On Isla Barú, Hotel Las Islas disperses timber bungalows through tropical forest and over the Caribbean shallows, around an hour by boat from Cartagena. Accommodation is deliberately private, with terraces, outdoor showers and, in selected categories, plunge pools or direct water access; the interiors keep the focus on natural materials and the surrounding canopy. Casa Navegante serves Colombian and Caribbean cooking, while Niña Daniela Spa, freshwater pools and the hotel’s boats provide quieter ways to move between forest and sea. A private islet, reached across the water, adds another strand of beach beyond the mangroves.