Enjoy the Nightlife? Show off Your Moves at La Movida

If you’re more the type to enjoy the nightlife rather than find the best early morning spot to enjoy the sunrise, get to one of the most popular nightclubs in Cartagena, La Movida. Even if you do enjoy rubbing elbows with the tourists and locals by day, this place is always buzzing both, so arrive early or reserve a table if you want to stay and play into the wee hours of the morning.

Here you’ll find sophistication and style, along with some higher end prices, which helps to keep the riff-raff out and penny-pinching backpackers back at the hostel. If you’re looking for someplace cheap and quiet, you’ve obviously come to the wrong place. If calm, spacious and inexpensive is what you’re seeking, look somewhere else, because you want find it here.

This reviewer on Tripadvisor agrees, “My husband and I were in Cartagena for the tail end of the tourist season, and visited La Movida with some local Colombian friends. If you know what to expect, you will enjoy it more. It is pricey, but this helps to keep the crowds reasonable. The staff is very friendly, and the crowd seems to have a good attitude and ambiance. Good dancing, and all around a fun night out. Hint: Dress to impress.”

For more about the music, vibe and the crowds, check out what this visitor had to say, “It’s small but really cozy. Get there early, 10:30/11:00pm. It gets packed. Not expensive to get in. Better if you have a reservation so that you can get a table. At the terrace is more electronic music. Inside you will get latin music, vallenato, merengue, pop, all that’s IN at the moment. Great music and lots of fun. Service is good. Drinks are well served. Definitely you must stop at La Movida if you want to party! BUENA RUMBA!”

Fun, Food and Drink

La Movida is definitely known more for their drinks and nightlife, rather than their food and restaurant. Still on the menu crafted by Rodrigo Diaz, the chef behind Barranquilla’s best restaurant, the El Celler, there is a top tapas selection that locals and tourists recommend. For this crowd, popular platters of grilled octopus, salads and tuna tartare are also among favorite choices.

When it comes time to drink, the crowd usually enjoys a tasty toast with a few shots of Don Julio. For those serious swillers of cocktails, be sure to sample the fruity Hendricks Gin and Tonic that resembles more of a fruit salad than a beverage.  Some looking to save some pesos will purchase a bottle of their favorite libation and hunker down for a full evening of drinking and dancing.

La Movida has often been called a playground for Colombia’s rich and beautiful who leave their pretensions at the door. I you want to mingle, party and dance the night away, this is definitely the place to be when visiting Cartagena.