Vedana Restaurante in Cartagena, Colombia

The entire time I was in Cartagena, I was on high alert to find as many hotel courtyards as I could inside the Centro Histórico, or the Walled City. While the Bocagrande neighborhood is where you'll find the bigger, more "beach-resort" hotels in Cartagena, the Centro Histórico is where you'll find the boutique, luxury hotels.

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These chic, spa-like hotels generally all have a courtyard in the middle, protected on all sides by the surrounding hotel rooms. Inside these courtyards, you'll find upscale restaurants, lush swimming pools, sometimes five-star spas, and seclusion from the chaos of the Walled City. The OG example of this hotel-courtyard-restaurant trifecta is Alma, inside the Casa San Agustín Hotel. You'll probably hear about Alma several times when people hear you're visiting Cartagena - and you know what, I'm on the record to tell you that I think the hype is deserved. More on that here.

But back to the point: You don't need to spend $1,000 USD a night to stay at one of these luxe hotels to still experience them. Here's the hack: While you're in the Centro Histórico, get nosy. Slow down when you walk past any hotel that has a doorman posted in the doorway. Steal a good glance inside, and if you see tables and a green garden, pretend you were aware of this restaurant's existence and ask how long the wait is for a table.

That's how I found Vedana, located inside the Anánda Hotel.

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The ambiance is the star of the show. The courtyard's lounge area is like a Caribbean island meets a Japanese zen garden. The quiet space is open-air, with organic colors, natural woods, and green pops of palms and ferns. From above, the guest rooms flow into the space from their open windows and porches. And even though you're on the ground floor, you can still experience the colors of the sunset if you look up.

And sunset is the best time to go! Seating is limited, so claim your spot at Vedana for drinks before heading to dinner. Colorful, splashy, vacation-forward cocktails are what you should order from the bar. We imbibed piña coladas, "Colombian" mules (with rum), mojitos, and several beachy concoctions on their house menu served in goblet glasses. No matter how seriously you take yourself, ignore the beer and wine section of the menu and order something outrageous.

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Before you leave for dinner, ask the wait staff to point you to the bathroom. They'll point you toward the pool. Without gawking for too long, soak in this space that looks almost like a Greek ruin with it's textured walls and deep blue hues.

Maybe next time, I'll splurge for a night at the hotel and actually take a dip.