Wondering where to stay in San Andrés Colombia? That means that you already decided to visit this paradise on Earth. To many of our friends and family who visit us in Colombia, we always recommend a visit to this gem, but many don’t have the time in their tight schedules.
San Andrés offers ultimate beach life and is unspoiled by mass tourism. Yes, the island needs improvement, especially when it comes to infrastructure, but because it’s not perfect, it offers a great authentic, Caribbean experience with a food scene to die for. In this article, we give you advice based on first-hand experience, including food recommendations.
The people from San Andres fully depend on tourism and the government isn’t helping them much, so do yourself and the people from San Andres a favor and visit this rough diamond during your travels in Colombia.
In brief: the best areas to stay in San Andrés Colombia are El Centro – Playa Spratt Bight, San Luis, Playa Principal, and La Loma.
The most convenient areas are Playa Spratt Bight and Playa Principal, both located in the center of the island.
Out of these two Playa Spratt Bight offers the best holiday experience, while Playa Principal is all about convenience.
If you’re looking for a remote beachfront experience, San Luis is the best option, although you will depend more on arranging transportation.
If you don’t mind not having direct access to the beach, consider staying at the historical heart of San Andrés, namely La Loma.
This area offers spectacular views of the island, but like San Luis, it’s not as convenient as staying in the center of San Andrés.
You can easily navigate to each neighborhood by tapping the link. Or go straight to the overview of the best neighborhoods to stay in San Andrés Colombia
The most convenient area to stay is El Centro, the heart of the San Andrés.
Here, you can find many shopping and restaurant options and those who love to get out can enjoy a nice nightlife scene here as well.
The beach at El Centro, Playa Spratt Bight, is perfect for sunbathing, drinking cocktails, playing volleyball, and simply enjoying beach life.
During our last stay, we found a brand-new hotel – which was quite affordable – close to the beach.
It was a five-minute walk between the hotel and the beach and during this walk, we encountered several breakfast places, duty-free shops, and nice cafes.
Once we were on the beach, we rented some chairs and a tent for about 50,000 COP and a cooling box for another 20,000 COP.
At the supermarket near the beach, you can buy your beers, chips, and Cuba Libras (they sell them in cans and come in three different flavors).
Once we were settled, we watched the world go by and fully enjoy San Andrés’ famous beach life.
If that’s what you’re looking for, then stay as close as possible to El Centro.
It’s by far the most convenient area.
You can also easily rent a golf cart here and the boat tours depart nearby.
We highly recommend you stay at least three days in San Andrés.
One day you should simply enjoy the beach, on the other days you either explore the island by golf cart or take the boat tour to the islands near San Andrés.
For the majority of its visitors, El Centro in San Andrés Colombia is the best and most convenient area to stay in.
A few things you should know about San Andrés:
There are ATMs, especially in the city center, but bring enough cash with you. It may be that they are out of order and it is not always possible to withdraw money at restaurants and local shops, although this is also becoming better organized.
El Centro is not for everyone.
Yes, it’s convenient, but it’s also the most commercialized area on the island.
San Andrés has more to offer and those who seek a more authentic and local experience should consider staying at San Luis.
This part of the island is known for its traditional Caribbean charm.
The beaches are less crowded and you find local eateries that serve authentic food instead of burgers and fries.
Make sure to visit Donde Francesca, a superb local and beachfront eatery that serves Caldosos Camarones, which is a rice dish with tomato sauce and seafood (see pictures below).
You can find this heavenly seafood dish at other restaurants too, but this restaurant serves – in our opinion – the best version.
Staying in San Luis is a far better option for families and those who want to avoid the touristy areas.
But of course, the disadvantage is that it offers fewer amenities compared to the convenient center of San Andrés.
You won’t find much nightlife here and it’s not that you have plenty of shopping and dining options within walking distance.
For that, you always need to go to El Centro.
It’s not the most convenient area, but it sure is an area that can like you’re almost alone on a Caribbean island sometimes.
How to get around San Andres: The most common way to get around the island is by renting a golf cart. Everywhere you go you will see tourists driving around in these vehicles and it is the perfect way to explore San Andres at your leisure.
In most cases, you only need to rent a cart for one day, which is more than enough time to see most of the highlights.
While exploring the island you will visit the following highlights: El Hoyo Soplador, Eco Parque West View and Coconut Palm Tree Road.
We found Eco Parque West View in particular to be a relaxing change. In between towns we also stopped at some local beaches to have a drink or jump in the sea.
Most travelers plan their trip so that they have one day to explore San Andres on land, one day at sea and the other day just staying near their hotel on one of the many beautiful beaches.
From the airport to your hotel the easiest way is to just take one of the taxis waiting in front of the airport. There is also a bus, but we recommend you just rent a buggy.
Playa Principal is part of El Centro but located on the westside of Playa Spratt Bight, closer to the airport.
The beach itself is long and offer great spots for beach life, similar to Playa Spratt Bight.
There are, however, a few differences.
Right behind the beach, there is a boulevard with many shops.
Behind the boulevard, you can find the main street of San Andrés where many of the citizens live their own lives.
It’s convenient, as you have access to all the amenities you can think of, however, it’s also a very busy area.
The area around Playa Spratt Bight feels much more like a tropical destination compared to San Andrés’ main street.
Also, Playa Spratt Bight feels more bustling with its bars, whereas Playa Principal is slightly quieter, despite it attracts quite some tourists in the evening.
Now, the good thing is that you can easily walk to both beaches.
But personally, we would choose a hotel closer Playa Spratt Bight instead of Playa Principal, if we had to choose between these two beaches.
With that being said, we can’t deny the fact that this area is an incredibly convenient area.
The last area that we recommend is La Loma, large area on a hill located between El Centro and San Luis.
This is the historical heart of the island.
It’s less about beaches and more about exploring the island’s roots, including its Afro-Caribbean culture.
You’ll find unique lodging options here, often with stunning views of the island.
We don’t recommend staying in the southern parts of the island, as there is simply almost nothing to do.
La Loma doesn’t have direct access to the beaches, but is located quite conveniently near the center and the stunning and remote beaches of San Luis.
If you’re not into nightlife and want to escape the busy center, it makes perfect sense to look for a unique accommodation here.
But most travelers tend to stay in more convenient areas with easy acces to supermarkets, shops, and restaurants.
And it’s not that you just can simply walk to the beach. For that, you always have to arrange transport when staying in La Loma.
For the more experienced traveler, this is still a viable option.
But those who seek a carefree stay in San Andrés might want to stay closer to the center.
With that being said, if you’re looking for a unique accommodation in a more local setting, consider staying in this area.
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