Name: Hotel Isla Real
Address: Sector Bocachica, Tierra Bomba Island, 130018, CO

4/10

Poor

21 Apr 2025

Verified traveler

No wifi, no warm water, stay elsewhere.

If you're visiting from far away like the United States or on a special trip, I'd recommend staying at the Blue Apple Beach Club instead. You don't want to cheap on the little stuff on a vacation. The room was advertisied as having Wifi, and it did not have Wifi or cell signal. Youll have to walk by the pool area to make calls. Also the bathroom has black mold around the sink, and the shower water temperature doesn't get warm or hot. Those basic comforts make a big difference on a vacation, so I wouldn't recommend if you're on a nice family vacation. They charge for water bottles and the water isnt drinkable. The food options are more limited.

After you've sprung for all the other travel arrangements to get here, just get a nicer hotel. If you're from nearby and could return whenever, the staff are kind and the island is beautiful.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2022

Mark

Very nice place to chill, stuff is great, service is amaizing. They even had a di playing all day

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

08 Jan 2022

Stephan

Very d 3-star hotel experience

Great staff, food, atmosphere, nature. If you stay at one of the suites, it's wonderful 3-star hotel experience. Other rooms would be more like 2 stars. Problem (in general in Colombia) is constant loud music in common area, particularly the bass-heavy reggaeton. But can ask for change, however the next day it's back.

Self

8/10

Excellent

04 Dec 2021

Mark

Remote stay in a nice location

We were surprised at how remote Tierra Bomba was despite being so close to Cartagena. This can be good if you don't want to do anything, bad if you want attractions. There are no cars on the island so you have to ride on the back of motorbikes to get anywhere. The nicest beach from the hotel is not walkable.

The hotel itself was very good. Beautiful views. The chef is excellent and will cook you anything you want. Felt like too many staff just hanging around at times when they could have been fixing up the place, clearing spider webs, etc.

Definitely go for one of the two suites - there is a marked difference between rooms.

Some very good positives, but also a few drawbacks to be prepared for both!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2020

David

Great relaxed hotel

We spent three nights here in January and had the most relaxing time. It's a small hotel with less than 10 rooms but very comfortable and quiet. If you're looking to spend just a few days chilling out on Tierra Bomba then this would be the place.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Great hotel, with very friendly staff. Nice pool and outdoor area, and nearby the Blue Apple Beach House where you can hang out during the day.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Jan 2020

Andy

In summary, we enjoyed ourselves but its not all great.

The good -
The patio/pool/views are excellent. There is no beach access but its a 4 minute walk to a decent, not crowded beach or you can walk in or jump off the boat launch. Only 10 rooms so its not crowed, unlike the blue apple which is a short walk away. We had the best room with the private ocean view with balcony. Its got a great covered patio, two lounge chairs and a little sitting area. It also has an all outdoor (private) bathroom and shower. The service was polite but...

The bad -

The service is super slow. Im talking 10 minutes to make 2 cocktails slow, however this seems to be pretty common in Colombia. Food can be over an hour. The wifi was very slow and really only worked near the bar. The free breakfast was slim and got wiped out the second morning so there was not much to eat. We had an iffy \"for two\" meal the second night. The staff dont speak any english.

The ugly -
There are no services on this island, so bring anything you want. If coming again Id bring a cooler and some big waters, along with some snacks. We walked in to the town and there is nothing there aside from a single restaurant one the beach serving one thing. There is a TV in the room with direct tv, but no channels. The room needs some maintenance. None of the wall lights worked when we checked in, so the maintenance guy came and

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Dec 2019

Jose

Pool with a nice view. Rooms with good AC.
Entry should be by boat if you want it nice.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

21 May 2019

Verified traveler

Could be better

This is technically a nice place, and we wanted to like it more, but there's a weird vibe because you feel like you're encroaching on the staff's territory instead of feeling like a guest. They hang out in all the communal areas (including your room's patio space), talk on cell phones by the pool, walk around shirtless, etc). It was more awkward than relaxing. Unfortunately rooms were also lacking in cleanliness. This place has potential but I wouldn't go back as is. The gardner was really nice.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

We loved our stay at Isla Real. At first we wanted to go to Blue Apple Beach hotel, but we were glad we didn't. Isla Real is much more quiet, and we avoided the crowds that come to the nearby beach every day. The location is beautiful and the hotel is well kept. There are beach chairs and umbrellas that you can bring to the beach, and a lovely hammock patio and pool where we spent most of our time watching the ships go by. The food at the restaurant is excellent, but it took us a really long time to get our food. It was worth it though! Overall, we had a great time at Isla Real.

Leisure Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

08 Mar 2018

Joshua

Wouldn’t stay again. Bad hotel

Bad service. Not good internet. Electricity was out. Should not be on hotels.com. No food available for evening time. Smelly gas smell all day

Partner

2/10

Poor

14 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Toda la noche sin luz

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jan 2018

Isabelle

Très agréable

Nous avons passé 10 jours dans cet hôtel pour plonger et nous reposer. Seulement 11 chambres confortables.

L'équipe est vraiment très sympathique.
La cuisine est excellente et vous pouvez manger à toute heure, même si pour 10 jours la carte paraît un peu restreinte.
Mais le chef peut vous cuisiner à la demande ce que vous voulez.

Contrairement à ce qui a été écrit les chambres peuvent être faites tous les jours mais il faut le demander.

Cependant, il ne faut pas s'attendre aux services que l'on a dans les hôtels qui sont au même prix en Europe car n'oublions pas que nous sommes sur une île avec les contraintes que cela engendre (faire venir l'eau tous les 2 jours... l'électricité).
La literie est excellente.
La piscine donne sur la mer et la plage est accessible en 3 minutes par un petit chemin.

Le séjour à été bon dans l'ensemble car le cadre est magnifique, calme et reposant.

Pour la plongée le Paraiso dive center de Cartaghene qui a une annexe à l'hôtel d'à côté est très bien.

Partner