Three couples travelling together usually want the same two things: a bedroom and a bathroom of their own each, and somewhere to sit together in the evening. We have six rooms across three houses on Barú Island, and there are two clean ways to divide them for three couples. Here is how each one works.
The simplest answer: Villa Pinto
Villa Pinto gives three couples three bedrooms, three private ensuite bathrooms and one shared living room, under a single roof. It's our main villa, designed by Simón Vélez and Gustavo Pinto, and it sits at the top of the hill.
The house is on two levels. Upstairs are the Cuerno Room and the Fuego Room, two suites joined by a shared living room. On the ground floor is the Estrella Room, which we call our family room because it has extra single beds alongside the main bed. For three couples, that simply means one room with more space than the other two. It's worth deciding in advance who takes it.
In the villa you have air conditioning, wifi, a Nespresso machine and turn-down service each evening, and the rooftop terrace looks out over the mangroves. Kayaks are there for the mornings, and our concierge service can arrange kayaking, snorkelling or birdwatching for the group.
The architecture is the reason many people choose us. Vélez builds in guadua bamboo and timber, and Villa Pinto is open to the breeze in a way a conventional hotel room is not. If you want to read more about that before you book, we've written about it separately.
The alternative: two houses instead of one
If your three couples would rather not share a front door, book the two rooms of Casita Veranera and Casita Laguna. That gives you three bedrooms across two separate houses, and Villa Pinto stays out of the arrangement entirely.
Casita Veranera is a separate villa from Villa Pinto. It holds two rooms, the Rhizo Room and the Avi Room, each with its own ensuite bathroom and a large balcony with a panoramic view over the Ciénaga de Cholón. The two rooms share a rest area, so two of the couples still have a common space between them.
Casita Laguna is a house on its own: one bedroom, an outdoor bathroom and a gazebo. From the gazebo you can see the Rosario Islands, Barú and, in the distance, the Cartagena skyline. Whichever couple takes it will have the most privacy of the three. Breakfast is included in both Casita Veranera and Casita Laguna.
The three options side by side
| Setup | Bedrooms | Houses | Shared space | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa Pinto | 3, each ensuite | 1 | Living room between the upstairs suites | Couples who want to be together all day |
| Casita Veranera (Rhizo and Avi) plus Casita Laguna | 3, each ensuite | 2 | Rest area shared by the Casita Veranera rooms | Couples who want a little distance at night |
| Full House | 6, each ensuite | All three | Every shared space on the property | Three couples who want no other guests here |
When to take the whole property
Take the Full House if your group wants the property to itself. It's all six bedrooms across our three houses, each with its own ensuite, for up to 14 guests, and nobody else stays while you're here. For three couples that means three spare rooms, which is a lot of house. It makes sense if you're bringing friends for part of the stay, or if privacy matters more than the cost. We've written a separate page on how our buyout works.
One thing to know either way: our house rules do not allow events. Three couples on holiday is exactly what the houses are built for. A party is not.
Getting three couples here
We come and collect you. The journey from Cartagena on our boat takes 30 minutes to an hour. Our boat has limited capacity, so reserve your seats when you book the rooms, particularly with six people travelling together.
From Rafael Núñez International Airport, the door-to-door transfer to us takes about an hour, and we can arrange it in both directions. On the way home, leave us three hours before your flight.
Eating together
For lunch, our restaurant, Ancalá Waterfront, sits on the mangroves and is open from 11am to 4pm. Chef Pedro Mosqueda runs the kitchen, cooking a premium BBQ menu, and the restaurant is open to non-residents as well as to you, so friends staying elsewhere on Barú can join you by boat or by car.
If one of the couples is vegetarian, vegan, or lactose or gluten intolerant, tell us when you book. We keep a proper offering for non-meat eaters and we cook around intolerances.
A day off the island
For a change of scene, Bocachica is the trip we'd suggest. It's a village on Tierra Bomba, around 45 minutes away by boat. There is no running water and there are no paved roads, and you should not expect chic restaurants or bars. What you find instead is island life as it's actually lived, which is a better story to bring home than another beach.
What to tell us when you enquire
Send us your dates, confirm that you're three couples, and say whether you'd like to be under one roof or spread across two houses. That tells us whether to hold Villa Pinto or the Casita Veranera and Casita Laguna combination. If you know who wants the Estrella Room, or who wants Casita Laguna, say that too. It saves an exchange of messages later.