BEWARE: Hilton Cartagena, a Large Beachfront Hotel in Colombia

Don't Believe the Hype! Sometimes the gorgeous photos you see on Websites and in magazines are misleading, and many properties receive undeserved praise in the press. By giving you honest feedback from our personal experience, or that of someone we know and trust, the Beware files help you steer clear of disappointment and wasted time and money.

According to my editor Chantal, there are two main points you need to know about the Hilton Hotel Cartagena: "It's a towering eyesore plunked down on the tip of an overdeveloped, narrow peninsula full of ugly hotels and condos," she says. "What a shame that land wasn't subject to low-density zoning laws, as the beaches would be lovely if not jam-packed with locals, persistent vendors, tattooed backpackers, and the kinds of tourists who think that crowded beaches with dueling speakers blaring dance music is cool."

Why stay at the Hilton, when the 341-room big box resort will no doubt be full of convention goers and people wearing fanny packs? And when you want to head to the walled city for dinner, you'll be stuck in a traffic jam. It does boast a private beach with a good water sports center, and, like the Hotel Las Americas, it's family-friendly. But heed what our insider, Luis Angel, has to say on that front: "Don't bring children to Cartagena unless you plan to rent a colonial mansion or to spend all your time in the islands," warns the Colombian expat and executive based in New York. Luis also advises against staying at any of the large hotels in that area. "Like Las Americas, north of the city, the Hilton and other hotels in the Bocagrande and El Laguito districts are far from the old city, tend to be outdated, and cater to tacky Colombian tourists."

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