Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [161]
Be sure to try the most traditional dish, rundown (often phonetically spelled ‘rondon’ due to islander accents), a soupy dish of lightly battered fish, plantains, yucca and other gooey starches, all slow cooked in a healthy dose of coconut milk.
Gelateria Da Matilde (Map; 522 2117; Av Colombia, San Andrés Town; 11am-10pm) Damn good Italian ice cream.
Mr Panino (Map; 512 0549; Av Providencia No 2-47, San Andrés Town; mains COP$11,000-35,000; lunch & dinner) An Italian specialty deli with numerous sandwiches, pasta, risotto and a beautiful octopus carpaccio. It’s nicer than most others in town, though not pricier.
Fisherman Place (Map; 512 2774; Av Colombia, San Andrés Town; mains COP$12,000-23,000; noon-4pm) This open-air, beachside restaurant is a great spot to support local fishers and eat well. Rundown and fried fish are the most popular dishes.
Miss Celia O’Neill Taste (Map; 316 690 0074; Av Colombia, San Andrés Town; mains COP$15,000-20,000; lunch & dinner) A good spot for native food like rundown, stewed crab and stewed fish, served within a colorful home with a large garden and patio. It’s across from the Club Nautico.
Restaurante West View (Map; 513 0341; Circunvalor Km11, West View; mains COP$15,000-59,000; breakfast, lunch & dinner) This West View option looks ordinary but the food stands out. Try the filet of fish. The owner is planning some nifty coconut bungalows.
Mahi Mahi (Map; 512 4115; Hotel Casablanca, Av Colombia, San Andrés Town; mains COP$20,000-38,000; lunch & dinner) After lengthy travel in Colombia, this chic Thai spot on the waterfront, part of Hotel Casablanca, will send your palate dancing with its curries and island-tinged dishes.
Restaurante La Regatta (Map; 512 0437; Av Newball, San Andrés Town; mains COP$18,999-71,580; lunch & dinner Mon-Sat) One of the islands’ best restaurants: the coconut-curry marinera is nothing short of perfection. The sweeping Caribbean views and an extraordinarily friendly staff seal the deal.
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Entertainment
There are several nightspots in San Andrés Town along the eastern end of Av Colombia. Head here and see what’s hot.
Blue Deep (Map; Sunrise Beach Hotel, Av Newball, San Andrés Town; cover after 11pm COP$10,000; 9:30pm-3am Thu-Sat) The biggest disco in town holds 700 sweaty bodies. There is live music (salsa and reggaetón), which provides the soundtrack for a decent mix of locals and tourists, stumbling about after too many frothy rum punches.
Éxtasis (Map; 512 3043; Hotel Sol Caribe San Andrés, Av Colón, San Andrés Town; cover COP$20,000; 9:30pm-3am Mon-Thu, 9:30pm-4am Fri-Sat) Another good disco, this one with TV screens (soccer, of course) and three rows of lounge chairs for those that prefer voyeurism. You can recoup COP$12,000 of the cover in cocktails.
Kiss Me (Map; 512 9551; Av Colombia, San Andrés Town; 4pm-4am Tue-Sun) Unfortunately named blue-lit bar/disco with a small dance floor and over-water back patio. It seems to draw a vaguely more metrosexual crowd than others in its vicinity, as well as more locals.
La KY (Map; 512 7779; Av Colombia No 1-30, San Andrés Town; 4pm-midnight Mon-Thu, 4pm-3am Fri-Sat) This Miami-esque open-air lounge draws a sophisticated and attractive crowd, hopped up on bottle service and donning camera-ready smirks.
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Getting There & Away
AIR
The airport is in San Andrés Town, a 10-minute walk northwest of the center, or COP$9500 by taxi. You must buy a tourist card (COP$29,000) on the mainland before checking in for your San Andrés–bound flight. Airlines that service San Andrés include Avianca (Map; 512 3349; Av Colón, edificio Onaissi, San Andrés Town; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat) and AeroRepública (Map; 512 7619; Sucursal Centro Comercial San Andrés, San Andrés Town; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat). There are direct connections to Bogotá (from COP$312,151), Cali (from COP$369,700), Cartagena (from COP$386,700), Medellín (from COP$369,700)