As beautiful as Cartagena is, the heat does start to get to you and retreating to the beach felt like a natural solution.  We arranged two day trips by boat  – Blue Apple Beach and Isla Barú.  We were able to book Blue Apple Beach ourselves online and our hotel Casa Gastelbondo arranged the day trip to Isla Barú. Blue Apple Beach was our favorite by far, but they each had their perks.

Blue Apple Beach looked to be a bohemian oasis just off the coast and was very easy to book. You simply met the boat at the designated marina, which took us along with a small group to the island for the day.  They offered 2 departure times in the afternoon, or options to stay the night in private cabanas if you reserved ahead of time.  When booking you selected either a bed on the beach or a lounge chair by the pool, so everything is assigned ahead of time.  We were with our friends Bryan and Tatiana and we had all selected beach beds, so after a short scenic boat ride to the island, we were led to our beds and set up with towels, pillows, and menus.  We ordered cocktails which were delivered promptly, and we made a reservation for later that afternoon to have lunch by the pool.  I was glad to have selected the beach, as you could still dip in the pool, but the pool was more of a “scene” with a DJ spinning upbeat ambient tunes.  From the beach we could still hear the music, but could also enjoy the sounds of waves crashing.  Lunch was a delicious paella and ceviche, followed by a game of giant Jenga.  Perfect day!

For our last day in Colombia, Ryan and I were once again solo as Brian and Tatiana had to catch a flight home to Costa Rica.  Our hotel arranged a van to pick us up early in the morning to take us to a different marina.  We had to pick up several other guests from other hotels, which took nearly an hour, and then wait at the marina for an additional 45 minutes.  We were a bit frustrated because we could have driven to the location by this point, since Isla Barú is a peninsula and is accessible both by boat and car.  The boat was also much larger and jam packed with tourists compared to the smaller group traveling to Blue Apple Beach.  It was also a VERY bumpy ride, which made me nervous as a person who gets sea sick easily.  However, once we finally arrived, we were happy enough to find a quirky rustic beach town. 

A complimentary meal was included in the tour, so after eating a simple lunch of rice, fish, and beans, we headed out to walk the beach in search of an aviary Ryan had read out.  Ryan is a huge bird nerd and was thrilled to discovered the Aviario Nacional de Colombia was nearby.  We ended up hopping into a rickety cab for the quick ride there, but had to walk the dirt road back to the beach as no cabs were to be found when we exited the park.  It was rather remote and about a mile long walk.  There was one tense moment where we were hassled by some locals, but we waved them off in a friendly but firm manner and they eventually left us alone.  For once, I was relieved to make it back to the crowds on the beach!  The aviary was amazing and I would recommend visiting – just take a cab or a car both ways if you can!  

The beach at Isla Barú was just okay and did come with a lot of vendors trying to sell you things.  Of the two trips Isla Barú was certainly the more rustic and authentic vibe, which I tend to gravitate towards, but the ease and luxury of Blue Apple Beach was appreciated. And for the boat ride home, I grabbed a seat in the back which was much less bumpy!

Tips – bring your Dramamine for the boat, and your sense of adventure!