Hotel Las Islas

Beautiful architecture and complex, rooms are a little run down. Breakfast is great, lunch is good and dinner is mediocre. Overall experience is not commensurate with rates charged. Service is quite poor, little to no English is spoken, activities mostly consist of guides trying to extract money out of guests, either through $150 beach shack lunches or selling fake artisanal artefacts - not really fitting to a 5 star resort.

Came on our honeymoon expecting five star luxury as advertised but it really is very much a jungle stay, rooms felt unclean and like they needed a big refresh, ants crawling in the bathroom, the top of our hut I found freaky as it looked like animals could’ve got in, which coupled with some night time rustling meant I found it hard to relax and sleep well at night. The place really wasn’t clean, air con didn’t work very well either…maybe I should’ve expected it given how eco and jungle oriented it is but I think for the price I expected more. The private pools are salt water and you can’t see the bottom and there were crabs crawling up the walls from the sea beneath so I felt they could also have gotten into the pool which didn’t make for a relaxing swim. Most definitely not a 5 star experience. We checked out early and returned to Cartagena. It was also very expensive for what it is. Some parts of the hotel are lovely, the staircase in the main hotel very impressive and nice bar and views but the facilities weren’t as expected.

My boyfriend and I spent 3 nights on Isleta (we concurred that 4 nights would be the perfect amount of time). What a beautiful resort and wonderful vacation. We went back and forth on whether to stay on main resort or Isleta and I don't regret our decision. The main resort is quite expansive. Unless your bungalow is near the main bar/restaurant or beach, you're taking a golf cart regardless. Although the restaurant at Isleta is more limited and informal (definitely do the breakfast at the main resort for the best spread), everything you could want was within walking distance. When we went to main resort for breakfast, massages, excursions...we never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a ride. Make sure to head up to the rooftop of the clubhouse on a clear night to use the telescope to view the stars and planets. It's one of two in the entire country of this strength. We brought bug spray but didn't really need it. Maybe it's because it was windy season. The bartender at the clubhouse also had some that he offered around. Free drinking water was also available. We packed in a couple gallons thinking we'd otherwise have to purchase it, but the housekeeping staff refilled pitchers in your room every day. The outdoor massages were in glass huts that were really neat. Good quality massages. The snorkeling trip was just ok. The reefs and fish off Rosario Island weren't anything special so if you have to skip it, you're not really missing out. Some other things to address that scared me from other reviews. #1 - I concur with others that expectations are key. This is an eco resort that is very impressive, the way it's built into the surroundings. That said, you're not flushing toilet paper (they have awesome bidets in your rooms). The pools are likely water pumped in from the sea so they are cloudy. I did see them draining and refilling the main Isleta pool so they clearly do clean them out. And there are lots of trees so there are leaves in the pool. But it's still clean, beautiful, and luxurious. #2 - All over Colombia you have opportunistic panhandlers, and Las Islas is no exception. We did have people go past our rooms on jetskis but they weren't aggressive, and they didn't linger when you said no. Or just don't make eye contact. I also believe if you had issues, the staff would help you. They were all incredible friendly and helpful. On Isleta, almost all the rooms have a swimming zone off the room so the jet ski can't actually approach you, besides the last few rooms closest to the restaurant. Those rooms closest to the restaurant are also closest to Cholon (party island) so you can get some bass from there if the wind is blowing your way. All in all, I recommend Las Islas to all of my friends. The food was really good, even though it wasn't really "Colombian," the accommodations were exactly as advertised, the setting was beautiful. The only disappointment was that the hotel was fully booked and we weren't able to extend our stay another night!

We were worried after we saw some recent poor reviews but ultimately so satisfied with our stay at las Islas. We concluded that guests with poor experiences did not have appropriate expectations for being in a remote place in eco-lodging. Yes it is luxury but you are still in the jungle! If you love nature like us, you will appreciate the birds, iguanas, and beautiful mangrove and reef ecosystems. The grounds are large and each bungalow has a pair of bikes. The service was top notch with many English speaking staff, but like anyone they will respond well to your efforts to speak Spanish. Our treetop bungalow was comfortable with a hot shower, powerful AC, and consistent turndown service every day. We loved the telescope as well as our excursions with local guides Don Luis and Maria Jose but were unable to complete the bioluminescence tour due to the full moon (check the calendar if this is a draw). Breakfast and the clubhouse bar was great and in general the food was fine but not amazing (to be expected for the resorts location). We found there was plenty to do for a three day stay and even longer if you like to beach-bum it. When there was an issue with our boat departure, they immediately booked us a car back to Cartagena. Have appropriate expectations and you’ll have a great time at las Islas!

We originally booked 3 days and extended to 5. First three days on the island other 2 in a regular bungalow. Highly recommend staying on the island, the staff was top notch over there and breakfast opens earlier. Some said the boat was inconvenient but I didn’t find it to ever be more than a 5 minute wait. The staff is always trying to help, if I looked confused or was waiting someone was on it! I don’t speak Spanish so I asked a million questions via what’s app and they were happy to answer all of them quickly! A lot of the “bad” reviews I find to be not picky. There will be bugs where there is vegetation, sand and water.. no one will die… I saw one bug in the room the day we left after it rained.. not uncommon. I liked that the resort wasn’t over manicured and sprayed with tons of chemicals! Also the pools are filled with ocean water at the room, it was clean but the water is ocean not pool, not a problem for me, but some seam surprised. All of the food including room service was high quality and excellent, we didn’t have a single bad meal! If I could give the hotel a recommendation it would be to have beach snacks, or meat cheese fruit plates for in between meals. I’m a snacker and I didn’t feel like I could find enough snacks between meals lol I’d love an option to purchase beach snacks, candy etc. but that’s not picky! The road out there is bumpy, so if you’re bougie u may want to take a boat or helicopter! We got a Cabify ride, $35 from the app and then hired him to pick us up. Super easy, safe and not a problem. Leave early the traffic is crud getting back to the airport. The spa was amazing, highly recommend massages, found the facials to be just a face massage lol, wouldn’t get facials there again. All amenities were rarely priced. Great value for points for any Amex platinum card holders! 10/10 recommend if u can overlook some small quirks.. that I don’t think I would have even mentioned if I hadn’t seen people complain!