 hikers and the water supply was not adequate. Their whole group came down with severe intestinal problems due to contaminated water. They were very happy to allow the hotel staff to baby them back to health.
What did we do? We swam in the pools and walked the beaches. Turning west from the hotel brought us to Rio Piedro and the borders of Tayrona Park. To the east, around a small headland was more than 1 km of beach with just one not crowded camping ground near the beginning and not much else. It was very peaceful. We didn’t even bother to make the trek into Tayrona Park proper. From reports we heard, we had it better where we were.
Don’t bother taking the Malaria pills (Atovaquon/Progua ) we took. We use the Travel Clinic at Riverside Medical Center to advise us on medications we need for each country. We have taken several varieties of malaria medications before without any reaction. The maps of Columbia indicated possible Malaria along the Caribbean coast, but not Cartagena. Therefore we filled a prescription for the recommended pills and started to take the pills before leaving Cartagena. Ray complained of a minor upset stomach the last day we were in Cartagena but didn’t say anything more until the last day we were at Hotel Casa Barlovento. He woke up feeling awful. When he read the possible side effects of our Malaria medication, he found his gastro-intestinal symptoms exactly as listed. He stopped taking the malaria pills and didn’t eat much that day. The cooks at the hotel kindly made a special soup for him that was just what he needed for dinner. By the next day he was on the way to recovery and he hasn’t had a recurrence. I too had a small incident in Cartagena, shortly after starting the medication that I now think may have been a reaction to the medication. Not realizing the cause of my Cartagena incident, I continued taking the Malaria pills without further incident. So, if you have to be sick, Hotel Casa Barlovento is a great place to recover. Also, try out a malaria medication before leaving home to see if you have a reaction. It is much better to deal with illness at home rather than when you are on the road.
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