New York to Cartagena = 4 1/2 hours
Despite the recent influx of cruise ships and emerald dealers, Colombian designers are trading Bogotá’s urban sprawl for this Caribbean port town’s low-key tropical glamour. The first stop for beachgoers should be Patricia Ramirez’s eponymous boutique (Av. San Martin 6-67, Bocagrande; 57-5-665-7468), which sells blindingly bright bikinis starting at $166. Shop for colorful bags handwoven by the Guajira region’s Wayuu people ($227) at Casa Chiqui (Universidad 36-127; 57-5-668-5429), local socialite Chiqui de Echavarría’s just-opened clothing-and-interior-design store; and guayabera shirts (from $54) and linen sundresses (from $129) at esteemed chain Salomon Azulu (Plaza Santa Teresa, Calle Ricaurte 31-11; 57-5-664-9069). In the evening, sip pre-clubbing mojitos ($6) with winsome Colombians on the rooftop terrace of Malagana Café & Bar (Getsemani, Calle Tripita y Media 31-55; 57-5-660-1360), run by three fashion-forward sisters. When you’re ready to drop, do so at renowned designer Silvia Tcherassi’s namesake boutique hotel and spa (from $360; Calle del Sargento Mayor 6-21; tcherassihotels.com). With just seven rooms—each of them meticulously outfitted—it’s a glittering paean to the fashion world’s cultivated exclusivity.
