Enclosed within a protective wall reaching up to 20 metres in width, the Ciudad Amurallada (or Walled City) is Cartagena's old beating heart. Packed with well-preserved colonial buildings, it's a pleasure to stroll through; its streets of colourful low-rise merchant homes marked by iconic balconies are now mostly walked by either tourists or students who attend classes at the University of Cartagena during the day and linger for meals and nightlife after school is out. Cafes in Plaza Aduana and Plaza Santo Domingo teem with patrons, forging an incredibly jovial atmosphere; the districts of San Diego and El Centro are two not to be missed. There is plenty of food and shopping to be had, with a mixed bag of world-class restaurants and street food hawkers and the incredibly photogenic palenqueras — women dressed in vibrantly coloured clothing selling fruit in the streets — images of whom have become emblematic of Colombia as a travel destination.

Visible from almost everywhere in Cartagena, the Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa all the way up the 150-metre hill known as Mount Popa. The hill got its name for resembling a poop deck of a ship. After four centuries of varied history, the convent itself is now open as a religious museum. From the top Mount Popa you’ll get the best panoramic views of Cartagena and its beaches. The fastest and least stressful way up the hill is with a taxi (be sure to haggle on the price). Important tip: if you take a taxi or a car service to this location, pay them a few pesos to wait for you to drive you back. The taxis on top are all already "reserved" and Uber drivers are not eager to drive all the way to the top to pick you up.

This beautiful example of Spanish colonial architecture contains a small museum dedicated to the Spanish Inquisition's brutal persecution of heretics once carried out in these very chambers. Visitors can still see some of the torture devices used to extract confessions of heresy and witchcraft, along with some of the questions used in "witch" interrogations, which are still displayed on the museum wall. Needless to say, no prisoner could hope to be acquitted of their purported crimes against the Catholic Church, and most met their tragic end at the very guillotine still on display in the courtyard.

Located in Rincón, the cradle of Bonaire, the Cadushy Distillery is a great place to explore the distinctive flavours of the Dutch Caribbean, especially the drinks of Bonaire — think rum, cactus vodka and more — for which the island's omnipresent cactus, Kadushy is heavily relied on. Artisan products are produced sustainably here on a land of 1,500 square metres, and you can be part of the experience through guided tours and tastings.