Providencia Island is where we spent our honeymoon. And yes, we thoroughly enjoyed it.Providencia Island is not what you expect to find in Colombia. In Colombia? Well yes, except it's located off the coast of Nicaragua as you head toward Jamaica. Ready for a surprise? Locals speak English. Creole English that is and most speak Spanish too. This definitely felt more like the Caribbean than Colombia. Geographically, Providencia Island is a small, mountainous island and actually has the 3rd largest barrier reef in the world which should be of interest to scuba divers. However, we both took diving courses there and never dived the reef due to the strength of the currents. We rented a motorcycle and a trip around the island took about an hour or two. As the days passed by, the pace of life slowed down and we basically ate, went diving, cruised the island and chilled. Food was good but basic as supplies were limited and there was a lack of fresh vegetables so we ate a lot of tiger prawns and filling, protein-based food. Delicious but heavy after a few days. Beaches are small but isolated and finding one for yourself is fairly easy. Locals are friendly and the pace of life slow. Hotels were basic but excellent for the price. In fact, they were cheaper than on San Andres and well worth the cost of the flight from said island, if you're looking for a picture perfect island in the sun all to yourself. Well, nearly.
Favored among a lot of Colombians, San Andres island is the more touristy and built up of the two main islands belonging to Colombia in the Caribbean. I would not consider a vacation here but if you want to party and enjoy the beach and sun, perhaps this is the place for you. In a nutshell, you need to fly via San Andres to get to the island which is what we did. Our layover of one night to check the place out convinced us not to stay longer but we had time to rent a golf-cart type car, tour the island and have some of the best tiger prawns in garlic I've ever tasted so it wasn't all bad. Bottom line; it's a bit tacky.
New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
Do you want to subscribe to our monthly Ezine?
Fill out the details below to receive our fresh insights about Colombia.