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Most look for a winter sun escape within a few hour flight range from London. This is natural as many holiday revelers from the UK want to hit the beach as quickly as possible and maximize their vacation time. Since I live in North America, there are a whole different range of locations open to me.

Cartagena is my favorite winter sun escape

Cartagena, Colombia is my perfect winter sun escape

I just returned from a two week trip in the South American country of Colombia. There I think I found my ideal winter sun escape. It is difficult to beat the beautiful city of Cartagena located on the Caribbean coastline. Beautiful colonial architecture, narrow cobblestone streets, colorful homes with balconies and blooming flowers make this one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The temperature here can be absolutely scorching, but do not fear as beautiful beaches as well as amazing hotels with gorgeous swimming pools can cool you off after a day exploring this stunning city.

Hard to beat this view in Cartagena – You can see why it is my perfect winter sun escape

I spent the day and night walking the city streets taking breaks to sip rum drinks and eat seafood and fresh fruit. After soaking through my shirt in the stifling heat it was time to lay around the pool and read while enjoying a beer.

Delicious fried seafood definitely helps make a winter sun escape that much better

I find November, December, and March to be the perfect months for a winter sun escape. Usually the temperature starts to drop, but it is not cold enough for snow, so adventurers are unable to ski and it is too cold to enjoy the outdoors. You do not have to worry about freezing rain in Cartagena though. The city is close to the equator so you can enjoy a respite from your weather any time of the year.

The only quandary you will find in Cartagena is whether you should spend all your time at the pool or on the beach enjoying the Caribbean. I guess it depends on your pool choice. I found that I enjoyed the pool even better than the beach.

Beautiful architecture found everywhere in Cartagena make it another reason for a perfect winter sun escape

Although Cartagena is expensive by Colombian standards, it is a very frugal destination compared to many of the other destinations on the list. I enjoyed a wonderful seafood meal with two pina coladas for $26.00. In the U.S., it might cost $26.00 just for the drinks.

I only spent three days in Cartagena, but I think I fell in love. I found it to be like Key West, but on steroids. Falling for Cartagena is easy to do, and I know I now have a new go to destination for a winter sun escape.

Adventure on!

The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then sign up for the email newsletter. Notifications are sent out once or twice a month with what is new with Traveling Ted’s adventures. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).