What a beach club near Cartagena actually is
It's a place you buy a day at, rather than a room. Ours sits on the southern shore of Tierra Bomba, 25 minutes by boat from the city, and we're open to day visitors from 11am to 6pm. You come for the water, the pool, lunch and a lounger, then you get back on a boat. There is no bridge to this island and no road in, so the boat is not a scenic extra. It's the only way here, apart from a private boat or a helicopter, and it's the thing to plan your day around.
The short version of the money: $40 for a day pass with boat transfers both ways, $5 to $30 for a sun lounger depending on which one you pick, then you pay for whatever you eat and drink. No wristbands, no all-you-can-drink. We don't do that, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
The boat: times, dock, and what the crossing is like
Our boat leaves from Muelle de la Bodeguita at 10am, 11:30am and 5pm. Coming back, boats leave us at 4pm and 5:30pm. The crossing takes about 25 minutes.
Reserve. The boat has a limited capacity, and if you turn up without a reservation and there's no space, the next one is a long wait away. If the tide is high or the sea is rough we sometimes use the dock in Bocachica village instead, about a mile from us, and you finish the trip riding pillion on a motorbike taxi. Most people enjoy that part more than they expect to.
If you have your own boat, there's a dock about 200 metres from our gate.
What $40 gets you, and what it doesn't
The day pass covers the return boat and getting in. It does not cover a lounger or your lunch.
Loungers come in two flavours. Poolside, which is near the music and the movement, or beach, which is quiet and set back from all of it. The bigger VIP sun beds and the beach cabañas fit three people lying down, or work as a base for a group who keep wandering off to the water. Pick before you arrive rather than doing the towel-on-the-lounger dance at 11am.
One thing people are caught out by: bring your own towel. Our official policy is that you bring one, whatever else you may have read.
The beach, the sea and the reef
Our sand is volcanic, so it's darker than the white sand of the Rosario Islands. It's natural and it's clean, and it leads straight out onto open ocean rather than a sheltered bay. The sea changes with her mood.
We don't recommend snorkelling here. The house reef sits at six metres and the surface water can be choppy, which is a poor combination for a mask and a tube. If you want to see it, do the hour-long house reef discovery dive instead. It's $90 and you don't need a certification to try it.
Eating and drinking
Our kitchen is the reason a lot of people come back. Pedro Mosqueda is our executive chef, and the food leans on what the islands and the coast actually produce rather than on the fried-fish-and-coconut-rice script. Meat we serve is sustainably raised. Most of what's on the plate is local.
We were the first beach club in Cartagena to put together a wine list, so start there if you like. We sell rosé by the magnum. Cocktails are made with fresh juice. The restaurant also runs into the evening, until 11pm, and you don't have to be staying with us to eat here, though you do need to sort out how you're getting home.
For groups of ten or more we run a set lunch menu at $45 per person. If you're staying the night, full board with all food and soft drinks is $90 per person per night. The bar is never included.
Which day to come
Midweek is quiet. That's the honest answer, and it's the one we give guests who ask for a slow day. Friday, the weekend and public holidays get busier, largely with cartageneros coming out to enjoy their own coast, which is a good thing to be in the middle of if you want some noise and a poor plan if you don't. On Saturdays the pool gets going from 1 to 5.
For daytime events we can host up to 250 people, so we're not a twelve-lounger operation. If a big group has taken the place over, we'll tell you when you book.
Practical things worth knowing before you get on the boat
There's no phone signal on the island. WhatsApp us before you leave the mainland rather than expecting to call from a lounger. Bring cash for the village if you're planning to walk into Bocachica, bring reef-safe sun cream because there's very little shade at midday on the water, and give yourself the earlier boat if you want lunch at a civilised hour rather than at 2pm.
See you on the boat.