Ananda is a great hotel in the old city of Cartagena. It is relatively new, so all the rooms and furnishings are nice. The staff is friendly and courteous. The rooms are quiet, which is great. There's isn't much of a swimming pool, but most hotels in the old city have no swimming pool, so it's sort of par for the course. The staff all speaks English too, which helps. They have a nice conference room which you can use for business meetings too (we did). It is kind of expensive, but well worth it.

This little hotel is superbly located in Cartagena's old town.
It is designed in colonial style but has every modern convenience, tastefully
designed with wonderful service and beautifully appointed rooms.
Staff is helpful and welcoming. The restaurant serves an excellent breakfast
with pleasant, pleasing service and lots of fresh fruit.
Spotless bathrooms have teak-slatted floors and lots of forceful hot water with quality
shampoos and soaps. Two swimming pools give choice of location and the sun decks
on two levels are the perfect places to watch the sun set.

Ananda was the home away from home that I wish were my real home rather than a hotel! From the moment of my first email inquiry, the service I received was outstanding and the property itself was beautiful. You are welcomed at check-in and made to feel as if you are their one and only guest. A tour of the hotel makes you feel as if you are visiting a private home with all of the luxuries and amenities awaiting you. The hotel has about 23 rooms but feels very private. It has a very serene and tranquil presence which is hard to imagine in the surroundings of chaos known as Cartagena Centro. Ananda has two beautiful pools, the rooftop one was my favorite with warm, caribbean breezes washing over you as you sip on a lovely cocktail or one of the many fresh juices. Even though the staff was not obtrusive they were available. As I sat on the roof I was asked if I wanted to take lunch which they promptly took care of. The food at Ananda is very good and even though I ate at some of the city's better known restaurants, my favorite meal was at the Ananda. I also had a massage which was divine! I really felt like the staff personally anticipated my wants and needs and provided great recommendations tailored to my preferences. They always took care to see how I was and if there was anything that I should want. I wanted for nothing more while a guest at the Ananda because they provided so much.
As far as room accommodations, it was quite large and beautifully decorated. The bathroom had a teak floor shower and the toiletries were very nice as one would expect at a high-end property. Everything was extremely clean and new.
Ananda provides pick up from hotel which is very convenient. They will also call you a taxi, help arrange tours, private or group, make dinner reservations, etc.

Finally for me the most important part of my stay was one of a medical nature. I was randomly stung by a bee and returned promptly to the hotel where they promptly removed the stinger and fetched cortisone for the reaction. They stayed with me to assure that I did not have a reaction and then checked on me later in the day to make sure I was feeling ok.

I stayed 4 nights at Ananda and am so pleased with my decision to stay there. I felt that I had a relaxing, pampered, personalize stay. I had considered a few other boutique hotels and luckily the sofitel was booked so I happily discovered the Ananda and would not stay anywhere else if I were to go back to Cartagena.

While I stayed there the other guests varied from businessmen to couples to a family. As a solo traveler I felt very secure and found it easy to meet others.

As for the person who wrote the comment about the refund, the Ananda clearly provided me in English their cancellation policy and also that it takes about 30 days for transactions to credit if necessary. I think it is fairly common at small hotels that you put down a deposit and so I wouldn't worry about this as the policy is clear and flexible.

Cartagena is absolutely charming. The streets are full of friendly people selling slices of fresh fruit, fried arepas and kitchen utensils made from coconut shells. By mid-afternoon, it's hot, hot, hot, so it's a pleasure to retreat to the elegant, peaceful, zen-like atmosphere of the Hotel Ananda. The small hotel, in a restored casa built around a central courtyard, is decorated in "Bali meets South America" style. The views from the mirador which overlooks the Old City are fantastic, with vistas to the sea beyond the city walls. The staff members of the hotel are outstanding. They made us feel very welcome, were always looking out for our well-being and were eager to help us improve our Spanish.
I could go back tomorrow!