From Los Angeles interior designer Moises Esquenazi:
“My first love was a lady of a certain age, with good bones, good breeding and an indifference to maintaining appearances. A regal guardian for centuries and officially named Cartagena de Indias in 1533, she claimed many bloodlines: African, Andalusian, Indian.
Extravagantly beautiful and wild at heart – a bit windswept and always kissed by the sun. A musician, she played her own tune that her children called Vallenato. Her hospitality unmatched, and she knew how to throw such a fiesta…
My first love was a city called Cartagena.”
Over the years, I’ve heard Cartagena compared to the historical ports of New Orleans, Charleston and San Juan. Like these cities, Cartagena was an anchor for an Imperial Europe conquering a virgin frontier and fusing many cultures into one. The abolishment of the slave trade in the mid-1800s along with a wide outbreak of cholera around the same time put the city in a deep and preserved sleep. For many years, there were few outside visitors to the city, although since my childhood, it was the place many Colombians spent their holidays. With the emergence of the Colombian economy and a greatly improved security situation, Cartagena is being rediscovered by travelers eager to explore a place not invaded by McDonald’s, tour buses and retirees sporting elastic waistbands. Cartagena is very real, and very chic, relevant but not processed.
Growing up in Colombia, most of my great vacation memories come from the time I spent in Cartagena. In fact, I derive most of my inspiration as a designer from two characters that went hand in hand growing up: my father and the city of Cartagena. My father owned plastics and carpet factories on the outskirts of town. At the factories, which we reached by boat, he showed me how things worked and attempted to interest me in engineering while all I did was play in the carpet remnants. After visiting the factories, we would proceed past the bay for half an hour, past the muddy waters at the base of the river and into the shallow emerald Caribbean Sea. In this sea, he taught me to swim while enchanting me with tales of pirates and mermaids.
My father also taught me the Moorish influences on the city’s Spanish Colonial architecture and the West African influences in the vibrant colors. Within the walls of old city, the historical architecture is well preserved. There are hundreds of stucco colonial buildings with wood-beamed balconies and carriage doors, many of which have been converted to stores, restaurants, clubs and hotels.
Many times we stayed at the Sofitel Santa Clara (Calle del Torno, 39-29; 575-650-4700; www.sofitel.com ), a 17th-century convent turned hotel that still maintains the original chapel. My brother and I were always fascinated with a resident toucan that hopped freely among the hotel’s vast courtyard. Like the residents of the city, the staff is warm, accommodating and always smiling. Given its location and amenities, the Santa Clara hosts many weddings and events. It’s always so fresh and current. I love his hotel.
A handful of smaller hotels are springing up as well. My favorite new small hotel is the Hotel Agua (Calle de Ayos 4-29; 575-664-9479; www.hotelagua.com.co), which is a converted colonial home. Proprietors Sergio and Gustavo have filled the property with much of their personal art and antique collection – all done with impeccable taste. The home’s 17th-century architecture showcases many elements that influence my designs, such as formal and informal spaces, open-air rooms and outdoor daybeds. With only six rooms, I feel like a pampered personal friend when I visit the Agua.
Many young artists and designers have established themselves in the city. You could find my childhood friend and jewelry designer Mercedes Salazar’s creations in Los Angeles at Kitson or Barney’s New York, or you could stroll down Cartagena’s cobbled stone streets and discover a wider selection at her local boutique (Calle Ricaurte 31-56; 575-660-2440; www.mercedessalazar.com).
Cafes line the city’s many plazas and there are always merchants, musicians and dancers in the streets. Vallenato, a mixture of Indian, African and Spanish music, is played throughout the night and day within the city walls. Yet, due to the heat and humidity, the city is a little groggy during the day and springs to life at night. The clubs open late and stay open until very early in the morning. Aguardiente, a local potent liquor taken as a shot which tastes like a combination of ouzo and tequilla, is always in abundance.
Arepas, made from corn meal and sometimes filled with cheese, are my favorite Colombian food and always seem to help cure an aguardiente hangover. The papayas and mangos sold on the street carts or from the baskets carried on the heads of the local girls and are sweeter than anywhere else in the world; the city has incredible seafood as well.
The best beaches are outside the city on a series of islands called Las Islas del Rosario and at beach clubs along the outer peninsula. Hotel Agua and the Santa Clara each have their own beach clubs and Playa Blanca is a public beach on the peninsula of Baru. Time permitting, it’s best to charter a boat and spend time swimming in the shallow waters of the Caribbean or stopping at small beaches to have ceviche and beer.
The Hay Festival, which Bill Clinton called the “The Woodstock of the Mind,” is scheduled for January 2009 and is receiving international attention. The festival originated in Wales and celebrates writers, musicians and comedians. Love in the Time of Cholera, written by Nobel Prize Winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez and starring Javier Bardem, John Leguizamo and Benjamin Bratt, was recently filmed in Cartagena. Garcia-Marquez’s home sits just around the corner from the Santa Clara Hotel.
Also read insider advice on Cartagena from Marcella Echavarria, founder of Surevoluvtion and a special Colombia itinerary designed by luxury outfitter Cox & King
