Hi all, I thought it might be useful to some if I provided an update on my experience in Santa Marta.
To recap, I arrived Jan 25th and moved into a really nice little boutique hotel called Casa Carolina in the historical centre. It was really nice and I explored Santa Marta. I quickly realized that staying in the historical centre for 3 months was not really desirable. There's not that much to do or see to fill 3 months. The restaurants are great but for living full time, no.
So I was glad I had booked the following month in Rodadero, right in the centre.
At the end of February a friend arrived and I had planned a number of activities. We went to Minca and stayed in a glamping place for a night. We arrived on a Sunday and Minca was just alive; a buzz of activity including local soccer games. We stayed in Minca Glamping and it was absolutely wonderful. So peaceful in the jungle and so relaxing. Everything was great; our hosts, the setting, the breakfast. We then hiked in the area and went to a beautiful waterfalls.
I had arranged to give up the apartment and had booked another hotel just outside the historical centre. It was the hotel Camelia and it was amazing. Half the rooms look out on gardens and half look out on the pool area. Everything was amazing and the staff were so friendly. Using this as a base we took a sail boat to Tayronal park. The ocean can be quite rough so the sail and motoring there and back was half the fun. A couple of days later we took the hike into Cabo San Juan. This was very scenic and the beaches in the park were incredible.
I should add that I now take local buses and I find them hardly any less convenient than taxis. The trip from the bus centre at the market to Tayrona was 8,000 and just as comfortable as a taxi.
My friend went on to Bogota and I joined a tour to the Lost City. That was amazing and I'll detail it in my next update.
So, I've not found a tennis partner but I'm still finding the Santa Marta and Rodadera area very interesting. Although I'm still living in Rodadera I do drop into Santa Marta from time to time for a nice restaurant experience.
