The Casa Claver Loft Loft is a boutique hotel located inside the historic walled city of Cartagena de Indias. This exquisite colonial building has been refurbished to a very high standard, with classy neutral tones and stunning marble floors.
Walk past the hotels front door and apart from a small Casa Claver sign on the wall, the building looks likes a colonial residential property in keeping with its boutique charm. However, this is also indicative of the hotels discreet and private nature which considering its location is a real bonus.
The roof terrace, as is common in the old town hotels, has a stunning roof pool surrounded by the jutted rooftops of the St. Peter Claver church and neighbouring colonial buildings. Views across the bay in Bocagrande and up to the Convento de la Popa on the nearby hill can also be viewed from the roof.
There is also an indoor pool in the centre of the building downstairs.
The Breakfast
There is a selection of different breakfast dishes you can order the night before, to be delivered to your room. This is especially nice if you have a suite with a seperate dining area. You can choose from American or European continental style breakfast dishes, but on our trip to the hotel, we opted for the traditional Colombian coastal breakfast, which was delicious.
It consisted of an arepa con heuvo (egg arepa), basically a traditional Colombian arepa but with an egg magically cooked inside.
Butifarra Colombiana (Colombian Botifarra) – a variety of meat sausage typical to the Colombian Atlantic coast. It is similar to the Catalan sausage from which it takes its name, except it is formed in a distinct quasi-round shape.
Carimañola (or caribañola) which is a torpedo-shaped yuca fritter, stuffed with cheese or seasoned ground meat and deep fried.
Quesito Colombiano (Colombian Fresh Cheese) which is the typical and most common cheese found in Colombia. The curds of the cows milk are processed to make a creamy, soft white cheese which is light and the perfect breakfast accompaniment.
A shell containing alli (Colombian hotsauce) if you like a bit of a kick with your breakfast.
A pot of excellent Colombian Coffee.
A jug of Milo frio, which is a chocolate malt drink which can be served hot or cold, but in our case we had it cold.
A large jug of freshly squeezed orange juice.
And a selection of freshly cut fruits.
This truly was the breakfast of champions.
The Rooms
The hotel has eight unique rooms.
Premium Loft 301 – The magic Loft room 143m² with outdoor balconies. Designed for groups of up to 6 people, with very comfortable beds and excellent linens
Deluxe Loft 201 – Overlooking the beautiful historic town with outdoor balconies, living room, fully equipped kitchen and laundry.
Standard Loft 303 – Living Room, Kitchen and Laundry
Standard Loft 302 – View of the old town, with living room, fully equipped kitchen and laundry.
Standard Loft 202 – View of the old town, with plenty of amenities including: living room, fully equipped kitchen and laundry.
Habitacion Deluxe 101 (Deluxe Room) – 85m², divided into two areas to accommodate from 1-4 people. Overlooking the indoor pool.
Habitacion Standard 401 (Standard room) – 30m², private internal bathroom and balcony overlooking the dome of St. Peter Claver Church.
Habitacion Standard 100 (Standard room) – 35m², private bathroom suite. Overlooking the indoor pool.
Excursions
The hotel can arrange numerous local excursions and activities including a luxury motor yacht, trips to Rosario Islands, Barú, and Playa Blanca.
We explored the city on our own terms, but we did ask the hotel to organise us a day trip to the Rosario islands. The bus picked us up outside the hotel and took us to the boat. We were on the island for the best part of a day and it was fantastic. Definitely worth the trip.