Sunset Hotel

Sea views, a swimming pool and a garden where you can watch different birds set the tone here. Sunset Hotel is a straightforward three-star base for divers who want the coast close by, a meal on site and enough room to slow down without paying for a parade of facilities they will never use.

English and Spanish are spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the practicalities in English from arrival onwards. The atmosphere is calm rather than resort-sized, with bright rooms, tiled floors and outdoor space doing most of the work. After a day in the water, that is often quite enough: somewhere to cool off, eat, and leave the rest of the island for tomorrow.

You find the hotel on Carretera Circunvalar Km 13, in San Andrés, Colombia, on the island’s seafront. The sea is directly beside the property, but the nearest sandy beach access is around 2 miles away on foot. Pack accordingly: this is a coastal hotel, not a room-to-towel stroll onto a broad bathing beach.

Calle de las Palmeras Beach is about 1.5 miles away by road, and San Luis Beach around 2.5 miles. For a meal away from the hotel, Coral View is about 1 mile away by road, while Punta Sur is around 1.5 miles. The Hill is roughly 3.5 miles away, and the Island House Museum about 4.3 miles, giving you a few clear targets when the island deserves an outing rather than another hour by the pool.

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport is about 8 miles away by road, while central San Andrés is around 8 miles from the hotel. You are therefore choosing a coastal base away from the town centre, with a car, taxi or bicycle useful for moving around.

The room choice is mainly about how you want to sleep. Choose the Double Room for a couple who would rather keep things simple, the Twin Room when separate beds matter, or the Triple Room when three people need to share without relying on an extra bed. There are no extra beds, so the named arrangement matters more than it might at a larger resort.

Air conditioning takes the edge off a hot island night, while hot-water showers make the return from the sea less of a negotiation with the plumbing. Rooms are bright, with tiled floors, a private bathroom, towels, a shower or bath and a refrigerator for keeping drinks cold. Some have panoramic sea views; others look towards the pool, and balconies or terraces give you somewhere to sit outside.

The practical details continue with a desk, clothes rack, television and daily housekeeping. Ground-floor units are available, while upper floors are reached by stairs only. WiFi works in the common areas, and room service plus breakfast in the room mean you can keep the morning uncomplicated when an early start has done its usual damage.

Bon Astre is the hotel restaurant, set on a terrace and centred on local cooking. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, so you can eat without turning every evening into a taxi calculation. The menu is built around fresh local ingredients, with international dishes also available when you want something familiar rather than another culinary decision.

Breakfast is included and covers vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and American options. You can also have it in your room, which is useful when the day begins before your appetite has caught up with you. The terrace gives lunch and dinner a proper outdoor setting, with the sea nearby rather than hidden behind a wall of conference facilities.

Room service is available, and the restaurant is on site. That combination suits a diving holiday rather well: eat after the boat, retreat upstairs when the legs have had enough, and save the island tour for a day when it sounds like fun rather than an obligation.

The swimming pool is the obvious post-dive reset, with sun loungers, beach towels and a separate children’s pool. You can move from the water to a lounger without planning an expedition. For a quieter pause, the garden gives you a place to sit and watch the local birdlife.

Snorkelling gear is available, and bicycles can be rented for exploring the island at your own pace. Motorcycles are also available, which makes the beaches, restaurants and viewpoints easier to reach than they would be from the poolside alone. The tour desk and car-hire service can help when you want to widen the radius without turning the afternoon into a research project.

There are board games and puzzles for a slower evening, plus a safety deposit box for keeping valuables out of the way. The hotel also has a pool view, garden and terrace areas, so your non-diving choices range from a short swim to doing precisely nothing under the Caribbean light. Both are legitimate uses of a holiday.

Airport transfers can be arranged through a local taxi service, on request, with payment made directly to the driver. The airport is about 8 miles away by road, and the hotel can also arrange car hire. Free private parking is available nearby without a reservation, which is useful if you decide to explore San Andrés independently.

Check-in starts at 14:00, with a 15:00 arrival time also used in the booking details; check-out is at 12:00, with 13:00 also given. Tell the hotel your expected arrival time in advance, particularly if your flight lands late or your transfer does not follow the island’s timetable. The upper floors are accessible by stairs only, while some units are on the ground floor.

Cash and Visa, Mastercard and American Express are accepted. Children of all ages are welcome, with children aged two and over treated as adults for occupancy purposes; cots can be requested for children aged up to one year, subject to the selected room arrangement. Pets are not allowed.