Old Town Heritage Estate: Restored Walled City Mansion In Cartagena, Cathedral View Rooftop Pool

In Cartagena’s walled city, history is not kept behind glass; it is lived in. The Old Town Heritage Estate is one of its rare private addresses: a restored colonial mansion dating to circa 1900, rising three levels within the UNESCO World Heritage historic centre, its rooftop pool set against the bell tower of the cathedral.

Behind a discreet street façade, the house unfolds inward in the colonial manner. A sequence of courtyards opens to the sky, draped in cascading vines and framed by arched galleries whose high beamed ceilings and thick masonry walls keep the interiors cool through the Caribbean afternoon. Black-and-white checkered floors, terracotta tile and exposed stone meet white shutters and dark timber; the restoration honours the original proportions of the building while introducing the comfort of a contemporary residence.

The ground floor is made for gathering. A long communal dining table runs beneath green pendant lamps and a canopy of greenery, served by a professional kitchen, while salons furnished in linen and rattan open onto shaded galleries and the planted patios. Six individually designed suites, served by seven bathrooms, are arranged around the courtyards, each with its own character of light, shutter and view.

The rooftop is the crescendo. A pool runs the length of the terrace, and pergola-shaded lounges, built-in loungers and an open-air dining area look across the terracotta roofscape to the cathedral tower, with the Caribbean just beyond the walls. Mornings here are quiet; sunsets belong to the city’s bells.

At a glance
– 831.05 m² (8,945 sq ft) in total per the architect’s measured survey, on a 232.5 m² lot
– Including 587.65 m² (6,325 sq ft) of interior living space and 243.40 m² (2,620 sq ft) of patios, balconies, terraces and mirador
– Six suites, seven bathrooms, three levels and two mezzanines, crowned by a rooftop terrace and mirador
– Rooftop pool, pergola lounges and open-air dining with cathedral views
– Multiple interior courtyards, arched galleries and high beamed ceilings
– Communal dining hall, professional kitchen, air conditioning
– Fully restored, with original architectural details preserved throughout

An investment with soul
Cartagena is Colombia’s premier international leisure destination and its most supply-constrained luxury market: the walled city is a finite, protected district in which restored houses of this scale rarely come to market. The configuration of the estate, with six en-suite bedrooms, a restaurant-scale dining hall, a professional kitchen and a rooftop amenity deck, is already that of an ultra-luxury boutique hotel. It may be operated as one, held as an exclusive private villa for the luxury rental market, or kept as a legacy family residence in the Caribbean’s most storied city.

Location
Within the walls, the house is a short walk from the Cathedral and Plaza de Bolívar, the restaurants and galleries of Centro and San Diego, the nightlife of Getsemaní and the bastions of the city wall at sunset. Rafael Núñez International Airport is approximately 15 minutes away, with nonstop flights to Miami and New York and one-stop connections to Europe.

Presented by Angela Becerra, Global Real Estate Advisor, Lux Haven Collection in affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty. Private viewings, floor plans and the full investment dossier are available on request. Where lifestyle meets legacy.