Nice and cosy, excellent location. Great staff, very friendly and overall helpful. Room of good size well equipped with minibar, phone, cable TV. Breakfast included was just ok. Check-in wasn't available before 3 but luggage was stored, checkout was at 1pm which was good.

Room with serious humidity and very poor lighting. Property looks a bit worn out. Breakfast included selection could be improved although kindness of staff makes up for it.

Clean, big rooms, with A/C and fans. Great location. Beautiful building. Friendly staff.

Bit noisy. Coffee served at breakfast is not great.

breakfast was excellent, there was variety everyday. Our server Herman was very friendly, helpful and communicated so well with us.

The only problem was presence of mosquitoes in the dining area.

Wow! How can we start? We loved this hotel and the people who work there. We totally felt like being at home! The property is a beautiful, remodeled colonial building (two colonial houses connected to each other) right in the San Diego district inside the historical walled city and a block from Plaza Fernandez Madrid. The location was excellent. walking distance to everything. The property itself was beautifully decorated, very clean, and very well maintained. The rooftop pool was great. The room was big and comfortable. The breakfast was amazing, homemade fresh, and delicious. The staff was not only professional and courteous, they treated us like family! Kudos to Arnold, Rafael, Jefferson, Keisy, and Eddie! They made us feel so welcome and taken care of. The staff in the kitchen was world-class level. The cook was wonderful. It was like eating at grandma's house. This was one of the best hotel experiences that we have ever had!

We didn't like that we didn't have time to spend another week there.

Elegant, characterful and tasteful hotel.

the swimming pool on the roof could have been safer for kids though the one on the ground floor was great.

excellent amenities, two luxurious pools, great food, and very attentive and kind staff. The central location made it easy to explore the city and return to the hotel mid day for a break from the heat. Hot water for showers which seems to be hard to come by in Colombia.

nothing - awesome stay

central location, two pools, excellent breakfast, modern clean rooms, unique hotel

great location,amazing breakfast and friendly&funny staff in breakfast and restaurant

For the price that we paid and excellent reviews we had very big expectations from Bantu by Faranda Boutique Hotel but I am very sad to say that I had a very unpleasant experience. First of all I must admit that the hotel is in a very good location and looks amazing, the owners did everything and paid attention to any single detail being located in an old colonial house and you always feel like being in a tropical garden.The breakfast was one of the best we had in Colombia and the staff from restaurant&breakfast is all very professional, funny and friendly. Thanks to Arnold that helped us to arrange the taxi payment and with the luggage to our rooms. Unfortunately we've been cheated for the first night by changing our original booked rooms to a such called "upgrade" to "presidential suite" that proved to be totally disappointing with 2 bedrooms that were far from the comfort and size of the ones we booked and paid. One family of 2 adults had to share a very small bedroom 9 mp with a very small bed that can maximum accommodate a single person. We came to Cartagena after a very long flight of more than 20 hours and we were all very tired, when we came to the reception to complain about our rooms they told us to wait for 10 min and they will solve it, after keeping us waiting for 2 hours (all the times telling us to wait for 10 min) they did nothing and finally we had to accept that we've been cheated and nothing can be done at that time (they pretended the hotel was fully booked).Only after I said that we will complain to booking.com for this treatment and ask for compensation they accepted to give us our original type of booked rooms but only from the next remaining 3 nights. Not to mention that 2 weeks later when we had to recover our left luggage it took more than one hour, the guys from the reception looked all very tired, bored and unresponsive to our request, not to mention that they do not speak any basic English at all.

It seemed like a lovely place

The hotel overbooked and when we arrived in the early evening, there were no rooms for us even though we’d reserved 4 months earlier. We were sent to a different hotel instead, which was a hassle after a very long trip. Although the other hotel was comparable and very nice, and the Bantu offered us a free meal as compensation, it was a disappointing experience nonetheless.

I did extensive research reading travel blogs and hotel reviews and looked into around 20 different hotels in the old city and several Airbnb’s prior to booking Bantu. Bantu seemed too good to be true for the price, but I assure you it exceeded expectations. My stay was 4 nights. Fabian at the front desk went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. We speak very little Spanish and had no issues communicating with everyone at the hotel. The rooms are cozy but stylish. Bed is very comfortable. Air conditioning worked great. Water was hot. Large TV and I was able to stream Netflix to TV. I had no complaints. I had read the lighting was dim in some reviews, and it wasn’t super bright in the rooms, but plenty fine for me to do makeup. The hotel has a beautiful ground floor pool and also a rooftop pool and hot tub. They are small but perfect for a dip after waking around the hot city. The breakfast was exceptional with coffee, fresh fruit juice, pastries, bacon, empanadas, fruit, yogurt parfaits. The hotel also serves lunch and dinner which we did not eat at so cannot speak to that. I felt very safe the whole time. Overall, I am so happy I booked Hotel Bantu! I never write reviews but they deserve so much praise and thanks. So thank you to the staff who made our trip unforgettable.

Friendly staff, great architecture and location. Loved staying in a downstairs room giving directly into a patio with a plunge pool and fountain. Perfect after a day out in the heat and sun.

Though a very good hotel, with very friendly staff, it could easily be excellent if more attention was given to detail and consistency. E.g., towels and toiletries in the room were a bit of a lottery everyday: one day three hand towels, another day none, one bathrobe for two persons, no dish for the soap bar (always getting stuck on the washbasin surface), empty bath gel bottles not systematically refilled, floor not really dirty but a bit dusty. Everything you asked to correct those details was done (eventually) and with a friendly smile, but in a hotel like this you shouldn't have to be asking for these things almost every day. A bit more management supervision and staff training will surely sort this out. In any case, I would still stay in this hotel again and do recommend it for location, friendliness and historical flair.

beautiful infrastructure

not very soundproof

The staff was very helpful. The pools and rooftop relaxation area were quite nice. The location was excellent for walking the old town, and the on site massages were a wonderful bonus. Overall our stay was idyllic.

The mattress was way too firm for us, although somewhat typical for Colombia. I actually woke up with back pain after our first night. My wife who is also a sidesleeper found the mattress to be too hard as well. But the reasonable priced massages helped to set things right. The doors to tge room don't seal tightly, so some bugs wandered in. Despite these small amyonaces, overall we could not have been more pleased with our stay, and would happily come back.

This hotel is so much lovelier and more charming in real life than in photos. It’s romantic and boho chic. The rooftop pool was relaxing and the street the hotel is on is very pretty and quiet and felt so safe and in an excellent location. Room was big and comfortable. The staff are exotic locals and they’re very nice and welcoming. The massages were easy to book, fairly priced and very relaxing. We extended our stay :)

We flooded the bathroom by accident by putting the water in the shower too high. Didn’t happen again, we were careful not to put the water in full blast. We did ask the staff at the front desk to check if the drains were blocked and to check the floors when we stepped out for dinner but I think they forgot because we had to clean up the floors ourselves. No big issue.

This was a perfect boutique hotel in the heart of the walled city in Cartagena. We absolutely loved our stay, and were thrilled by how luxurious and serene our experience was at Bantu. The staff members were so friendly and helpful (Fabian, Herman, Brenda), and always trying to make our experience special. We were able to book a beach club day-trip with our reception team very last minute, and even had our transportation organized by the hotel. Every morning we had free breakfast which was filled with local foods: arepa de huevo, chorizo, fresh papaya/mango, juices, and cheese. We also enjoyed the rooftop pool and got amazing massages as well. In terms of the location, it is in a very central, busy area that feels safe. Plenty of good food and shopping just a walk away ... we only had to call a taxi once during our whole trip! Overall, this was an excellent hotel for the price, and we were blown away by the room, service, ambiance, and amenities.

Location

Luke warm shower

everything!

Facilities are beautiful and some of the staff were super helpful. German for example, was a really good host and we really enjoyed talking to him.

The receptionist in the front desk was not that helpful and we requested towels and some glasses for the room but she didn’t listen to us.

Location was good only

we dont have hot watter for 2 days,than change a room for room with a half open bathroom,everything was wet because of the humidity. Breakfast was poor,range of 3 star hotel not 5. Half of the stuff dosent speak english,hard to communicate