Hotel Casa San Agustín

The Hotel

Hotel Casa San Agustín opened on 1 December 2012 as the principal Cartagena project of the Bogotá-based Faber-Castell hotel group — a small Colombian-luxury collection that had previously developed Casa Cartagena Boutique. The site combines three contiguous 17th-century colonial townhouses on Calle de la Universidad, opposite the Plaza San Agustín and the church of the Augustinian order — the architectural commission was Cartagena restoration architect Leonor Olano with interior architecture by Bogotá's Hannia Mejía. The principal architectural decision is the conservation register: the restoration uncovered original 17th-century painted ceiling murals and original Spanish-colonial floor tiles in two of the three buildings, all preserved in place. The hotel was admitted to Relais & Châteaux in 2014 — Cartagena's first and Colombia's only such property.

The 30 rooms — including 8 suites — are arranged across the three combined buildings, each room configured around the original townhouse footprint. Standard categories at 28 square metres include the original-mural decorative programme; Premier categories at 38 sqm; the named Bolívar Suite at 90 sqm in the central building is the milestone unit, with original 1640s wall murals in the bedroom and bathroom. Bathrooms are travertine and Carrara marble; bath products are Acqua di Parma.

Alma is the principal restaurant — opened with the hotel in the original 17th-century courtyard, with the colonial-period stone-and-tile preserved overhead and a contemporary Colombian-Caribbean register from chef Heberto Eljach (formerly of Bogotá's Harry Sasson). Bar at Alma handles the cocktail and aperitivo programme. The library — a 2,500-volume collection on Cartagena's colonial history, curated by historian José Núñez — is the property's signature interior. The 14-metre courtyard pool is in the central building, surrounded by the original colonial column-and-arcade. The Spa runs three treatment rooms with the only authentic Cartagena-traditional-massage programme.

The Calle de la Universidad address is the booking proposition. From the front door it is 30 seconds to Plaza San Agustín, two minutes to Plaza Santo Domingo, four minutes to Plaza Bolívar, eight minutes to Las Murallas, and 18 minutes by car to Rafael Núñez Airport. The walking-Cartagena brief is the most central of any five-star in town. For travellers wanting the most-discreet, most-personalised Cartagena boutique with the Relais & Châteaux service register, Casa San Agustín is unambiguous. Santa Clara is the heritage-grand-convent alternative; San Agustín is the small-and-personalised alternative.

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