Hotel Cocoliso Island Resort

The Hotel Cocoliso Island Resort was a lovely place to vacation. The staff was so friendly and accommodating to all the needs of my 5 year old niece as well as me. The scuba diving close by made it a perfect for our family. I hope to get back soon.

Dissapointing Experience. The most expensive hotel we stayed at in Colombia (stayed for 2 nights) and probably the worst we stayed in. Pool is OK, sea is nice, although no beach. The hotel overall is just tired. Bits hanging off everything e.g only one of three public toilet doors actually on and working etc. The room was OK. The sofa bed for a third person was very uncomfortable (not even 6ft so had to sleep diagonally across the fold). The shower was terrible. Cold water (no option to heat at all) and was a trickle. We stayed downstream in the Amazon rainforest and even their shower was more effective despite the accommodation costing 1/10 of the price. The hotel gives off a prison vibe. Walls with glass bottles and barbed wire all around. The only door out of the hotel was always locked, and a staff member showed us how to get out, via clambering around a rock by the beach. There are walking paths around the island and you are meant to go out and walk around (you can't get to a sandy beach otherwise), yet the hotel seem to want to keep you trapped in? Food was OK but inconsistent. My family ordered a club sandwich and it was huge with lots of bread, but when I ordered the same thing an hour later, it was small with different bread and less filling. Very limited evening meal choice. Limited activities. There was a dive school but we couldn't find anyone to sell us trips e.g a boat tour, snorkeling or kayaks unless you went wandering into the village, which felt a little sketchy. Service overall was poor e.g 1 towel in the room for three people, two pillows for three people. Reception closed by 8pm so couldn't even report this until the next morning. Obnoxious music played around the hotel, e.g at 6.30am in the reception area, where breakfast is served, on a horribly crackly speaker. The cost of the hotel, which doesn't include the expensive boat ride over, is expensive and overall I would not recommend either the island or the hotel.

We traveled to this island for a 2 day “vacation” at the end of January. We had no idea what we were in for but…..it looked like an interesting place to chill out after a few busy days and nights in Cartagena. What we found was an absolute disaster, nearly abandoned and totally reprehensible management team. We could write a book but, in brief, it was a disaster that then ruined the future 10 days of our annual vacation abroad. Within 2 hours of arriving one of our friends suffered a major injury in the pool. At least a dozen ceramic tiles at the bottom are broken and have knife edges. After walking toward the ladder to exit the pool, our friend yelled “oh damn, ouch….” Then raised a bleeding foot out of the water. Nearly cutting his big toe off. After being all but refused help by the hotel staff (except an option to wait 5 hours and return on the 1 hour boat ride back to Cartagena for stitches) a medical boat was called and we paid the boat driver, plus a doctor on the island to sew our friends toe back on. Without permission, the hotel sent their maid/entertainment dancer/first aid attendant with us who video recorded the entire event. Without permission. The doctor asked us for a “colaboracion” ie PAY for the service. The maid/entertainment/first aid attendant said “don’t look at me I’m not paying for this and neither is the hotel”. $40 for the doctor and $25 for the boat later we arrived back at the dock of the hotel. Our trip was prepaid for 2 days, they would not refund us to let us leave. We had no accommodation booked in Cartagena or ability to leave when we had a hotel we already paid for which we were sitting at. We were trapped. In a rat nest of a hotel, injured and unable to swim, walk or stand. We waited this out for 2 full days, then returned on the boat back to Cartagena. We asked to be comped our food & drinks, the manager (who changed her name to us 2-3 times) said no. We asked to be comped our rooms, the manager (who changed her name to us 2-3 times) said no. We asked to be comped the $65 for our medical fees, the manager again said no. We asked if they were going to do anything. They said that they told us we should have gone back to Cartagena to a hospital there. This entire time they left the pool open bringing day pass guests, 50 at a time, allowing more people to potentially get hurt. They left the pool of blood from our friends foot to sit an entire day…and then some. They did not treat the pool for biohazards substances. No one was warned. The manger admitted that they “couldn’t find the supplies to repair the pool so it remained open in that state.” We googled a store on the mainland that sells underwater pool patch repair which any of the staff could have brought over on their daily journey with day passes. Upon leaving the manager said she would send us her companies insurance claim documents. She refused to give them to us at the hotel….still 2.5 weeks later we have received nothing. We were