At the Beach

Bring

Beach Towel

If you plan on going to the beach, bring a beach towel or expect to purchase one on arrival. Most hotels nor apartments supply these. We'd recommend buying a cheap one locally for about US $12 or COP $20.000.

Sunscreen

Anywhere outside the United States we've traveled, sunscreen is 2-3x more expensive. Bring your own if you use a ton, have a special brand you love, or simply hate spending more than you have to. Keep in mind, the bottle cannot be larger than 3oz. to "carry on" if not checking bags.

Beware

Almost all tourist beaches in the world have touts. Be cautious with who you deal with.

Food

The cooking standards for food sold on the beach are probably not up par, but many eat it everyday so if your stomach is tough, go for it. Just don't come crying to us later :) Even the most expensive, cleanest restaurants have bad days, so don't be too scared, but be aware.

Massages

Walking up and down the beaches in Cartagena are women looking for their next prey. If you look gringo, you are a prime target. The con starts when they begin to offer their service of a soapy back and/or foot massage without asking. Later when all finished, they ask payment 2-3 times higher than the average rate. However, if you want a casual beach massage, go for it...just negotiate the price up front and do not allow them to start their magic first. If you are sitting down, sometimes this requires getting up and running away as they are very persistant. The cost should be no more than COP 20.000 for 15-20 minutes, but you can likely bargin that down to half.