The Best Spa Hotels in Colombia

With cannon-lined bulwarks overlooking the aquamarine Caribbean and streets of ornate Spanish mansions, Cartagena oozes Pirates of the Caribbean romanticism. As its name suggests, the Bastión sits right in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed old centre, perfectly positioned for the cream of the colonial sights. While the rooms are simple (with faux-British Edwardian furnishings and tile or laminate floors) there are fine skyline views from the rooftop pool and, with treatments starting at under £25, the spa is a bargain.

Rooms in this eccentric hotel are bright if a little small, and quirkily decorated: one has a wood panel moose head, while another is bedecked with Roman busts. Lush foliage sprouts everywhere – especially in the breakfast atrium – and the rooftop pool has views of the Cartagena skyline. The colonial centre is a 10-minute walk away, and the lively bars and restaurants of the city’s Getsemani neighborhood are on the doorstep. Spa treatments are available in the form of in-room massages, which you book with reception.

Villa de Leyva village has a special place in Colombian hearts as the former home of national hero Antonio Ricuarte, who died in an act of heroic self-immolation in the Bolivarian wars of independence. With a stately main plaza lined with whitewashed Spanish houses and ringing with bell-towers, the little town remains a popular place of patriotic pilgrimage. The Getsemaní is a 10-minute walk from the sights, has simple whitewashed rooms with tiled floors and colorful bedspreads, and a spa with a big, heated indoor pool – which you’ll be grateful for, what with the cool mountain climate.

Don’t let the unprepossessing name put you off. BOG is short for Bogotá: Colombia’s arty, leafy capital. With Philippe Starck-esque wispy drapes, cushioned leather ottomans and moody filament lighting (lambently reflected in wall-sized mirrors), this boutique certainly touts its designer touches. There’s a decent spa, a state-of-the-art gym and a business centre, but setting this place truly apart are the city and mountain views from the upper-floor rooms and the rooftop pool.

The Cosmos is perfectly located for business and leisure travelers visiting Colombia’s Pacific coastal hub city of Buenaventura – close to the financial centre and in stone-skimming distance of the sea. With the kind of anodyne off-white decor and blocky furniture that looks like it was chosen by a committee, it lacks the personal touch, but there are dreamy ocean views from the rooftop pool. Spa treatments are available – ask for details at reception.

Lacking Cartagena’s incomparable colonial charms, the Caribbean coastal city of Santa Marta is easily overlooked. But it’s the perfect spot to explore the pristine wilds of the Sierra Nevada, which rise in rainforested slopes from Caribbean beaches to icy peaks in a few dozen kilometres. Don Pepe has pretty mock-colonial-meets-modern rooms (with stone walls, faux Belle Epoque furniture and Andalusian tiles). And the Don Pepe Spa has a whole host of treatments, from massages to full rituals and depilations.

With a bristling skyline of corporate skyscrapers overlooking a busy industrial port, Baranquilla is predominantly a business city, despite its proximity to beautiful Caribbean beaches. The NH mixes corporate efficiency (a well-appointed business centre, big sturdy workstations, broadband wifi) and a plum location (in the well-heeled Alto Prado neighbourhood) with boutiquey touches – including a decent spa and great skyline and ocean views from the rooftop pool.

Right in the heart of old Cartagena, the Casa San Agustín oozes colonial charm – albeit upgraded for 21st-century comfort: old wood beams loom high over beds draped with Egyptian cotton; shuttered windows stretch from floor to ceiling; bright tropical light is softened with diaphanous drapes; and Juliet balconies front rooms that come with efficient modern air-con. The Aurum spa is one of Cartagena’s best, and the city’s key sights are right outside the front door.

In the heart of Medellín’s shopping and restaurant suburb, El Poblado, and close to a metro station, Sites is well located and there are great skyline views from the rooftop sundeck. In somewhat functional rooms the hotel has its own brand of edgy decor, with slightly kitschy brand graffiti above the beds, and chairs printed with newspaper headlines. Ask to be directed to the wet area when you need help with relaxation, beauty, personal care and health. The hotel is known for its solarium, Jacuzzi, Turkish bath and fully equipped gym.

Set in a leafy suburb of north Bogotá, the Biohotel lives up to its name: public areas are covered with thousands of stapled-in pot plants and the façade is a fecund living wall. Water used in the spa is recycled for the hotel’s organic garden and the resulting fruits and vegetables are used in the kitchen. Rooms are modish, modern, bright and the best (on the upper floors) have twinkling cityscape or misty mountain views.

Bucolic meets boutique here, in Colombia’s southern coffee zone (just outside Pereira city). Tropical gardens are filled with bromeliads, ferns and bright red heliconia flowers. High-ceilinged rooms with raw wood beams open onto al fresco terraces with plunge pools (walled for privacy with lush foliage and bamboo). There are massage rooms in bamboo arbors (lit by soothingly soft candlelight in the evenings). Hotel activities aim to immerse you in nature: try coffee-farm tours, basket-weaving or cooking classes, and horseback rides in the surrounding countryside.