Ancala - Casas Altas
Ancalá Casas Altas is an intimate luxury boutique hotel on Barú Island: six rooms across three houses designed by Gustavo Pinto and Simón Vélez, each with its own private pool and direct sea access. It is a secluded and selective place to stay. The edge is architecture, intimacy, and seclusion, not scale. Only six rooms across three private houses, designed by named architects (Simón Vélez is internationally known), so the building itself is the headline rather than a generic resort. Each house has a private pool and sea access, and guests can reserve a single room, a private casita, or the entire property. It sits on the mangroves of Barú with nature immersion at the centre (birdwatching, kayaking, snorkeling) and it belongs to a small Colombian luxury family alongside Casa de la Renta in Cartagena's walled city.
Rooms & Suites
Villa Orquidea - Estrella Room (Family Room) — The Estrella Room is a family suite designed for intimate Caribbean immersion. One bedroom houses a queen bed and two…
Casita Veranera - Rhizo Room — It has a large balcony with a panoramic view of the Ciénaga de Cholón, a swimming pool and a shared rest area, as well…
Casita Veranera - Avi Room — It has a large balcony with a panoramic view of the Ciénaga
de Cholón, a swimming pool and a shared rest area, as…
Casita Laguna — It has a private pool, outdoor bathroom and an exclusive
gazebo with a spectacular panoramic view. The perfect place
to…
Full House — The Full House is Ancalá Casas Altas in its entirety—a private villa designed by Gustavo Pinto and Simón Vélez, where…
Villa Orquidea - Cuerno Room — The Cuerno Room occupies the second floor of Villa Orquidea, one of three architect-designed houses at Ancalá Casas…
Villa Orquidea - Fuego Room — The Fuego Room occupies the second floor of Villa Orquidea, one of three architect-designed houses on Barú Island. This…
Villa Pinto — The Principal Villa is a spacious bungalow accommodating up to eight guests across three thoughtfully appointed…
Amenities
- Waterfront Restaurant
Hotel facts
| Address | Bahía De Cholón, Cartagena, Bolivar, CO |
|---|---|
| Check-in | 15:00 |
| Check-out | 11:00 |
| baru@ancala.co | |
| Nearest transit | Cartagena (20 min) |
Good to know
- Is Ancalá Waterfront restaurant open to the public, and what type of food does Chef Pedro Mosqueda serve?
- Yes, Ancalá Waterfront is open to both hotel guests and non-residents. The restaurant serves a premium BBQ menu crafted by Chef Pedro Mosqueda. It is open daily from 11am to 4pm, and guests can arrive by boat or car. For the full menu, please visit https://www.ancala.co/waterfront-menu.
- Will you pay my flights?
- No.
- Can I privatise the whole place?
- Without a doubt. Casas Altas is the best staffed and serviced villa in the islands of Cartagena, and it is available to rent out as a villa.
- Are there any hidden fees or taxes?
- Foreign residents pay no tax on hotel accommodation. For Colombian residents, IVA has already been included. We charge a 20 USD per night resort fee. City hotels are connected to public utilities. On our island, we are not. We generate our own electricity, make our own water, process our own waste and transport absolutely everything here ourselves, from cleaning supplies, food and ice, to you. Nothing here 'just happens', which means that behind the scenes we have built and now operate the equivalent of a small city, so that our guests can experience Tierra Bomba comfortably. The resort fee allows us to transparently separate the room rate from the cost of operating in an off-grid environment. 25% goes directly to our Impact Fund, which supports nonprofit initiatives that mitigate the negative environmental effects of tourism and contribute to local social development.