Manzanillo del Mar
Manzanillo del Mar
3
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3.0
123 reviews
Excellent
18
Very good
31
Average
41
Poor
14
Terrible
19
dkwsteck
Calgary, Canada12 contributions
Jan 2013 • Family
If you are going to visit Manzanillo then you must view it with the eyes of a local. It is not a sad place. The village was purchased in the 1950's by 11 Afro Colombians and they brought their families to live here. There were no deeds or titles and the families occupied the land as they needed it. Life here was free and the doors were open to children, dogs, pigs and burros. Manzanillo is an opportunity to see what the Caribbean Colombia was really like. Watch the children. They don't seem sad. They don't have their noses stuck in their iPods. They are laughing and happy. They make games out of bottle tops and stones. The beaches here are brown and not groomed and yes, you may find garbage along the beach. This will change as the new resorts work their way up the coast. I highly recommend a weekend trip to Playa de Oro, which is hidden in behind the village. Colombians come from all over to this beach - mainly because there have not been foreign tourists. The restaurants are wooden shacks and it is unlikely that you will find a ''modern'' toilet. As you enter the beach at Playa de Oro the ramshackle restaurant on the immediate right is owned by Alberto. Here you can get an excellent Sancocho de Pescado - fish soup. I spent many, many Sunday afternoons sitting under the thatched roof huts enjoying a great meal while my family played in the ocean. If you are looking for quiet, groomed, white sand beaches with 5 star service don't go. If you want a wonderful, true Colombian experience go with an open mind and an empty stomach - just don't forget your wet nappies !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_yEEM-1z5g,
http://www.youtube.com/watch v=rp8ZdlnObnk&list=UUVCeKSzME8Lc7uP8NnMqO_A&index=18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_yEEM-1z5g,
http://www.youtube.com/watch v=rp8ZdlnObnk&list=UUVCeKSzME8Lc7uP8NnMqO_A&index=18
Written 27 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter
Dubai, United Arab Emirates34 contributions
We went there after visiting the mud volcano with tour operator. Lunch was very good, typical, for costenos.... fried fish, platanos, coconut rise... beach, nice, relaxing though due to dark sand looks like dirty. Same with water. No complains...
Written 8 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gringotraveler2008
Florida151 contributions
Jul 2012 • Friends
The place is nice, but it is far from the city center. It is fine if you have your own transportation because taxis charge too much to take you the historic district and back.
Written 17 November 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sarah b
4 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
We went to Playa Manzanilla on March 17 and we do NOT recommend that you go. We were harassed by “el dueño” of the place right from the start. We told him we weren’t interested in his service, but he kept coming back. To buy some peace of mind, we ordered lunch. They left us alone for 2 hours and a half. When came the time to pay, it became obvious that they had inflated the price. We argued with him and asked a family around how much they paid. It became obvious they were trying to ripe us off. While this beach is more quiet than the ones at the centre of Cartagena, we do NOT recommend that you go, or if you do, ask for the prices before you do anything.
Written 18 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francesca G
Milan, Italy8 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
After a short visit to the awful Bocagrande beach, we went to Manzanillo del Mar by taxi. As soon as the car entered the village a man stopped it and led it to a little bar restaurant on the beach. The sea was almost clean but very dangerous. The beach was unattended by lifeguards and police. The latter would have been in order when the bill arrived. It was an unbelievable 105000 pesos (35 euros) for one beer colombia club, two black coffees and a small bottle of water. The tent only was 50000 pesos. When we tried to argue we were surrounded by six not so friendly people so we had to pay.
Noisy too in the afternoon on account of the villagers loud sound systems.
Do yourselves a favor. Just don't go.
Noisy too in the afternoon on account of the villagers loud sound systems.
Do yourselves a favor. Just don't go.
Written 30 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rochamoreno
17 contributions
Dec 2014
We visited Manzanillo following the advice of a local who took us to an specific hut by taxi. We were over charged and not treated nicely, the local who took us there lied to us from the beginning. There were other locals in this area who where constatly looking at us, making it very uncomfortable and made us leave. We took the bus back which was five minutes from the beach, not 15 like the local who took us there had said. The whole vibe of this place was a bit off, unfriendly and even dangerous. I wouldn't recommend this place for women traveling alone. It's sad how some of the locals can be so dishonest just to make a few pesos at the expense of travellers who are looking for a positive experience.
Next time we will stick around the beaches where there are a bit more tourist and security.
Next time we will stick around the beaches where there are a bit more tourist and security.
Written 19 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A H
Ottawa, Canada60 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
While the fine dark sand and warm water is lovely, the shabby palapas and lack of any sort of amenities on the beach is not. The recommended beach restaurant “Donna” is a true beach place ...plastic chairs and all...but does not have a price list. For a simple fried fish they charged us more than twice what we paid at a very high end seafood restaurant in Cartegena...a total rip off. We speak Spanish as well as English and the only friendly people we found were at the Stamp Hostel/restaurant right down the beach. Save yourself the time and money...this town has a lot of “growing up” to do before it is ready for visitors. Garbage everywhere, sullen faces, loud music for hours in end...we left after one night.
Written 13 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
maddogmike2016
Nanaimo, Canada21 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
Hello all this is a gorgeous lil pace to visit. Locals are super sweet kind and honest. The area is nice for families. Cheers
Written 1 April 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ANA1954_13
Salina, KS24 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
Manzanillo is beautiful. We had a great time ! It's not our first time there, we enjoy visiting it a lot. It is not as touristy as other locations and we love that.
We rented a home in AirBNB and it was wonderful. It had 6 king size bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms ( no tubs ), it had 2 pools, bar, a "palapa", and it came with a staff of 5 people. We had the best food.
Villa Paraiso, the manager was a very nice person.
We rented a home in AirBNB and it was wonderful. It had 6 king size bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms ( no tubs ), it had 2 pools, bar, a "palapa", and it came with a staff of 5 people. We had the best food.
Villa Paraiso, the manager was a very nice person.
Written 20 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alyssa G
Los Angeles, CA7 contributions
Aug 2017 • Solo
Get away from the crowds of Cartagena beaches, it's only 30 minutes north of the Centro and has a way nicer beach! The people are friendly and the fried fish on the beach is delicious.
Written 1 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hola Qué tan limpias, cristalinas y tranquilas es la playa de la que dispone el Hotel Estelar Playa Manzanillo?
Written 6 October 2019
We are considering renting a villa on this beach. What is the quality of the beach? Anything that you would recommend here? TIA!
Written 15 August 2017
armonia1963
Cartagena, Colombia
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Written 21 August 2017
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