Allure Chocolat Hotel by Karisma

A trendy hotel in the ‘hip’ Getsemani district of Cartagena’s Old Town

Four hearts from 11 votes

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Review

Located at the south end of the walled Old Town, The Allure Chocolat Hotel has great views across the harbour to Bocagrande. This contemporary property is certainly our pick of Allure’s gastronomic trilogy - they also have the ‘BonBon’ and ‘Cinela’ (cinnamon) hotels – within Cartagena. Whilst it does brag great views of the harbour from its rooftop pool & bar, across the water lies Bocagrande and its collection of skyscrapers (think Miami Beach). So this might not be one for those after the old-world charm of Cartagena’s colonial architecture. The in-house restaurant, Red Knife, is definitely worth a try (as is the octopus ceviche)!

Location

The Allure Chocolat Hotel is in the Getsemani district of Cartagena, on the southern extremity of the city walls. What this area may lack in picture-postcard charm, it more than makes up for with a wealth of bars, restaurants and street art. Indeed, it is very much an area on the up. It is still not far from the centre of the Old Town, with Bolivar Plaza being around 10-minutes’ walk. Due to the lay of the land, views from the hotel are predominantly of the harbour, not the Caribbean Sea.

Layout

The entrance of the Allure Chocolat Hotel is across the street from the waterfront. Inside, the ground floor has the reception, a spacious lobby, meeting rooms and the impressive Red Knife restaurant. There is a small fitness on the second floor. The rooftop has a welcoming breakfast terrace, a bar and an infinity pool with views across the harbour to the glitzy Bocagrande neighbourhood.

Rooms

There are 69 rooms, plus 3 Suites. The rooms are divided into 3 categories –Standard, Deluxe and Luxury. We recommend skipping the Standard rooms, as a vast majority of these have no view – instead you gaze out to a brick wall! There are two Allure Junior Suites and one Allure Chocolat Suite. The rooms also feature a ‘pillow’ menu.

Features

As mentioned, The Allure Chocolat Hotel’s Red Knife restaurant is a superb place to dine and has an impressive cocktail menu too. The rooftop Zas Bar is open from 10:00-23:00 and features an evening happy hour from 18:00-20:00. We really like the breakfast terrace (06:30 – 10:00), as this is rear-facing and so has wonderful views across the Old Town. As a quirky little touch, there are diffusers dotted around the hotel that maintain each properties signature fragrance. Fortunately this is very subtle. The concierge can assist with booking car rental, tours, private dining and currency exchange.

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