In responce to Lanzans questions on the South America forum...

There are 3 links below to people that may be able to help you with apartments in Cartagena. They mostly do short term lets, but they should be able to help you out. The cost will depend on what you want, I would say 500,000 - 1,500,000 a month, plus electrity and phone charges. For longer periods of time the landlords will charge for electricity, because air-condtion units can run up the electricity bill quite high if the person who is renting just leaves them on 24 hours a day. If you just use the aircon when you are in the apartment it bill will be about 200,000 pesos a month or less.
Many Colombians do not rent to anybody without somebody signing the tenancy aggrement who owns a property or some other asset in Colombia. This restricts the supply of property, but there is still more than enough to rent to foreigners in Cartagena.

Mary Salence - Mostly apartments in Laguito and some in Bocogrande

oficerna@yahoo.com


Juan Ventura - Apartments in Laguito, Bocogrande and Old City

ittscol@hotmail.com

Caribenet - Some apartments in Bocogrande and the Old City

http://caribenet.com/cartagena/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=16&page=1

You can choose to live in other areas of Cartagena, but there will be less foreigners the further you get away from the main areas, so you will stand out more, but that should not be a big problem in Cartagena. Just ask trusted local advice if you want to go and visit somewhere away from the tourist areas. As with anywhere the prices get cheaper the further that you get away from the tourist areas.

I can't compare areas of Bogota with Cartagena because I have only stayed in one of the hotels near the airport while I wait for a flight to elsewhere in Colombia.

I would stay in the Hotel Las Velas for the first few days and look for apartments while you are there. For the first stay I would live in one of the areas below.

There are 3 main areas for the tourists.

Laguito on the third map in the link below is the hook of land on left hand side of the map.

Bocogrande which is the purple couloured spit of land on the third map

Old City on the first and second map in the link below is coloured yellow and orange.

http://caribenet.com/cartagena/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=66&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

If you have any other questions just ask.

Hunter