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Lois
23 Sept 2023 - 27 Sept 2023
reviewed on expedia
4 out of 5 stars
This resort is absolutely amazing. We came on a family of 7 adults vacation in late September. The staff treated us like family.
No reservations for dinner necessary. Our table was set for our 4 rooms every meal. Which was a way too much food. Three course for every meal. Wow.
What to know before you go.
1) they provide transportation there and back from Cartagena, however the time of arrival and departure was not disclosed on booking. Typically they pick up at noon(be there at 11) and they depart at 3:00. The thing to remember is, it’s by boat and dependent on weather conditions. We ended up having to book a private boat back because of our flights. $450 USD.
2) all inclusive includes a breakfast buffet. A 3 course lunch with choices. Usually salad or soup, followed by a choice of 3 entrees and several choices of dessert.
3)it is extremely hot and especially humid in September. September and October is a low season. Very few people there, including day trippers. There were only 5 or 6 rooms besides our family.(conservative estimate). Locals told me the resort is packed jAnuary to April.
4) when booking I understood there was a beach for hotel guests and one day trippers. There are separate pools, bar and food area for guests, but the actual beach is for both. You can access the ocean from the reserved pool area, but not the beach. Wasn’t crowded so no issues.
5) activities booked were amazing. private boats with locals
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MacAdam
7 Aug 2023 - 11 Aug 2023
reviewed on expedia
2 out of 5 stars
Family of four (two adults, two kids- 8 and 11) from California stayed four days. Really nice location, nice pools, felt very safe. Nice rooms. Beautiful grounds.
However, the all-inclusive at Hotel Encanto appeared to our family to mean "all- mediocre."
There is no drinking water onsite from the faucets or from water filtration systems. The resort provides one, ten oz. bottle of water at breakfast, one at lunch and one at dinner. Period. Beyond those thirty ounces of drinking water per person, per day, you have to buy. For a 500 mL bottle (about 17 ounces) they charge about two dollars. For a family of four, this significantly added up over the course of our stay. It was also just kinda of philosophically insulting for a "four star resort."
Good side: great bartenders. Super knowledgeable, great drinks. These folks know how to make exceptional cocktails.
Disappointment: the food. Very limited options, and guess what? No other options. There is no where else to go anywhere geographically, to eat a different meal. If food is not a big deal to you, then this should not dissuade you.
Skip the snorkeling tour (really), and make sure you don't want to cut your trip short. By day three we asked to leave the island- no refunds and a private boat costs $400. We stayed our final day.
For the prices they are charging, I would advise folks to head to Mexico or Costa Rica for much better options at the same price point.
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Mark
12 Jul 2023 - 14 Jul 2023
reviewed on expedia
5 out of 5 stars
Beautiful property with large staff - ready to assist with any questions or needs - at anytime. Clean rooms and property is frequently cleaned up. Resort offers activities for kids and adults. Pool and beach is family friendly. Food is good - although menu is small.
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sebastian
3 May 2023 - 5 May 2023
reviewed on orbitz
4 out of 5 stars
It was a lovely stay. Very relaxing with enough entertainment from the sea and the several pools. Also the in the pool bar was a nice touch and Andres made fantastic pisco sours!
One unfortunate aspect was the arrival. Seeing that we came with another family from Cali, we arrived by plane at 1200. Surprisingly the resort did not offer any transport and the call center were no real help. Maria Garcia, Jose and Diana were not helpful in helping us solve the problem. Instead they wanted to over charge us for a private bus ride or we had to figure it out by ourselves. One even had the audacity of saying that we should walk! Considering the price of the resort, one would expect better transportational services all day round and certainly more professional staff at the call center. Perhaps them participating a week as staff at the resort to better understand the professional standards would benefit them.
The staff at the resort were extremely professional, helpful and always accommodating. This surely gave us a relaxing and luxurious stay.
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Chisa
9 Feb 2023 - 10 Feb 2023
reviewed on orbitz
5 out of 5 stars
Great stay at Hotel Encanto for my 35th birthday. Lovely grounds, well maintained. Romantic or family friendly. Good music at the pool. Lunch and Dinner was very tasty.
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Jessi
27 Aug 2022 - 31 Aug 2022
reviewed on hcom
5 out of 5 stars
We stayed here for 4 nights after a bunch of adventure travel around the Cartagena area. We are a couple with a 2 year old. This was a perfect ending for our trip. The place is immaculate, our kiddo didn't wear shoes the entire time. Rodolfo and Samuel, as well as William and Mayra were SENSATIONAL at the restaurant- they helped us ensure we had meals that worked with our toddler's midday nap, and vegetarian options galore. They really came up with so many delicious veggie options. Our room was spacious and clean, beautiful view. The whole hotel was a great balance between family-friendly and not just-for-kids. I could see coming here as a couple just as comfortably. The pools were so comfortable and lovely. We also went and did a family photoshoot with the onsite photographer- it was so efficient with great and easy results. It was such a fantastic stay, and just the right amount of intimacy and luxury. I see some complaints here about noise from the neighboring town- while we did hear it faintly some nights, it was really not an issue. We travel with a sound machine, and never even plugged it in. Highly highly recommend.
A
9 Apr 2022 - 11 Apr 2022
reviewed on hcom
5 out of 5 stars
It was pleasure to stay there. Everybody was cheerful and there was no problem to communicate in English. Food was good, Loccitane amenities, always joyful musics. The resort also has various activities such as snorkeling, skin-scuba diving, Night plankton tour etc. My children enjoyed swimming in the pool and the beach. I want to be back again.