Hotel Capellan de Getsemani

The one-of-a-kind Hotel Capellán de Getsemaní finds itself not in a garden outside Jerusalem but in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, in a vibrant, fast-evolving neighborhood just outside the old city center. This is Getsemaní; and the Hotel Capellán is vibrant as well, a historical Spanish Colonial structure whose interiors display a contemporary French influence, alongside their well-preserved heritage architecture and the comforts of a modern luxury boutique hotel.

Some rooms look into an interior courtyard, while others look out over the neighborhood’s picturesque streets. In size they range from a Superior with a queen bed all the way up to the penthouse-like Suite Capellán and the even larger Family Suite. And all through the range they’re marked by the contrast between eras: both antiques and contemporary design furniture, both classic comforts and modern must-haves like air conditioning and Nespresso machines.

There’s a poolside bar and another lovely little terrace bar one floor up. The social heart of the Capellán, though, is the restaurant, Clero, which serves a truly eclectic blend of cuisines — not just classic Colombian fare, with its Caribbean and Creole influences, but an infusion of Japanese flavors and techniques as well.