Who has left or is planning to leave?

[Gringo80]

If you DRIVE through Gaza you might like it too.....I walked through, every day, Santa Marta for one entire year....stinky restaurants....one supermarket in Rodadero.....raunchiest (being polite) beach crowd....the vendadores on the beach total pests and of course hot like hell.

Nope, didn't like Gaza although, as of two years ago, the people were friendly and charming.
Are you sure you were in the Sta Marta in Colombia? Perhaps I didn't have the same experience because I didn't look for nude beaches and ate at restaurants with table cloths. Whatever, We enjoyed it and frequently remarked on how civilized and tidy it was. Looking forward to going back.

 

[Ceviche]

My last trip to Maui was in the late 1990's. I always found it to be indistinguishable from Florida except that Maui had mountains and much, much higher prices.
I was in Sta Marta 2 years ago. We drove from one end to the other during our stay and never saw anything unpleasant. Good infrastructure, lots of shops with nice merchandise, clean streets, tidy beaches. Maybe a little crowded with backpackers headed for the park. A nice chill vibe, wherever we went people were relaxed and friendly.

Santa Marta is a horrible city.

 

[Ceviche]

I'd actually sooner live in Barranquilla (than Santa Marta).

Agreed. same here.

 

[Caribbean Cool]

'
Are you sure you were in the Sta Marta in Colombia? Perhaps I didn't have the same experience because I didn't look for nude beaches and ate at restaurants with table cloths. Whatever, We enjoyed it and frequently remarked on how civilized and tidy it was. Looking forward to going back.

Your standards are apparently as low as your comment about 'nude beaches'. What an assxxxx remark to insinuate anything like that.

 

[jbeas176]

i guess its all a matter of what your looking for. alot of colombians vacation there as opposed to cartegenia. families with kids, my type of beaches, mainly rocky. i like to swim and fish. dont care much for beaches with lots of people and venders. that part remindes me of kona hawaii. the home of the ironman. just a matter of choice.

 

[jbeas176]

isla de margarita is close. venezuala is some of my favorite waters to fish. while in santa marta the venezualians were advertising for fishing toursists. thats me

 

[Caribbean Cool]

i guess its all a matter of what your looking for. alot of colombians vacation there as opposed to cartegenia. families with kids, my type of beaches, mainly rocky. i like to swim and fish. dont care much for beaches with lots of people and venders. that part remindes me of kona hawaii. the home of the ironman. just a matter of choice.

The reality of Santa Marta beaches is that Santa Marta is the cheapest of the beaches to visit.....the restaurants and cheapest rooms to rent. It can be the only beach many people can afford. Not criticizing....just the reality of life in Colombia. Cartagena is way more expensive and thus attracts a different crowd. You go were you are more comfortable in life.....

 

[Gringo80]

We drove from Cartagena to the Santa Marta Marriott Resort Playa Dormida, near the airport. Most of the restaurants and shops we visited were in that area. We made several trips downtown and to the Minca and beaches on the other side of the park but we had drivers during our stay and that might have affected what we saw.

 

[jbeas176]

credentials. hawaii ironman twice. 2500 miles in a sailboat on the open ocean alot of it in the caribbean. i think i know what i am looking at. thanks for your opinion though.