What We Love
- An all-inclusive resort located in a paradise peninsula, just 75 minutes outside of Cartagena.
- Playa Blanca Beach is considered one of the best beaches in the Colombian Caribbean.
- You'll have three large pools for lounging, soaking up the sun and splashing around in.
Things to Know
- The resort is only 75 minutes from the airport.
- Mix and mingle other with other resort guests at nightly shows.
- Tour Cartagena and explore the historic sites, where you'll also have access to bathrooms, changing rooms & a snack bar.
Property Information
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Resort Details
Dining
Amenities
Activities
General Policies & Fine Print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring-break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
4252 reviews
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Mar 19, 2020Just OK
I paid extra for the VIP hoping that would give me better service, but I didn't notice a difference in how I was treated. I did notice that some individuals and the other check-in desk received "welcome drinks" while I did not. I did not utilize the VIP area, I hung out on the beach for 2 days (which is what I was there for). I was surprised that there was no beach service (no food or drinks). The drinks were not good, so I stuck to drinking lemonaide and water. The room was dated, but the beds were comfortable. The shower had good water pressure and the water was nice and hot. The only perk of the VIP was the location of my room. The view was nice. Very little English spoken and no attempts to understand what I was asking for or what I needed was made. The food was basic - even at the non-buffet restaurants. Luckily I had brought some snacks with me, so I wasn't hungry. I got a 50 min massage that was decent and all the staff in the spa was nice. The resort is isolated, but again - I was just there for the beach; which was very enjoyable. OK for a short stay, if you are looking to simply get out of the city for a few days, but I wouldn't stay an extended amount of time.
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Mar 12, 2020Perfect Vacation
Visited Baru for the 8th time Feb 14 to 28/20. Airport check thru fairly slow as again they seem to have reduced staff on later in the day. Drive to the resort was a little longer than normal as they seemed to take an alternate route due to heavy traffic in Cartagena. Resort check in was quick and after a slight hiccup in the assigned room quickly got reassigned to ocean front plus thanks to Carl the Transat agent. Just by chance met several people from last year who just happened to have rebooked the same time this year. As usual weather was perfect, hot, sunny, no rain! Ate mainly at the buffet as there is usually enough selection. Ate at the Asian a la carte a couple of times and food was good. Went over to playa Putilla to visit staff ( Maria ) we had met on previous trips. Was surprised that it wasn’t as busy as it had been in the past. Took our usual one day trip into Cartagena. Also went with an employee ( Samir ) into Santana to visit his wife and son. While there visited other people we knew from the resort ( Villmaira, and Darlais Chico sexy ). All amenities in the room worked and the room was kept very clean. We really appreciate all the staff who remember us from previous trips and they always acknowledge us. Met Juan the manager and also the Decameron president and both were very friendly and spoke with us. Cannot say enough about the friendly and helpful staff Sami’s, Luis, Guillermo, Maria, Marinell, Grisell, Villmaira, Carlos, Leonel, Amin, and many others whose names I can’t remember. Will definitely be back to visit what we call our Colombian family.
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Mar 10, 2020Watered down drinks and poor service
We paid extra for the VIP hoping the alcoholic drinks and wine would be better then the watered down version - wrong - all the drinks were watered down including the wine. The 'private' pool for VIP guests was used by those wearing blue and black wrist bands as well. The room was dated and the furniture was beat up. There were no bathrobes or slippers in the room. Surprised considering this was supposed to be a 4.5 star resort. None of the staff spoke English and the wait staff in the buffet restaurant were slow with their service. The birds would swoop in and nibble on the dirty plates stacked up in piles where the wait staff stood and chatted with each other. Sent an email to the manager wanting to discuss an issue we had and to date (10 days later) no response. The resort is isolated so nothing to do outside the resort unless you want to pay to go on the sad little tours that were available. We had one amazing server, 'Anderson'. With his customer service skills he should be running this resort. Big disappointment. Would not return.
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Mar 09, 2020Second time . . . . just as good as the first time
Arrival at the resort was in a timely fashion; however the airport experience was a little tedious!! Almost two hours just to get through immigration . . . even slower than last year when we had to pay the entry fee. No entry fee this year. And no paperwork to fill out before arrival. The trip to the resort is about an hour and a half. Lots to see if you go thru the city - very busy but interesting!! Check in was quick and easy. Bellboy got our luggage and off to our room. Rooms are fairly spacious and clean. It would be nice to have a little more storage but we managed. It is still the old real key system, so don't lose your key as your room number is imprinted on the key. Toilet, walk-in shower, air conditioning all in good working order. No complaints there. Bed was comfortable. We were in Building Two and had an awesome view of Pool 1 (All Inclusive Plus pool) and the Caribbean Sea. And the most amazing sunsets to the west - they were beautiful. Food was good - always lots to choose from. The main buffet has many items available. We certainly didn't starve. We tried the Asian and Italian a-la-cartes - both very good. The Asian was my favourite. Two of the a-la-cartes (Italian and Seafood) are located at the bottom of the hill; there are a fair number of stairs so if you have any mobility issues it could pose a problem. However, there are a couple of ramps around so that could make it a little easier for walking up and down. The Asian is located near buildings 5 and 6. There is a specific area for the All Inclusive Plus guests to have breakfast and lunch - we did not try it out - the main buffet had more than enough for us. The main buffet is open air and in our opinion there is a bird issue - if you sit near the outside perimeter, you will be dive bombed by the birds. Don't get a plate of food then leave the table - the birds are there in a heartbeat to nibble on your meal!! Unsuspecting guests are not aware this happening. Not sanitary in my opinion - we tended to sit closer to the food stations in the inner circle, there were no birds around. Perhaps the resort could look at some way to deter the birds from being near the area - we have been to resorts (in Cuba/Mexico) where they have an individual walking around with hawks (a natural predator) - it works really well at keeping them at bay. Drinks were good. Service by the waiters and waitresses was dependable. Always an hola and a smile. I would say there has been some improvement in English being spoken by most of the staff. We know enough Spanish to get by but it was always nice to have them try English as well. Didn't have a problem getting anything we needed. The beach is nice, always swept clean in the mornings. Lots of palapas and chairs. Most days the water is very calm. The Seafood restaurant during the day is the snack bar at the beach - hamburgs/hotdogs, etc. You can go for a nice walk - I would do it early in the day though - it gets very warm here!! Pools are great - there are three of them. Apparently a new regulation requires pools to be fenced in during the evening hours. We were a little surprised to see the fencing when we arrived, but were re-assured in the morning when we saw they were down. The precaution is to keep unsupervised nighttime swimmers out of the pools. The pools close at 8:00 p.m. The weather was absolutely perfect - very warm and very sunny!! We always sat in the shade and there was a nice breeze most days!! A few individuals who deserve special mention: Elvis (congratulations on your marriage), Cristian, Leonel, Wilmer, Chanel, Felix, Yoifer, Yaniris, Erick, Oscar, Francisco, Julio Caesar, Wilmer, and so many more - can't remember all their names. Everyone was very friendly and courteous. Thank you Decameron Baru for a great vacation - we look forward to returning to your property/country.
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Mar 08, 2020
Amazing vacation !!!
The food is tasty, loved it. Service was amazing. The people are nice and fun #chester,Juan Carlo, Larry, Brownie, Karen y Miniatura, los dos José. It’s worth it. I suggest it to everyone. Wonderful country, amazing people and staffs. Thank you everyone for making our trip so nice. It was a pleasure.