Derek & Sierra
Derek & Sierra
Passport
Check your passport now and make sure it's up to date. To enter Colombia, your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months after your travel dates (so it should be valid through June 2025).
Passport processing times have been delayed. We would highly, highly recommend that you begin your renewal process NOW if you need to renew.
Flights
You'll need to book a flight to Cartagena, Colombia, which is served by The Rafael Nuñez Airport (CTG).
Depending on your home city, you'll likely fly down to Miami, FL or Houston, TX, then take a second leg (2.5 hour flight) over the Caribbean Sea.
Flights range from $400 to $800 RT.
Colombia is spelled Colombia with two o’s. Do not mistake it for Columbia, South Carolina, or British Columbia.
Taxis: The airport is 15 mins from the Walled City, home to our venue, the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara, and other recommended hotels.
We recommend booking airport taxi pickup through your hotel. All hotels in the Walled City arrange airport pickup and drop-off for their guests. Just send them a Whatsapp message about a week in advance to coordinate (they'll usually have a number listed on their website). This should be a smooth, easy process. They'll text you driver details when you land, and your driver will wait outside of the airport with a sign.
Accomodation
Sofitel Legend Santa Clara
Our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception will take place at the Sofitel Legend Santa Clara in the Walled City.
Wedding guests will receive special rates for the Sofitel. Please reach out to Samia Ceballos at samia.ceballos@sofitel.com to book your room at a special rate. You can CC sierra.baldwin90@gmail.com if you'd like. Make sure you send her your receipt of payment once you pay via the digital link she provides.
The link she provides is a safe, secure payment system called OpenPay by BBVA. It's like using PayPal with a large, global bank called BBVA, which is based out of EU/Spain. You can use your credit card to pay ( "Pagar = Pay" and "Tarjeta = Card").
Sofitel is a global collection of hotels, with more than 200 properties worldwide.
The Sofitel Santa Clara in Cartagena is a beautiful, historic, luxury hotel within walking distance to all of the best bars, restaurants, shops, and activities around the Walled City. It has received several awards and was recently named one of the Best Hotels of 2023 by Conde Naste, as well as one of the World's Best Hotels in both 2022 and 2023 by Travel + Leisure! We know they'll take care of our friends and family!
There are plenty of other options for accommodation. See below!
Other Accomodations
Regardless of what hotel, Airbnb, or hostel you pick, we recommend you stay in the Walled City. The Walled City is the most popular tourist neighborhood -- it's a historic fortress that was built at the end of the XVI century, and yes, it's literally surrounded by a giant rock wall (that you can climb up and walk along for great views!)
Any hotel you pick within the Walled City will be a 10 minute walk max to the Sofitel Legend hotel (our wedding venue).
Our Favorite Nearby Hotels
One of our favorite things about Cartagena is its stunning and one-of-a-kind boutique hotels. There are so many of them, each with their own special flare, it's hard to pick just one. You can stay wherever you want -- just check Hotels.com or any other standard travel site like Trip Advisor.
Regardless of what you decide on, we do recommend that you pay attention to reviews from guests about noise levels - Cartagena is a high-traffic tourism destination and the streets are loud with live music and party-goers at night. A lot of hotels have courtyard-facing rooms -- we'd recommend getting a courtyard room for more peace and quiet at night, if possible!
Some of our favorites:
This is one of our favorite hotels. The interior design is truly beautiful throughout. We slept fine here because we were so exhausted at the end of every day, but despite sound-proofed windows, it is next to some popular restaurants and bars, so it can be a bit noisy at night. Other than that, this is a GORGEOUS 10/10 hotel all around.
A literal DREAM if you're someone who enjoys boutique luxury hotels. 6 min walk from the venue.
This is a highly-rated hotel that has the best rooftop sunset view in the city. We haven't stayed here but we have friends that raved about it! *Note: You can also get a cocktail on their rooftop if you're not a guest!
Another stunning boutique hotel in the Walled City. 3 min walk from venue.
Hotel Boutique Casona del Porvenir
A gorgeous hotel that's a little more reasonably priced. 7 min walk from venue.