My mother and I stayed at Casa El Carretero for four nights in December 2011. On our first day, we arrived, unpacked and went out for lunch. Upon our return four hours later, we noticed that the white sheets of the bed were covered with small bugs - really disgusting! At first we worried that the taxi in which we'd arrived had had bugs and they had come into the hotel with our luggage, so we cleaned the bed before going out for dinner. Upon coming back from dinner, the bed was again covered with bugs and we could see them falling from the ceiling fan! One of the staff members came and said that we could move to another room for the night and see what happened in the morning. When we returned in the morning the bed was once again covered with bugs, so he cleaned the fan and ceiling. The problem was mostly resolved but while we were there a few more bugs fell onto the bed and I highly doubt that the problem has been resolved permanently - really disappointing for a hotel of this price and supposed quality. Other disappointing notes included the holes in the towels and noise from the street outside.
One great point that should be highlighted was the service - Maria and Luis are the two staff members who were there for our entire stay, and both were happy to help us find out way around the city. The service is very personalised - for example, on the first morning, we asked for yoghurt with our breakfast, and they did not have any. At the next morning's breakfast, we found that they had bought yoghurt just for us, and they kept enough for us to have it each day during our stay.
Unfortunately, the great service does not compensate for the disgusting bugs falling from the ceiling onto the bed. For a hotel that claims to be one of the best in Cartagena, this was a real disappointment.

This tiny hotel in the Getsamani district, a 10-15 minute walk from the 'official' old town of Cartagena is an excellent choice. Although there are plenty of hostels, bars and restaurants round about it does not suffer from the all-pervading touristy feel of its close neighbour. The area is very old and characterful, nonetheless, with the nearby plaza constantly occupied by local people enjoying the night air, playing chess, guitars, whatever.
While making a reservation is easy, the owners communicate in excellent English, the staff looking after the hotel speak only Spanish. Nonetheless, they are delightful people and very welcoming - it's easy to make yourself understood even if you speak very little of the language. The rooftop pool area is a marvellous refuge from the afternoon heat and humidity.
Breakfasts (Colombian or 'continental') are huge. One restaurant we liked very much was La Cocina de Pepina a short walk away on Callejon Vargas - freshly cooked local food, changing blackboard menu and very welcoming young staff. At ALL COSTS avoid the nearby gringo haunt, Casade Socorro on the main Calle Largo. The food was adequate but the service the rudest we've experienced in years of foreign travel, it was almost as if our server was looking for an Olympic medal in disinterested discourtesy - her colleagues were little better.

Casa El Carretero is a beautiful hotel that has a relaxing ambiance. We loved the design and architecture of the hotel inside and out. Louis and Maria were very accommodating to our needs. We enjoyed the balcony from our room where we could people watch. The rooftop swimming pool was one of our favorite spots where we could listen to music and enjoy the night air.

We planned on staying for two nights and ended up for 4! We loved this beautiful colonial home. The rooms were spacious and unique with almost magical AC that kept our room cool even in the Cartagena heat. The location right off the plaza is wonderful for people watching. The rooftop pool and deck were difficult to leave! So beautiful and relaxing.

The hotel staff was very hardworking and the hotel spotless. They made us breakfast every morning- fresh fruit, arepas, eggs, smoothies, coffee- it was delicious! Our only minor concern was that the service was slightly impersonal. The size of the hotel really gives you a "B&B" feel so you expect really warm attention - and they were certainly adequately attentive- we never wanted for anything - but maybe slightly impersonal. Either way- the hotel was amazing- we would absolutely return and will recommend to our friends!