SABAI

Location: Barú Playa, Cartagena, 130017, Cartagena, CO

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 03:00 PM - 05:00 PM

Check-out: 12:00 PM

Instructions: Guests must transfer via boat and shuttle to the property. Guests must contact the property at least 72 hours before travel, using the contact information on the confirmation received after booking. This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. The front desk is open daily from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM. To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 72 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions. The front desk is staffed during limited hours. For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation.

Amenities & Facilities

• Free beach club on site
• Books
• Free WiFi
• Terrace
• Garden
• Concierge service
• Wheelchair accessible
• Snorkeling nearby
• Safe-deposit box at front desk
• Front desk (limited hours)
• On private beach
• Wedding services
• Airport transportation - pickup (surcharge)
• Beach umbrellas
• Beach sun loungers
• Pool sun loungers
• Beach towels
• Beach volleyball on site
• Books
• Wine release events
• Dock
• Free beach club on site
• Accessible airport shuttle
• No accessible airport shuttle

Rooms Available

• Grand Suite, Ocean View, Beachfront

  1 King Bed

  592-sq-foot room with ocean views

  
  

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Entertainment - Flat-screen TV with cable channels

  Food & Drink - Room service (limited) and minibar (fees may apply)

  Sleep - Bed sheets

  Bathroom - Private bathroom, shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Practical - Laptop-compatible safe; cribs (surcharge) available on request

  Comfort - Climate-controlled air conditioning and daily housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)

  • Minibar
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Private bathroom
  • Room service (limited hours)
  • Daily housekeeping
  • Free WiFi
  • Free cribs/infant beds
  • Bedsheets provided

Guest Reviews

• Krista (8/5): - It was cool to be on this beach at night after all of the boats leave. The lights on the beach are lovely at night. The staff is very nice and accommodating. The rooms are pretty basic for the price, with no comfortable sitting areas and no screens on the windows, so you need to run the AC at all times and can't leave the widows open to hear the ocean, lest you get bitten by mosquitoes. The beds are overly soft. The fact the room includes day use of the beach is nice, but the beach and pool do quite crowded with day pass users. Ocean access is tricky due to washed up coral and sea grass. Food is just OK for the price, although maybe understandable since the resort is remote.
• Valerie (10/5): - This property is a hidden gem. The beach is beautiful and private, and the food was amazing. The waitstaff were quick and kind, and the beds were comfortable as well!
• Erin (10/5): Great for solo travel - Great remote location and very quiet in early morning/evening. Would highly recommend
• Betzaida (10/5): - The hotel is absolutely beautiful, it’s clean, the food and drinks are amazing, the staff are so friendly and welcoming 🙏we were so lucky the day we arrived. We were the only guest. So we had the whole place to ourselves. We definitely will come back.
• Duncan (10/5): - Totally loved it!
• Verified traveler (6/5): - Dyrt. Når du betaler såpass mye for et rom, og man er fullstendig avhengig av hotellet (finnes ingen butikker i nærheten) så bør i det minste drikkevann være noe som tilbys gjestene gratis.
• Corey (10/5): - We truly enjoyed our stay here, the grounds were clean, the staff was attentive and friendly, chill music, and good food. The beach is great and relaxing with nobody hassling you. One of our lunches we had to wait 2 hours, but aside from that it was a great getaway.
• Katia (10/5): SABAI is gorgeous! - This property is gorgeous. Being steps from the water (beach) or pool was just what we needed to start 2025 relaxed! We loved the views from the pool and the room was very comfortable with a large bed, bathroom and even small dining table. The cable TV from the room was comprehensive.
• Peter (10/5): - Eine sehr ruhige und entspannte Anlage, perfekter Pool optimal für ein paar Tage zum entspannen.
• Paul (4/5): Disappointing - We chose SABAI to end our trip for the peace and quiet it advertises. However, on one of the days we stayed here, the hotel accepted an exceptionally large group of really loud partygoers that really ruined the experience. I talked to the manager and explained my discontent, which she understood, and offered a discount. At checkout, the discount was forgotten, and I ended up having to argue with staff who gave us 20% off of one night, which is peanuts. Very disappointing. I hope that management realizes that booking large groups at the expense of the quality of guests is unacceptable and cheap. On the bright side, staff were wonderful and the place is great. Thank you to Miri and Juan and all the other staff members that were lovely.
• SARA (2/5): Not recommended - Good location, however the service is lacking especially for the money they charge. I did not assume resort level service but I also expected better service. The host either caters better to day trippers or to non- solo female travelers. Either way, I felt taken advantage of. I am fortunate to have visited dozens of countries, including remote, and from the day I booked the reservation, the ball was dropped. I had to plea at times for communication and had this been a refundable fare, I would have cancelled. Even while on-site, I continued to plea, via written messages for communication. A couple of people onsite did attend to my situation but even that felt like a negotiation and that I wad being scammed. So, yes, I was taken advantage of, perhaps "scammed" - and no, I would never return or recommend this location. Plenty of others around if you do a bit of research. I am in the process of capturing my travels through Colombia in a blog where this experience will be further detailed along with photos. In the meantime, if you have questions, email me: liban0214@gmail.com
• Jose Luis (8/5): - Todo muy bien, sólo el costo de transporte para llegar, es caro
• Kimberly (10/5): What a gem 💎 - What a gem of a place. I feel super fortunate to have found this beautiful, relaxing, peaceful spot right in the Caribbean…….the perfect getaway from the business of Cartagena. The staff is welcoming and friendly, always available to accommodate. I was solo on this trip and loved it; there were also many families and couples enjoying a romantic getaway. This place if just perfect for anyone looking for tranquility and the beauty of the Caribbean.
• Marcos (10/5): - Nos encantó la tranquilidad, que no haya vendedores constantes y la exclusividad qué hay para los huéspedes. Muy atentos todos los empleados. Con variedad y calidad gastronómica. Hermosa estadía!!
• Gisela (10/5): - Great customer service! The staff was very friendly and accommodating.
• Gary (10/5): - Great views and setting with top notch building amenities. Very stylish
• Esmeralda (10/5): Paraíso en Colombia - Nuestra estancia fue espectacular! Las fotos no hacen justicia a ese paraíso. El servicio 10, comida riquísima, una de las mejores experiencias en hoteles que hemos tenido. Pensamos volver en un futuro a Baru para quedarnos allí
• Marion (8/5): Schönes Hotel am ruhigen Strand - Vor allem das Servicepersonal war großartig und hat versucht, uns alle Wünsche zu erfüllen. Der Aufenthalt kann schnell langweilig werden, weil man fast nichts machen kann außer am Strand liegen und baden. Sie haben aber schöne Hängematten und Schaukeln im Wasser.
• Philippa (10/5): - My husband I visited Baru Playa Eco-Beach resort in March and simply could not have been more pleased with our choice. We read all the reviews before booking, found them to be mostly true BUT for us we LOVED LOVED LOVED it. A real piece of heaven! To reach the resort you need to take a boat, we were coming from Catagena and contacted the resort (by whatsapp NOT expedia or phone) and they arranged for pick up by taxi from our hotel. It worked really well and we were in the car for an hour until then in a small boat for 15 mins. Once we got there we did not leave! We ate all our meals there (we had paid full board but it was hard for me to understand the half board). We did read the reviews and took two big bottles of water for cleaning our teeth and some snacks just in case - which honestly I am not sure we needed. The food was exceptional for my husband. He enjoyed extremely fresh fish in some form for most meals. For me, a bit harder as I am a vegetarian, but the chef and everyone there did there best to look after me - and the food I got was very nice but I definately had to be flexible. The place was just what we needed - very quiet, peaceful and so restful. The staff were INCREDIBLY nice. There were a couple of dogs that were very, very friendly - and I fell in love with them! We read books and sat on the beach beds and took the rowing boats out. The boat ride back took us through the mangroves after tearful goodbyes to the staff who were friends now!
• Stuart (10/5): Wonderful Private Beach Paradise - The resort is very cozy and well maintained the beach is immaculate and the ocean is clean. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. I recommend this resort is anyone who is looking to get away to a private quite beautiful beach paradise.
• bruno (10/5): Repos, repos - Vraiment un endroit pour décompresser, la cuisine en plus est délicieuse. Ne louez pas de voiture, pour 50€, un taxi vient vous chercher à l'aéroport pour vous amener au bateau, et ensuite vous débarquer au ponton de l'hotel
• Wilman Augusto (8/5): Estadía buena..pero pudo ser mejor - Buena..faltó un poco de música y el transporte de ida se demoró en salir
• Prabhakar (8/5): - Not fancy but very friendly and helpful staff. Excellent food. Great place for a quiet and tranquil get away.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Amazing Hidden Gem - This place is truly a hidden gem. If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the more crowded places and are looking for some peace and quiet this is the place. Not too many activities to do, there are kayaks, volleyball and a few other activities (for purchase) but just getting away with no itinerary and not being bothered with vendors trying to sell to you all day, this is the place. I recommend bringing bottled water and snacks to last your stay, although the food here is AMAZING and portions are decent. The water is amazing too, in the early morning it is as smooth as a piece of glass and depending on the weather out in the Gulf, you can have some decent waves. They rake the beach each morning in order to provide a clean start to the day, meaning all of the seaweed that washes ashore gets picked up. Speaking of the beach, it appeared this resort had the biggest beach in the area. I honestly probably won’t come back, just because there is so much more to see and do in Colombia, but I 100% recommend if you want time away from everything and/or spend quality time with your family or alone.
• Marco (10/5): - Excelente
• Brian Sun EagleHeart (10/5): - Calm and peaceful. Great, friendly service. Excellent meals, accommodations. Removed but not isolated. Awesome weekend getaway.
• LUCA MARIA (10/5): Calm & Relax - Linda playa. Cómodas las cabañas. Quedamos sorprendidos por la calidad del servicio. Impecable. Muy buena la cocina. Recomendamos mucho este lugar. Es una perla.
• Verified traveler (6/5): - The location of Baru Eco Lodge is amazing. Beautiful beach, great staff and service. The food was delicious. However, the rooms and hotel have a lot of deferred maintenance. Overpriced.
• Nicolas (10/5): Merveilleux week-end - Excellent séjour. Personnel attentionné, site magnifique, très bon restaurant, mer calme.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - If your looking for a nice quiet and relaxed place, this is it.
• Dzhonatan (10/5): Excelente lugar - Excelente lugar. Lástima no había agua cristalina por el viento. Algo incómodo que haya tantas hormigas en las camas. La atención excelente
• Fabrizio (10/5): Na natureza mesmo - Lugar lindíssimo para os amantes de Resort no meio da natureza. Longe de tudo e super tranquilo.
• Mauricio (10/5): FELICES 25 AÑOS - Espectacular pues cumplió nuestros propósitos de celebración y descanso total.
• Victor (10/5): - Amazing service! Very professional and cordial staff. The food is delicious! Truly a remote paradise and the perfect getaway. I would highly recommend to others, and I will return in the future.
• Juan Pablo (10/5): Excelente... pero, - El Hotel es ideal si estas buscando unas vacaciones tranquilas cerca al mar. La comida es muy sabrosa y las porciones son de buen tamano. Hay dos edificaciones para las habitaciones; una es nueva y la otra es algo vieja, desafortunadamente nos toco la habitacion vieja, a las cuales se les nota el paso del tiempo y estan deterioradas. En general fue una buena experiencia. Lo que realmente NO me gusto fue el estado de uno de los animales que estan dentro de la propiedad. Un perro pequeño blanco totalmente desnutrido y mal estado que al parecer vive en la playa. No creo que sea un problema darle algo de comer a un perro que vive alli.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Todo OK. Buen ambiente, muy privado, gente atenta. Mucho zancudo
• Paulo Daniel (10/5): Muito bom!! - Foi um ótima estada em um ilha muito bonita!! O pessoal é muito dedicado!! É um lugar para relaxar e contemplar a natureza.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - El sitio es muy privado, cómodo y la comida estupenda.
• Verified traveler (10/5): Would definitely go again - Amazing place to stay, very relaxing, very clean, amazing food, great and quiet location. Very friendly staff. I hope it stays that way
• Bea (8/5): - I thoroughly enjoyed three days of complete relaxation on a nice beach, just what the doctor ordered. (Not a Cancun type of beach where you can go for long walks, but a very nice beach for swimming.) The food was excellent all three days. The transportation from my hotel to the resort and then back to a different hotel in Cartegena was excellent but quite pricy. It would have been nice to know on the website about this added expense which was approx. $500,000 pesos ($250). For the price of this resort, all drinks and water should have been included. We are not big drinkers, but we do like our agua. Threecmeals with one drink for each meal were to be included with our rental. We ended up with an extra tab at the end of our stay and had to correct them as they had added our meals to the bill which were supposed to be included with our stay. We shouldn't have to deal with this. I am giving a very good rating due to the fact that I did relax on this trip. If you are looking for a place with a variety of activities, this is probably not the place for you. If you are looking for tranquility, a chance to get some sun and read a good book while listening to the ocean sounds, then this is the place for you.
• Mark (8/5): Lodge for ocean lovers - Friendly staff, very good food. Old building needs remodeling. But warm beautiful ocean and sandy beach made our days.
• Adrian (10/5): - Exceeded expectations in every way. It was a magical place tucked away from it all. Pricey? Sure, a bit. Worth it? Unequivocally. The food was particularly yummy and noteworthy.
• emm (6/5): overpriced rooms but nice low key beach - Rooms were OK, 30-40% more in price than they should have been. Only 1 bedside table in the room, you have to pay for water for brushing teeth (at these prices, they should give a bottle per guest per day). I foolishly paid extra for the Atlantico room- both the Atlantico & Indico rooms are below other rooms & have slatted doors that RATTLE LOUDLY every time the guest upstairs, ahem, have marital relations.... & the guests above our room had them OFTEN teach night we were there- we were woken up with a jolt each time. Get the cheaper cabana rooms, or the upstairs rooms, so that you can sleep or at least make eye contact with the couple 'honeymooning' above your room. The "eco" part means you have to put your toilet paper in the waste basket (not a deal breaker for us- they clean the rooms 2 times a day), they collect rain water for showers, so they advise you limit wasting water, totally fine with us. The food was incredible, however! The staff is truly great, and there are 2 very awesome and sweet dogs there who will be your friends if you like or will eave you alone if you're not into them. They did offer to book us a trip to Isla Rosario for snorkeling, but at $150 for the 2 of us for a 3 hour trip, we passed. There's a free kayak to use, the grounds could have a few more hammocks around. There's a lovely open air living room to hang out in. Water was very calm & safe for kids, but parts of it are squishy with seaweed. Great for a night or 2 if you have the money.
• Verified traveler (2/5): Beware of dog - There are three dogs at the property. One of the bit a guest and tried to bite me. Hotel Staff refused to remove the dog from the event . Other than that sweet place,
• Sarah (10/5): Relaxing Deserted Paradise - Ever dreamed of going to a deserted island? This is the place for you! The hotel is listed as a 3.5 star but we would rate it higher. The staff is AMAZING. They couldn't do enough for us. 5* service all the way. Not much English, but they try. Managers seem to speak English. Tips welcome. The rooms: very clean and comfortable (we stayed in the newly opened building). The beds - not back-breaking. Lots of storage. VERY spacious. Separated (door) toilet and shower. The only drawback of the room was the lack of hot water, but we knew this prior to our arrival. Take a shower during the middle of the day, it's tepid;). Small fridge in the room (stocked with beer/water/soft drinks for a low cost). Good air conditioning. 3.5* You are not in NYC or London - adjust your thinking. The beach: lovely, quiet and isolated. It is a natural beach. Not Cancun. Expect a little coral and seaweed in spots. You can swim. Lots of comfortable loungers and shade (trees and umbrellas). Note there are friendly dogs loose around the property for security -- they didn't bother us. 4* Now the food: simple, fresh Columbian style. It was FANTASTIC. Meal plan selection is limited but fine. There are other selections for an additional cost. Beer/water included with meals but other drinks extra (low cost). Don't bother with wine. 5* The resort is tricky to get to -- Maurico will arrange for you if you contact him through Expedia. $ a bit expensive & boat ride a bit rough/wet, but safe & easy.
• Sarah (6/5): - The hotel staff were unbelievably friendly and sweet, which is the first thing to note. But, on a larger scale, the hotel was pretty disappointing upon arrival. The beach is very unclean and unkempt and tiiiiny, at that. There are some beach chairs but so much seaweed that it's hard to even see the clear blue water, and just feet from the main lounge area of 4 chairs is a completely unmaintained area with broken trees that have fallen down and mounds and mounds of seaweed. At a pretty high price, we expected a lot more and were really sort of surprised once we arrived. Also, little things like charging for a disposable razor and toothbrush are surprising considering the substantially high rate that you pay for a room. Tons of ants in the bathroom sinks, as well. In hindsight, we'd have looked at other resorts sooner and would have put the combined cost towards something much nicer.
• Tim.A (10/5): Awesome - Great people ... great spot. Perfect location Can’t miss getaway
• MM (6/5): Remote and quiet. You cannot swim at the beach. - We read mixed reviews of this place before we booked. We probably would have preferred to go to Isla Rosario but could not make the timing convenient for us. We went for a remote and beautiful beach. The spot was beautiful and the beach is well maintained but the beach was not a beach you could swim at. You could not even really go out further than your knees so even resting submerged was not possible. We would have been better off spending our beach days in Boquilla or Boca Grande to enjoy the waves and the swimming--even though the beaches there are dirtier. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The food was delicious although somewhat expensive for what was offered. The staff professionalism was inconsistent. Some were very professional and truly made the place feel like a resort. Others were loud and chatting about their days--joking and laughing very loudly in public places--disrupting the point of going to a remote place for peace and quiet. Not to sound like a grinch but it's just not professional. One of the servers needed much more training before being sent out to interact with guests--language may have been part of the problem but I would expect a resort worker in Colombia to be fluent in Spanish and not just his native dialect. Unlike other guests, I felt that the people in charge were responsive and helpful whenever we asked for anything--including arranging transport or changing needed times for transport. Transport out there was not cheap!
• Blair (10/5): Great time - My wife and I are from Vancouver, in our late 50's. We booked 4 nights at Baru Playa Eco resort and were not sure what to expect given the range of reviews on line. We were not disappointed; this is truly a place of outstanding beauty and relaxation. The food was great, our room was spacious, very clean and while simple, was really all that one needs for a beach vacation in a fairly isolated area. The staff treated us very well and were professional and totally attentive. The ocean at Baru Playa is like a massive swimming pool and the temperature was perfect. I would recommend arranging transportation with the resort which combines a drive from Cartegena and 30 minute boat ride. The drive there was really fascinating, as you got a real sense of the industry that drives Cartagena. Our drivers (car and boat) were safe and professional. Overall we had a wonderful experience and enjoyed meeting the staff and other guests while we were there. Mauricio. Thanks to the staff as it all worked out 100% One day back and I miss the beach !
• Charlette (10/5): Serious R&R! - If you're looking for some SERIOUS R&R, this is the place. An isolated hotel on an isolated island w/ a view of an endless ocean: truly a positive vibe. Our room felt like it was in a tree house! I read prior reviews about how delicious the food is & oh man they serve it up practically gourmet style! Because there are only 5 rooms, you get specialized attention & the staff know your name (if u want them too). They offer excursions for additional prices but other than that there is literally nothing to do (which is perfect for those with uber busy working lifestyles). We didn't take any excursions as we had already gone to excursions the week before during our stay in Cartagena. I recommend if you're visiting more than one city in Colombia, to make this your last stop to soak in every inch of the relaxation this place has to offer. I would definitely visit this place again as its the only place I've ever been where my mind was completely blank (no stress) for the entire time, oh what a lovely feeling. The ONLY thing that was negative was there was construction going on so we weren't able to use the volleyball net and the construction woke us up several times because they start early. I wish they would've told us that prior to our stay as most hotels would (or even discount the prices because of the construction), but even with that we were still able to relax. Oh and there's no hot water but we went in July and its so humid outside we didn't need the hot water.
• Clifford (6/5): Basic private get away, Great! - This little Hotel is a old family private beach set up. They have been going 2 years. Is very simple set up, which is great in my mind. I'm used to traveling in Colombia and some of the crazy places have stayed. The people and mangement make this a great little place to visit. Food is fresh, drinks are cold, the menu is very limited. Rooms work okay, cold shower but man you don't need hot water here. 10 persons max to stay at hotel. Don't come here if your wanting a big flash holiday, come here with a good book,your iPod, and a open mind. I would return again yes. Are some dogs to protect the hotel, are very clean and friendly. Email the hotel to arrange your return travel, works great. Very friendly people. Thank you for a great time. O and take some form of translation.
• Jessica (8/5): - Overall I was pleased with my stay at Baru eco-beach resort. My one suggestion would be that the hotel should contact you the moment you make your reservation to set up transportation. Instead, we didn't find out until the day before. And as a result my friend and I tried to get to the resort on our own. We are very experienced travelers so we figured it wouldn't be too difficult to find our way. This lead to us loosing a ton of money, triple the travel time, and a major head ache. The only practical way to get here is through the transportation of the hotel. Also, the cost of foods and drinks should be provided ahead of time so that we know how much we are spending throughout the stay. Besides these two criticisms, I really enjoyed my stay. It is extremely secluded and perfect for a get away.

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