Traveling: Submarines & Frigatebirds - Cartagena Redux

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - After exploring Bogota (bogota) we came back to Cartagena where we had started our Colombian journey (driveby). We stayed 3 nights in a different hotel on Bocagrande (Hyatt Regency ), a small peninsula. The name means "big mouth" and refers to the wide entry into the Cartagena bay where the harbor is located.

Bocagrande looks a bit like Manhattan and our hotel (Hyatt Regency) is part of the skyline. Fortunately we got a room on floor 28 with an amazing view onto the ocean.

The hotel had opened January 2017 and was still in beta phase. So we could enjoy a luxury hotel with a deep discount. The occupancy was very low and we spotted more personal than hotel guests. So we had pools, observation deck, restaurant and other facilities almost four ourselves.

The main attractions were the 3 pools on 13th and 14th floor. Especially the longest one - with a length of maybe 25 meters - invited to do laps in the early morning hours and in the night without getting burned by the tropical sun.

It was a bit warmer than at our first stay. The daily temperature peaked at about 90 F/33 C,  but the humidity stayed low and the strong breezes made the climate even more comfortable.

Hotel room and the spacious pool- & bar-deck offered amazing views onto the Caribbean ocean and the bay. One we watched a submarine which was  leaving the marine harbor.

We also observed the flocks of majestic Frigatebirds birds who were circling around the hotel skyscraper. Their wings can span a up to 2.3 metres (7.5 ft) and they use the wind current to stay aloft for days (wikipedia). Apparently these birds played with the updrafts which the hotel walls provided.

We really enjoyed Cartagena and we plan to come back not too late.