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House of Style
Colombia’s first lady of fashion opens her first hotel.
If ever there were a place capable of pairing something old and something new, it’s Cartagena. Known for its long-standing fortifications and colonial architecture, Colombia’s coastal gem is busy transforming historic buildings into hip boutique hotels without sacrificing any of the charm that lures sophisticated globetrotters —and thousands of cruise passengers — to its Caribbean shores.
Among the more stylish of these new hideaways is Tcherassi Hotel + Spa near the imposing San Felipe de Barajas castle. Tucked away on a narrow street overlooked by Bougainvillea-draped balconies, the seven-suite property is set inside a 250-year-old mansion meticulously restored by Colombian couturier Silvia Tcherassi, considered South America’s most international designer, having shown in both Paris and Milan.
But for all her worldliness, the fashionista barely had to look beyond her native country for inspiration: The hotel’s original stone walls are dusted with the kind of gold that once drew plundering pirates to Cartagena. A vertical garden, framing one of four swimming pools, features over 3,000 indigenous plants — some species on the verge of extinction. And the on-site spa offers a Colombian coffee treatment much less jolting than the café con leche served with your complimentary breakfast.
The second-floor bedrooms (ranging from 400 to 1,200 square feet) are runway-chic with “Do Not Disturb” signs and bedside lamps made from Tcherassi’s signature fabrics, and bed covers sewn with her eponymous labels. You can even brush up on the latest trends by perusing some style tomes in your room during the port town’s fashion (half) week.
Once you’re ready to hobnob with the local jetset (they have their own magazine), you can scout out Cartagena’s booming culinary scene. For although the hotel’s Italian restaurant is manned by Mario Batali–protégé Daniel Castaño, there’s a whole city out there waiting for you — in case you haven’t already seen it from the roof-deck.
