Outstanding vid! Subbed and liked. Santa Marta is my new focus of research. I worry that my 2 quarters of college Spanish might not cut it. Everything else is a great fit.
I'm in Santa Marta now. What you say is true... less tourist trap (aside from downtown) but a little more run down. Lots of poverty & beggars around the town centre. Cheaper too.
I love Santa Marta. Moved here 6 months ago and totally agree with you in the sense that if you are a nature person this city is the perfect place. Regarding the cons, totally agree with the infrastructure and the lack of English knowledge. Thanks for the video
Great insights in to Santa Marta, I love the way you made comparisons to Cartagena, it made it easier to contextualize for me as I have never been there.
Will visit in November but my impression from various RU-vid videos was that Santa Marta is not quite as developed as Cartagena. Parque Tayrona has some beautiful beaches though one needs to schedule a yellow fever vaccine prior to going. Even though your videos are oriented toward potential expats, there is still relevant info for tourists.
Santa Marta sounds quite good. If I have to relocate to Colombia, I will defintely keep it in mind and thats on the basis of this video alone, thank you very much for bringing it to my attention.
I grew up in Santa Marta in the 80s--I loved it there! It's wonderful to see what it looks like today. Pretty similar, actually, except there's tons more cars now than there were then, and MUCH fewer motorcycles. (The lack of cars back then wasn't so much because of infrastructure; it was more because the layers of bureaucracy and the bribes required to actually get one were out of the range of what most could handle.) Oh, but you left out one huge pro--THE FOOD--and one huge con--it's still a pretty dangerous place for norteamericanos, even though it's much safer now than when I was a kid. But hey, how many people get to learn how to thwart motorcycle jackings by the time they're 6? ;)
@@Isaac5123 Wish I could help you, but that was a long time ago! I do remember plenty of dwellings further up, but I couldn’t tell you if they were of a quality you might be interested in. However, I expect there’s plenty to choose from-and rentals are definitely common-so you’ve got a good shot!
¿Podría darme más detalles sobre qué tan graves son los cortes de energía y qué tan confiable y rápida es la velocidad de Internet? ¿También dónde encuentro sitios inmobiliarios? Tengo dificultades para encontrar apartamentos para comprar. Could you give me more details on how bad the power cuts are and how reliable and fast the internet speed is? Also where do I find property sites? I'm having difficulty finding apartments to buy.
All the pretty places they show are Rodadero (near Santa Marta). Santa Marta is dirty, congested and the beach is gross. Minca is getting too congested too. Tayrona is not worth it, save your time for the lost city tour. People were nicer in Santa Marta than Cartagena, and we felt safer, but . . . it's not a beach destination. Rodadero is ok for a day on the beach. He says no traffic, but there definitely is!
@@NicholeRojas-r8i ? I don't mention Taganga, and I only mentioned one beach, Rodadero, and I don't think its a beach worth going to. The whole area is skippable really.
SM, as mentioned in the video, is still a very Colombian tourist town, rather than a foreigner tourist town. There are dozens of beaches between Santa Marta and the airport that you can't find out about unless you live there. Many much better than Rodero.
Rodadero is part of Santa Marta, that's my city I have no idea who told you it isn't but is it. It's not like Palomino or another suburb around, it's just as part of Santa Marta as Taganga and Bonda are. Yes, Santa Marta is dirty, but it's still beautiful, it's a third world country man what can we do, the touristic parts are well kept and the downtown is finally becoming clean and beautiful too. I'm honestly proud of the change it has had since I was a little girl living there, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it, not everyone can like every part of the world haha.
Also you're completely right about the traffic I'd rather walk from Rodadero to downtown than go on car, traffic is crazy, too many cars in that small of a city.
Can you still live confortably there on $1,500 passive income a month still in 2022?. How's inflation? I'm a single 45yr old man, getting priced out of my home town, and looking for alternatives.
Sam, Santa Marta does look like a lovely town. Your comment about its not being overly developed for tourists would attract me. The thing about Medellin I find so compelling is the quality, price and availability of health care. I don't need to travel for medical tune-ups. In just a few minutes I can be at a world class hospital. Still, Santa Marta would make an ideal vacation.
@g nolan. SM is ideal for vacations, but forget about medical. You have to move in the upper tiers to find a decent doctor. Took me 3 months of asking around to find an optham. surgeon I can trust.
@@justinajones3000 In less than 5 minutes from my Medellin digs I can walk to a superb dentist, dermatologist, physical therapist and two well stocked pharmacies. Two highly respected hospitals are a short taxi ride away. I walked about 15 minutes to a clinic to get my free COVID vaccinaton.
@@gnolan4281 Do you know if thats only in Medellin? I love Medellin but am considering Barranquilla to move to because they have a beach and I would like to be close to the water and at a good price, Medellin doesnt have a beach but that medical benefit sounds awesome.
@@thesilversurfer1071 I understand about the beach being attractive. In my particular case, for 3 decades I'd lived a few minutes from Miami Beach so had quenched that desire often. Temperatures in the Colombian Caribbean basin cities are always a bit too hot and humid for me. Even Miami has a cool season but not Barranquilla. I could take it when I was young because I always contrived to live near breezy Biscayne Bay but for retirement I like Medellin because although the tropical vegetation is nearly the same as South Florida's, the altitude above sea level is the same as Denver Colorado's so it's a lot cooler. You ought to consider a month or so in both places before deciding.
@@gnolan4281 Thank you for this comment. I'm from Florida also so I understand what you mean. I did not know that Barranquilla doesnt get the cool season like Miami gets. This is great information and I think I will take your recommendation before deciding. Medellin gets hot but like you mentioned, at least you do get your cool breeze and that helps a lot. I love Medellin, so I will need to visit Barranquilla before deciding. I know I dont want to deal with too much humidity on a regular basis, if I am living there.Thanks again.
Hi Rob 👋 I’m planning to stay is Santa Marta for 2-4 months. What’s the average cost of apartment. I don’t need anything fancy. Thank you in advance 👋😊
1500$ ?? Wtf ? Are you saying it’s more expensive than life in Europe ? I was checking out apartments and it’s barely 4/500$ a month, what are you doing with the extra 1000 bucks ?
$1500...all costs included....apartment, groceries, utilities, etc....total monthly living cost...I live in Barranquilla and visit Santa Marta quite often.
Some things cost more; good computers, cars, phones, western food ... that's actually a low total expenses for a good standard of living if you look at the condos for rent.
billytheweasel wow that’s a LOT for a developing country. With that kind of spending I’m staying in a developed country with free medical care and better job opportunities
@@teekayrezeaumerah Colombia is a developing country and yet has a better healthcare than the USA, Canada and Germany. About work I think that it is more complicated
it seems all youtubers not talking about 35 percent tax on your social security you have to pay to colombia!....mencioned it..very important!!!! not for me i changed my mind to retire in colombia
Thanks for good information as usual! Just wondering what your impression of crime level is there vs , say, Cartagena. I wasn't on the beach in Cartagena 10 minutes before witnessing a purse snatching. I am thinking there might be less of that in Santa Marta as it is not so heavily touristed?
Good questions. I personally felt safer in Santa Marta than Cartagena. I think that the high influx of tourists is part of why the safety of your belongings is more "in danger" in Cartagena. Santa Marta has also more local tourists which also makes a big difference.
For that there is the excellent healthcare that the country has, being the best in America above the USA and Canada. In addition, this disease can give you in many tropical countries and even in the north.
It's here, but if you wear the right repellent you'll be safe. I had dengue when I lived in Brazil but never here. I did however have Chikengona (2014) and Sika (2015) but they mild compared to dengue.
Any idea how many times in this 12-minute video you said LET'S SAY? Sometimes two LET'S SAYS in the same sentence. It's LET'S SAY a meaningless filler like YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Frankly, people who overuse fillers like LET'S SAY in their speech patterns tend to either LET'S SAY lack confidence (nervous/uncomfortable) or intelligence. I have seen enough of your videos to LET'S SAY know that's not the case but it nonetheless nerve-wracking as hell to hear so many times LET'S SAY in one short video. LET'S SAY never adds nada to any sentence or idea. Pls accept this as a friendly suggestion, not LET'S SAY as criticism. Gracias por todo.
John Joseph so very painful to read what you wrote. It stung. He is young and I enjoyed his talk. I am a teacher and am a stickler for proper speech, but I found him articulate and fluid. English is obviously not his first language, so be kind and give him a break. Ok. Have a beautiful day, friend.
@@johnjohng668 if no one points it out it's an easy thing to get in the habit of...like people who say YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN all the time which drives many folks crazy. I like their vids & yes his English is very fluid & fluent just pointing out so hr can improve. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? :-)
Sometimes it's better off to shut up. It's evident that English is not his first language and this video is not meant for grammar nazis like you to deviate from the topic to point out bullshit that has nothing to do with Colombia
