French journalist visited the main attractions in Cartagena, Santa Marta and Medellin

"I never imagined I was going to find so many good hotels in Colombia.  I thought there were going to be few." This was just one of the statements made by Sonia Desprez, the journalist, during her trip to Colombia, who visited the main tourist attractions in Cartagena, Santa Marta and Medellin.

For a week, Desprez visited the three cities in order to write a report on Colombia's touristic offer for the magazine A Nous Paris, and another for Infrarogue, highlighting Medellin as part of a special of Cosmopolitan Cities.

A Nous Paris is a weekly arts and culture magazine with over 336 thousand readers in the metro-Paris area and 3 thousand more distribution spots in the city.

On the other hand, Infrarogue is a monthly magazine specializing in entertainment, nightlife and travel, distributed in 1,500 points of interest.

Desprez was invited by PROCOLOMBIA to make the journey, which started off in Cartagena, where she visited the hotels Santa Clara, Santa Teresa, and San Pedro Majagua at Rosario islands; boutique hotels like Tcherassi Hotel & Spa, Casa Pestagua and Karmairi Manzanillo, the latter with a different twist, for people over 15 and focused on their guests’ relaxation.

Furthermore, she enjoyed a variety of Cartagena’s best restaurants with the most representative delicacies of the Colombian Caribbean Coast. Arepas de huevo (fried egg-corn cakes), carimañolas (meat-stuffed fried yucca root), queso costeño (coast cheese), arroz con coco (coconut rice), patacones (mashed plantain), fish and seashells were part of the menu that delighted the journalist during her stay in Cartagena.

"Colombian food is delicious, it has spared no details. What I most enjoyed was the service, fast, warm, and they are not hassling their clients all the time; they are relaxed and calm in that regard", said Desprez.

Tropical fruits and juices made from these fruits were also a part of the menu the journalist had the chance to taste in broad daylight at Bolivar's Square; Nispero fruit juice. "I had never tasted such a delicious fruit, I loved it; in my country we don’t see many of the fruits you have here in Colombia", she said.

The journalist also visited San Felipe Castle, squares, churches and museums from the walled-city and residential neighborhoods like Bocagrande, Manga and Castillo.

She also walked in the footsteps of Colombian Literature Nobel Prize winner, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, on "La Cartagena de Garcia Marquez" trail. "This is a very interesting tour, it provides a different way to see and get to know Cartagena”, said Sonia.

Her second stop was the city of Santa Marta. A walk around the city’s cathedral, the history of Bolivar at La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, the beaches of Taganga and, last but not least, an important stop to try some delicious Nispero juice again.

At Tayrona Natural National Park, Desprez had the chance to spend the night in the Ecohabs, a lodging spot that evokes the way the region’s Indians live. The complex is made up of cabanas or cabins surrounded by virgin and exuberant nature, with an unsurpassable view of the ocean.

“I had never been in such a beautiful place. As soon as I came into my room, the first thing I did was to open the windows to take a breath of all the nature around me. I lay down on my bed for an hour, looking at the scenery, it is truly beautiful”, she said.

During her second day in Santa Marta, Sonia immersed herself in the humid jungle of Parque Tayrona, where she enjoyed a first-hand look at endemic species like giant blue butterflies, blue crabs, birds of all species and colors, among others.

She also visited the main beaches in the park on a two-hour walk. She ended her trip to the Caribbean Coast on the seashore tasting a delicious dish of grilled fish, coconut rice and patacones.
 
“You have done a very good job at improving the image of Colombia, that’s why I’m here, to go back to my country and write about your culture and your beautiful places to see”, said the French journalist.

Finally, Desprez visited Medellin, where in addition to getting to know the tourist package the city has to offer, she had the opportunity to enjoy the fashion industry in the capital of the provincial department of Antioquia. She met with company representatives from the sector like Fabricato and fashion boutiques like Onda de Mar, and Inexmoda, among others.

The Casa Trece concept, a store displaying new designer products from Medellin, was one of her favorites because it gathers some of the city's new talents, the main topic of her article for Infrarogue.

Desprez’s stay in Colombia ended with a tour around the ‘City of Flowers’, where she visited the Museo de Antioquia, and Centro Cultural Moravia, where she spoke to teenagers who explained how these cultural centers helped improve issues like security and violence.