• Hotel 3 Banderas: Another simple lodging similar to Casa le Fe, in the same neighborhood. Rates from $110. www.hotel3banderas.com; (011-57) 5-660-0160.

DINING

Small eateries offer good food and value; upscale options typically feature international cuisine.

• La Vitrola: Old Havana ambiance like nothing you've seen in Miami, with live soft jazz. The only typically Cuban dish on the menu is ropa vieja; the rest are modern Caribbean. Reservations a must; entrees $20-$25. Calle de Baloco No. 2-01; (011-57) 5-660-07-11).

• 18-18: Our best meal in town, with a white-on-white-plus apple-green decor and smart tasty tapas with a Spanish accent. Calle de Baloco No. 2-01; (011-57) 5-660-07-11. About $70 for two with wine.

• Club de Pesca: The city's top seafood choice, with a waterfront setting. Seafood entrees around $25. www.clubdepesca.com; (011-57) 5-660-5863.

• Juan del Mar: Whimsical seafood eatery near the hotel Santa Clara, owned by a local celebrity; entrees around $20. A sister restaurant next door serves gourmet pizza. On Plaza San Diego; Calle de Baloco No. 2-01; (011-57) 5-660-07-11.

• Restaurant D'Alex, on Calle Segunda de Badillo, near Casa la Fe: Simple local fare served with grace; don't miss the avocado juice. Full meal under $10.

WHAT TO DO

• Wander the city.

• Visit the sites in town: the Cathedral, the convent of San Pedro Claver, the museum of the Inquisition, gold and emerald museums. Pay a few dollars for an English guide; most information is in Spanish.

• Out of the Old City: Visit the Fort of San Felipe (avoid the hottest hours). When it's clear, visit the convent at La Popa. (These are included on city tours.) Keep your eyes open for the ''Old Shoes'' near the Fort of San Felipe -- just like the ones in CocoPlum circle in Coral Gables, Cartagena's sister city.

• Have a sunset cocktail at Cafe del Mar, on the city walls.

• Stay up past bedtime for live music and dancing at the atmospheric Cafe Havana; worth missing your beauty rest.

• Take a boat to the islands. Most hotels offer day options to Islas del Rosario, a national park of 27 islands about an hour outside the city. Most will take you to a wide white beach with good facilities and beach-bar food.

For a more exclusive option well worth the money, book through Santa Clara for the day trip to Majagua, where you can languish on a private beach, snorkel, take an ecotour; a surprisingly gourmet lunch is included. Better yet; stay at Majagua overnight; the mix of stylish simplicity and serenity can't be beat. www.hotelmajagua.com; (011-57) 5-664 6070. Overnight rates from $132; daytrips about $70 per person.

INFORMATION

Guidebooks are few and behind the times, though the ''Lonely Planet Guide to Colombia'' is useful. More up-to-date are recent articles in the New York Times Magazine (www.newyorktimes.com; Travel + Leisure (www.travelandleisure.com) and Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel (www.budgetravel.com). At all three sites, search `Cartagena.'

Colombia has a visitor website, www.colombia.travel; the city site for Cartagena is www.turismocartagena.com. Cartengacaribe.com offers background on history and recommends activities.

-- JANE WOOLDRIDGE