Service and rooms
Upon arrival, I was told my reservation had been canceled. They insisted they hadn't received any payment and blamed Orbitz for it. Luckily, I was able to chat with an Orbitz agent who promptly called the hotel. It turns out the hotel doesn't know how to charge virtual cards. It took me over 2 hours to check in. Not the best first impression. Although staff is very friendly, I won't stay here again.
Poorly furnished room. Mattress was hard as a rock. They provided a large bottle of water, but no glasses in room
Amazing hotel to spend some quiet and relaxing time with family. They have it all, from great entertainment to relaxing all along! Good variety of food and drinks, great job Estelar!!
Even with the Covid restrictions it was a great time and the food was excellent.
I had a nice time here a lot of staff doesn’t speak English the staff who could was very helpful so at times it was a little hard to communicate but thank god for good translation and Siri. I didn’t get a chance to reserve dinner at the restaurants so ate from the buffet which had decent selections food was nice. I wish there was some more entertainment. The bar was so/so drinks could of been a little stronger and more of a selection. I didn’t like the resort beach so much Pool was great. I loved there was bus transportation to down town. I got a chance to get a wash and blow dry because I had extensions in t hair the girl took her time and it came out as good as it could because my hair is natural so the humidity mad it puff out but it was ok.i enjoyed seeing the birds and iguanas walking around I’d go back it was a nice little few days get away.
The food was very good quality and the drinks were great if you have the right bartender. Tips are not required but they help :) Pools were beautiful. Service was good but could be difficult if you don't speak Spanish. Almost no one on the staff speaks English except the front desk and Concierge. I'm from Florida so I'm probably spoiled. The beach was disappointing. Spent very little time there. Nice room. AC worked great. There were a few things that were rough around the edges that I think would go a long way with a little bit of detail work from a maintenance standpoint. Biggest complaint was that they only provide two liters of bottled water a day, per room. For a family of four not nearly enough. We had to take a cab to a store and buy water. Fortunately we were visiting with a native Colombian who could assist. Area around the resort was a little sketchy.
Nothing was unique about this property, I can only mention few things that were right, decent WIFI internet and the free shuttle to Cartagena old city, the rest was a disaster, employees not happy or motivated, wild birds eating food from guests plates on main buffet restaurant , only one restaurant had A/c out of 3 special restaurants, awkward schedule to use pool and beach areas only till 6:00 pm , power failure couple times every day, no box spring for mattress instead is using a concrete block which make the mattress very hard and uncomfortable to sleep, extra low quality of alcohol drinks, poor variety of food. Overall I’m very disappointed with this property, the relation between what we paid vs what we got is disastrous.
The hotel itself is decent, the staff could use some training on how to cater and care for the client. The poolside towel staff girls were horrible, not even smiling, barely getting up to hand out a towel, the bars by the poolside were barely socked and constantly running out of items. There were dust bunnies in our room floor that were cleaned out once I pointed it to the cleaning crew. Towels were not automatically replaced, so we found ourselves having to call for towels to the front desk in spite of the fact that the cleaning cre had already being there. Then there is the towel issue, we left early in the morning and has already checked out.my wife mentioned to the front desk person that the beach towels were Left in the room. He then told us that there would be a 45 dollar charge if we did not bring the towels to the front desk, my cousin,who was also staying there was made take the beach towels to the pool otherwise he would face similar charges. To me that was just plain laziness and poor planning . Then there is the loud music that is nonstop until 12pm. Most of the guest were at least on their thirties, so the music was not a client bound option. The shades by the beach were old and dirty looking. I must say that there were a few bright spots, the pools were clean, the nighttime restaurant staff was pleasant. Beachside bartender, Marlon, was a true gentleman. The lobby baggage handler, older gent was really pleasant and very helpful.
nice hotel, very clean, hotel staff very friendly - close to the beach, transportation available to go to visit the old city
Pros: - Excellent staff, willing to assist to your needs always in a very friendly and polite manner. - Delicious food! All meals we had were great, especially from Nativo, Trattoria and The Grill. We had the chance to try them all, and my partner and I were able to enjoy a delicious romantic dinner at the beach (it was my birthday), a very special evening. - The hotel shuttle takes you to the heart of Cartagena, very convenient. - Excellent wi-fi service throughout the premises, great speed. - Nice pools and great entertainment. - We had a massage session at the spa which was great. Very relaxing. Cons: - Centralized A/C. The A/C is set to 18C/64F at all times. This was too warm to sleep for me so I had to buy a small fan in town. After this I slept comfortably. - The beds were a bit hard for me. My partner found the beds comfortable. - There were 4 power outages in total during our 4 night stay, the longest one lasting over 20 minutes. The others were a matter of seconds.
It was a good trip in general. The hotel has very nice facilities. The food, especially breakfast and lunch is awful, but dinner is better. The liquor is very cheap quality. The staff is super friendly, the recepcionist was very accomodating. Great check in in general. This hotel is far away from the city of Cartagena in a beach called Manzanillo. A cab to the walled city and back is around 30 usd. The snacks are also bad. Anyway, they have to make better food in order to receive a better review.
I have in this hotel on a few occasions; love the rooms (deluxe suite with ocean view); the food is ok; plenty of choices. If you want to go to one of the ala carte restaurants, better do it earlier but it is worth this choice instead of the buffet. The beach is very clean, is private, quiet and SAFE; since they have a security guard at all times, you don't have to worry about losing your cell phone or wallet or camera. Unlike some of the beaches in downtown Cartagena (bocagrande). Love all the activities that the hotel offers throughout the day. The hotel is supposed to be a 5 star which is more like 4; if they want to keep it 5 star they should invest in improvements instead of letting it run down. I noticed the difference between this hotel 4 years ago and now.
We had great time would have been excellent with more food selection especially vegetarian items !
We usually stay at 4 & 5-star resorts and this was overall an excellent experience for it being a 3.5 star. This hotel was farther out from the main city, but only a 25-27 minute ride by (free) shuttle. The shuttle was easy to reserve; we were able to get on/off it without reservations all the time, but they would like for you to make a reservation the day before. We stayed in another hotel closer to the city prior to staying at Occidental and we became so irritated by harassment from vendors. Staying at this resort was truly a breath of fresh air and it was still fun to plan trips into the city then come back to our relaxing atmosphere. The food was great, I can’t imagine anyone complaining about going hungry/not having options, there was a wide variety and snacks served all throughout the day. The beach was nice and clean, although we didn’t spend much time there because we preferred the pool. The beds actually ARE HARD. And I mean HARD as in I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR MATTRESSES TO BE MADE SO HARD! If you have any kind of sensitivities or back problems with hard mattresses, do not stay at this resort – you WILL be miserable. The booze was not my favorite, often giving me indigestion the day after I consumed more than 3 drinks, but the bartenders hook you up nonetheless. Overall I’d give this resort another visit for sure given the price, we had an amazingly relaxing time and great experience. DON'T FORGET to buy your photos from the Memories team! Solid B+ Resort!
Excelent place to rest, it is soo beautiful.... You'll love it!!
If you like to just sit at pool and in sun it is great. Nothing to do and far from other places. To get a shuttle bus from hotel is very hard. You must make reservations at least 1-2 days ahead and what time you leave and what time coming back. Coming back almost missed bus because signage was not adequate to see. Hotel was very musty moldy smelling. Beds are on hard slabs cement and mattresses seemed same. Going on beach you stay in certain area or security policio calls you back. lol Never here again,
Located in Zona Norte within a short stroll of Playa Manzanillo, Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo is within a 15-minute drive of La Boquilla Beach. This 192-room, 4-star hotel has 3 outdoor pools along with a full-service spa and 4 restaurants.
There are multiple options for onsite dining with 4 restaurants, including Buffet La Palapa, which specializes in international cuisine. Order from 24-hour room service to satisfy your hunger without leaving your room, or explore the hotel and get a beverage at the bar/lounge or coffee shop/café.
The 192 rooms have an array of amenities, including balconies, safes, and phones. 32-inch LCD TVs come with cable channels, and guests can stay connected with free WiFi. Beds sport premium bedding and bathrooms offer free toiletries. Other standard amenities include desks and wardrobes or closets.
Guests of Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo have access to a full-service spa, 3 outdoor pools, and a children's pool. There's free parking, and an airport shuttle (available 24 hours) for COP 80000 per person roundtrip. Multilingual staff at the 24-hour front desk can assist with tours or tickets, securing valuables, and dry cleaning/laundry. Other amenities at this beach hotel include a gym, a sauna, and free WiFi in public areas.
Service and rooms
Upon arrival, I was told my reservation had been canceled. They insisted they hadn't received any payment and blamed Orbitz for it. Luckily, I was able to chat with an Orbitz agent who promptly called the hotel. It turns out the hotel doesn't know how to charge virtual cards. It took me over 2 hours to check in. Not the best first impression. Although staff is very friendly, I won't stay here again.
lamentamos esta mala experiencia al llegar al hotel, revisaremos su caso en aras de tomar las acciones correctivas a las que haya lugar
Poorly furnished room. Mattress was hard as a rock. They provided a large bottle of water, but no glasses in room
Dear guest, We received your rating and comments as an opportunity for improvement. We hope you give us the opportunity to have you back home and provide you with the warm service that characterizes us. Regards, Carlos Arias R. General Manager ESTELAR Playa Manzanillo Hotel
Amazing hotel to spend some quiet and relaxing time with family. They have it all, from great entertainment to relaxing all along! Good variety of food and drinks, great job Estelar!!
Dear guest, We received your opinion with pride and satisfaction. Come back soon!. Regards, Carlos Arias Avila General Manager ESTELAR Playa Manzanillo Hotel
Estimado huésped, Permítanos conocer detalles de su experiencia a fin de implementar las acciones correctivas pertinentes en busca del cumplimiento de sus expectativas. Esperamos nos brinde la oportunidad de recibirlo nuevamente. Cordial saludo, Alejandro Blanco R. Gerente General Hotel ESTELAR Playa Manzanillo
Even with the Covid restrictions it was a great time and the food was excellent.
Estimado Huésped Agradecemos el tiempo tomado para manifestar sus comentarios por este medio, para nosotros son fuente de motivación para todo el personal y asegurar el cumplimiento de todas las actividades que puedan hacer de la estadía de nuestros huéspedes una experiencia segura y que sobrepase las expectativas. #Estelartecuida Esperamos tener la oportunidad de atenderle pronto nuevamente y demostrar nuestra hospitalidad 100% colombiana. Cordialmente, Carlos Eduardo Arias Ávila Gerente General Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo
I had a nice time here a lot of staff doesn’t speak English the staff who could was very helpful so at times it was a little hard to communicate but thank god for good translation and Siri. I didn’t get a chance to reserve dinner at the restaurants so ate from the buffet which had decent selections food was nice. I wish there was some more entertainment. The bar was so/so drinks could of been a little stronger and more of a selection. I didn’t like the resort beach so much Pool was great. I loved there was bus transportation to down town. I got a chance to get a wash and blow dry because I had extensions in t hair the girl took her time and it came out as good as it could because my hair is natural so the humidity mad it puff out but it was ok.i enjoyed seeing the birds and iguanas walking around I’d go back it was a nice little few days get away.
Estimada huésped, De parte de la Gerencia General y El equipo de colaboradores del Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo le agradecemos por disponer de su tiempo para compartirnos las impresiones de su estadía en el hotel y su experiencia durante la misma. Nuestro personal de recepción, conserjería y servicio de capitanes habla inglés, el resto de los empleados están enseñando constantemente para alcanzar el propósito anterior, además de eso, fortalecemos permanentemente el servicio al cliente en ello. También ofrecemos servicios de transporte a la ciudad amurallada sin costo alguno a la misma, al igual que servicio de transporte privado con costo adicional. Esperamos su pronta visita para seguir brindando nuestros servicios y atención como usted merece. Cordialmente, Carlos Eduardo Arias Avila Gerente General Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo
The food was very good quality and the drinks were great if you have the right bartender. Tips are not required but they help :) Pools were beautiful. Service was good but could be difficult if you don't speak Spanish. Almost no one on the staff speaks English except the front desk and Concierge. I'm from Florida so I'm probably spoiled. The beach was disappointing. Spent very little time there. Nice room. AC worked great. There were a few things that were rough around the edges that I think would go a long way with a little bit of detail work from a maintenance standpoint. Biggest complaint was that they only provide two liters of bottled water a day, per room. For a family of four not nearly enough. We had to take a cab to a store and buy water. Fortunately we were visiting with a native Colombian who could assist. Area around the resort was a little sketchy.
Dear Guest From the general management and all the employees who Works at Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo we would like to say thanks for your comments, they are valuable for us. We also want to be grateful for you taking some time to let us know about how was your experience with us and also those facts that didn’t full fill your expectation, because these give us the opportunity to improve the quality of our services. We appreciate all the good comments for our place. At the same time we apologize for any other incident that might cause you discomfort during your staying Sincerely, Carlos Arias General Manager Hotel ESTELAR Playa Manzanillo
Nothing was unique about this property, I can only mention few things that were right, decent WIFI internet and the free shuttle to Cartagena old city, the rest was a disaster, employees not happy or motivated, wild birds eating food from guests plates on main buffet restaurant , only one restaurant had A/c out of 3 special restaurants, awkward schedule to use pool and beach areas only till 6:00 pm , power failure couple times every day, no box spring for mattress instead is using a concrete block which make the mattress very hard and uncomfortable to sleep, extra low quality of alcohol drinks, poor variety of food. Overall I’m very disappointed with this property, the relation between what we paid vs what we got is disastrous.
Apreciada Clara Agradecemos su tiempo para dejarnos su comentario. Trabajamos arduamente para mejorar dia a dia Esperamos contar con su visita en una próxima oportunidad