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Isla Baru, Colombia

  • Travel Dates: April 7th - 9th, 2017
  • May 31, 2017
  • 2 min read


Experiencing South America and more specifically Colombia, has been filled with unexpected changes, difficult decisions and the resulting stress. Thus, Isla Baru and a few days of total relaxation, while regrouping, seemed more than justifiable. Again, as when leaving Santa Marta, we were able to get a taxi right when we needed and start our one hour journey southwest from Cartagena to the island. The incredibly beautiful, boutique hotel Rebecca found, provided us with great information about getting there and recommended that we get our driver to call them when close, as the entrance is very hard to find. No problem! This is Colombia after all! This time the problem manifested itself in our drivers more than dilapidated cell phone from the 90’s. Holding it out the window trying to get signal wasn’t working and asking people on moto’s, horses and foot, didn’t work either. Eventually we found ourselves out of options and sat, parked on the side of a road, in the blazing heat, with our driver wanting to try one way, while we were certain it was the other. Language barriers reared their ugly head again. If we sat there any longer, I was thinking about snatching his Nokia and settling into a good game of SNAKE to kill some time, as many of us did in the 90’s. Alas, we convinced him to turn around and within minutes we pulled into the stunning Hotel Playa Manglares Isla Baru.


The owner of this fine establishment was incredibly nice and really did focus on customer service and satisfaction. He helped with our ridiculous amount of heavy luggage (again we felt the need for a quick explanation of why we were dragging all this around) up to our almost treehouse like room. The staircase and our bags were completely laughable and I was almost blinded by my own sweat by the time we made it up with everything, but what awaited was truly something special and exactly the kind of dwelling Rebecca and I dig. We were on the top of a three-bedroom unit, overlooking palms and the ocean, but our intimate, indoor surroundings were truly what made this place different from the other options on the island. Rustic beauty describes it best, with old books, weathered wood, gorgeous white hammocks and linens and an outdoor sink and shower area. Even the mosquito net, hung up around the king size bed, added to the allure of the place.


There were only ever two other couples staying there, even though there were some other rooms in the rear of the property. We shared meals together, prepared by a small staff, whom were more than willing to accommodate different needs, especially since there was no menu. The food was incredible, but the mojitos were borderline life changing. Everything prepared had an international flare, coupled with Colombian influences. The flavours they achieved rivalled the authentic versions usually only found by getting on a plane. Relaxation, rustic living, but also incredibly luxurious. This provided us with exactly what we needed and we were able to plan our next few steps and start to map out what the next several months might look like…


View more pictures of Isla Baru by clicking the Photography tab at the top of the page.


 
 
 

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About Us

Hi there! We recently both left our jobs in Canada, packed up our lives and are exploring Central and South America. We started this blog as a way to stay in touch with our family and friends, but also as a creative outlet for Conor's writing and Rebecca's photography. Happy to have you all follow along on our adventures!

Rebecca and Conor

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Copyright 2017 - All photographs and writing are RandCo originals.

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