Hostal La Canoa

As soon as I stepped off the shuttle bus in the parking lot, a group of 3 men encircled me and followed me along the beach, trying to talk to me in English and Spanish, asking where I was from, calling me pretty lady, etc. I had no idea what they wanted so I just kept walking and walking but they wouldn't leave me alone. I finally realized they were trying to make me go to Hugo's Place. I was so upset that I walked right over to next door La Canoa, and I am so glad I did. The staff at La Canoa were friendly and definitely not pushy. At first they asked for 50,000 pesos to use their beach chairs, which I thought was extravagant, but they waived the fee if I ate lunch there. I ended up setting up shop there as my "home base" for the day. It was nice to have somewhere I could leave my stuff, use the bathroom, sit in the shade. I spent the entire morning and early afternoon there, ordered some drinks, lounged on their chairs, and ate lunch. The red snapper here was the best I had in all of Cartagena. The location is about 15 minute walk from the parking lot, so it is less crowded than on other areas of the beach. I was prepared for many peddlers but I was surprised at how relatively few there were (maybe 5 in 4 hours - this was on a Tue in Oct). I did not stay here overnight so I cannot comment on that, but if you're looking for a comfortable spot to camp out on a day trip to Playa Blanca I can recommend La Canoa.