San Andrés Town (El Centro) is nothing to write home about. It’s quite ugly, but is where most of the island’s resorts, hotels, restaurants, shopping, and tour operators are located.
We had planned to visit both Acuario and Johnny Cay, two of the top attractions to see while on San Andrés, during our few days on the island. It’s possible to do both on a combo tour. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating.
I’ve heard the same from many Colombian friends: eating in San Andrés is expensive and the food isn’t that great. It IS expensive by Colombian standards, and in our experience, the food WASN’T that great. Of course, we only tried three different restaurants on this trip, so we hope next time the results will be different (and our choices will be better).
Rocky Cay Bay is probably the best beach on the island of San Andrés. It’s about a 15 to 20 minute drive from the main town, and with its fun beach atmosphere and quiet evenings, it’s a great place to stay during your trip.
San Andrés is a Caribbean island that belongs to Colombia. It sits about 500 miles north of the mainland and while you’re on Colombian soil, you won’t feel like you’re in Colombia (except for tourists from the mainland). You’re more likely to hear reggae than reggaeton and Creole and English spoken by natives rather than Spanish.