For this 12th day of our tour in Colombia , we're unfortunately going to spend most of the day traveling and at Medellin airport. Here's how we got from Medellin to Santa Marta in the Caribbean region of Colombia . Once we arrived in Santa Marta , we needed to do some research: where to withdraw money, where to eat cheaply in Santa Marta?

Our flight Medellin - Santa Marta

We had booked a flight with Avianca departing at 11:40 AM. Knowing that it takes about an hour to get from Medellin city center to Jose Maria Cordova Airport , we decided to order a taxi for 10:00 AM. The trip cost us 80,000 COP (23 Euros), which is very, very expensive for Colombia!

But as with all travel, there are things beyond our control… Indeed, we hadn't anticipated the flight being delayed by more than 2 hours and 30 minutes. So it was at 15:40 PM that we landed in Santa Marta in the sweltering heat.

After collecting our luggage and finding a taxi, we arrived at our hotel at 5:20 PM. The taxi from the airport to downtown Santa Marta cost us 29,000 COP (less than €10).

All day for a simple 2 hour flight! This is a good illustration of why I prefer (when possible) to travel by road with a private driver.

Cheap hotel in Santa Marta

We chose the Park Hotel at Carrera 1, number 18-67, which is located opposite the beach . While the beach is beautiful, especially at sunset, you shouldn't look to the right because you'll see some rather unsightly industrial infrastructure in the background…

But this hotel is very, very well located because it is right in the heart of the historic center, with shops, restaurants and various entertainment options.

It is a somewhat dated hotel, of course, but with large, clean, air-conditioned and well-equipped rooms (TV, fridge, wardrobe, safe, etc.). Its small swimming pool is very pleasant because in Santa Marta it is very very hot!

As we had been given a room which did not correspond to the booking description, we requested another room. And there, bingo !!! They offer us a beautiful suite at no extra charge. And there, we tell ourselves that this hotel knows how to deal with tourists and that it is really the right plan!

See this hotel on Booking

Where to withdraw money in Santa Marta?

After we settled in, we had two priorities: buying water and exchanging Euros.

To buy cheap water (870 COP for a 1,5L bottle, or 25 euro cents, instead of 3,000 COP in cafes or restaurants (€1)), we go to the EL EXITO supermarket at Carrera 5, number 19-20, a 10-minute walk from our hotel. This supermarket is open every day, even Sunday.

In the mall, there are two ATMs where we can withdraw Euros (one opposite the cash registers and the other in the small café to the right of them). That's where we'll refill our wallets.

Where to eat inexpensively in Santa Marta?

To eat quickly and very cheaply (for 1 or 2 Euros), you can take advantage of the Cafeteria on the upper floor of the Exito supermarket.

Near the hotel , you're spoiled for choice, as restaurants are everywhere with great prices and lovely terraces overlooking the beach. You can eat for 5 Euros, but don't expect haute cuisine. It's "comida corriente," pizza, or fast food. We missed our trout on patacon from the coffee region…

To eat inexpensively ten minutes from our hotel, we went to Caribbean wings  Calle 17 #2-59. The atmosphere is very nice, the dishes plentiful and varied. 

To enjoy delicious burgers or refreshing salads in the air conditioning, we discovered Radio Burger Carrera 3 #18-52 in Parque de los Novios . With its music-themed decor, we appreciated being able to eat in the cool (something we couldn't do on the terrace...). Okay, it's fast food, but it's so pleasant to eat in the cool when it's 40°C at 13 p.m.!

Discover in the article below the tour of the historic center that we will do the following day :

What to see in Santa Marta? D13