Colombia Luxury Travel Review: Cartagena, Medellin, Santa Marta, Salsa Dancing Class, Cooking Lesson, Local Cuisine, Culture

We had a wonderful experience in Colombia thanks to Brian and his team at the travel agency. We traveled to Colombia for a destination wedding in Cartagena, and after several delightful discussions by FaceTime with Brian we decided to extend our vacation and travel to Medellin and Santa Marta as well.
Drivers were there when we arrived at the airport and brought us quickly to the hotel. During the remainder of the trip, all connections and drivers were punctual and polite.
After we flew to Medellin we were picked up by our guide who brought us to meet a sillatero (flower carrier) and to hear about the history of the flower trade in Colombia. We then went to a working farm where we learned how the flowers and food were grown and harvested. There was a clear intent to respect the people who were showing us their lives.
We then went to Brian's resort outside of Medellin and it was beautiful and peaceful. We were so impressed with the commitment to sustainable approaches to the design, building, maintenance and plantings around the hotel. The food was outstanding, creative and delicious, using locally grown products. It was great to meet Santi, the third of the trio of the travel agency.
Brian then took us on a tour of Medellin— Brian is a special guide, so intelligent and capable with a unique perspective as an American who chose to relocate to Colombia. We then took a salsa dancing lesson before finishing up with a terrific cooking lesson with Brian's wife who was lovely.
During our stay at the resort we also did a rum tasting and a chocolate tasting tutorial which we enjoyed quite a bit.
Finally, we flew to Santa Marta and were met by our co-guides. They were terrific guides, worked well together, and took us to some really cool spots in Tayrona National Park. They even improvised to give us a roadside fruit tasting tutorial which was really fun. Along the way, we enjoyed some in depth discussions with our guides, and we felt a personal connection with them when we said goodbye at the airport.

Overall, we would recommend the team from the travel company highly, for a personalized and flexible travel experience.