We checked out of Las Carretas early and caught a cab to the dock where we were to board a ferry to take us to Isla Grande. Although only a mile across, this is the largest of the Rosario Islands, an archipelago about an hour’s boat ride from Cartagena. Much of the ferry trip was spent looking at the open sea, but it did provide some nice views of the walled city, Boca Grande, and Boca Chica before we docked at the tropical paradise that is Isla Grande. Our ferry ride was booked through our resort, Hotel San Pedro Majagua. When we disembarked from the boat, we were greeted with sweet smelling cool towels, and passion fruit welcome drinks. We wandered the grounds a bit, admiring the tangled Banyan Trees, and the brilliant turquoise water of the caribbean sea. After checking in, we dropped our bags at our private suite, which was complete with an outdoor hammock and lounge area, and a palm frond roof.
After settling in, we meandered over to the beach, and spent some time relaxing in lounge chairs and swimming until a small boat pulled up to the beach to let off a couple of other vacationers. We saw snorkel gear on the boat, and approached the driver to ask for a tour. Soon we were cruising to a nearby snorkel spot, where we jumped in and were amazed by the endless array of golfball corals. We snorkeled around in this location for a while, bumping into harmless comb jellies, before climbing back into the boat to go to a second location. This spot was right next to a small island that we could see from the resort beach. There were more fish and more corals at this location, and we especially enjoyed swimming along the side of the little island. The wall of the island was covered in coral, and it dropped abruptly to about 15 feet deep. I loved watching the waves crash against the side of the island from underwater.
Our guide brought us back to shore and we dried off and changed to go find some dinner. We had read that Majagua’s food was overpriced, so we ventured out into the island in search of somewhere else to eat. We ended up at Eco-Hotel La Cocotera, where we ordered the chicken (one of two options) for dinner, and then spent some time exploring their beach and climbing Banyan trees while we waited for the food to arrive. It took about an hour to get our food, and it was well-worth the wait. The chicken was delicious and cooked to perfection.
After dinner, we walked back to Majagua and had dessert at its restaurant, where we found the prices weren’t nearly as inflated as we had imagined. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at our suite and making plans for the next day.
Birds of the Air 