Wild Playa San Luis

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Playa San Luis: Perfect Waves

On the southeastern coast of San Andrés island lies a place that perfectly embodies the Caribbean dream – Playa San Luis. A long stretch of white sand, beautiful water color, and perfect waves for the kids awaited us there. Unlike Playa Spratt Bight, it offers a peaceful atmosphere and minimal tourists, but also sunbeds, restaurants, and bars. To top it all off, the surrounding greenery and the feeling that time has stopped here complete the atmosphere.

Atmosphere and Services

San Luis is a beach where tourism perfectly blends with authentic Caribbean life. Locals, who come here to enjoy a relaxed day with their children or their four-legged friends, predominate among visitors. There are only a minimal number of foreign tourists, which further emphasizes the peaceful atmosphere of the place.

Even though the beach is fully organized, it doesn’t feel crowded at all, quite the opposite, it feels pleasantly relaxed and spacious. Every bar and restaurant has several sunbeds for its guests, but for a fee of approximately 10€, you can rent them even without consumption. The sunbeds form only one row, so there’s plenty of space and privacy left on the sand.

In the restaurants, you’ll find mostly seafood, but also popular beach dishes like burgers, fries, and fresh salads. And what pleased us greatly. The prices were surprisingly favorable, without tourist markups.

The houses around the beach are low and inconspicuous, so they look natural and don’t obstruct the view. From the sea, you get a wonderful view of the surrounding greenery without any distracting elements. You won’t find any larger hotels nearby either, which allows San Luis to retain its idyllic, Caribbean atmosphere, completely different from other well-known beaches in Colombia.

Sea, Sand, and Fun in the Waves

What you’ll immediately love about San Luis is its natural beauty. The sea has a beautiful turquoise color, the sand is white and fine like flour, and the entire environment feels incredibly clean.

For our children, it was undoubtedly the best beach in all of Colombia, and we have to admit, they were right. The high waves, constantly engulfing them, provided endless fun. It even surpassed the most famous Playa Spratt Bight.

Laughter and shouts could be heard meters away, and getting them out of the water was almost an impossible feat. What was originally a short stop eventually turned into three hours, during which we enjoyed sunbathing on the sand and the children couldn’t get enough of the sea.

Meanwhile, Martin took out the drone and tried to capture the best moments of jumping into the waves. The photos and videos turned out great and are now among our favorite memories of San Andrés.

Locals, Dogs, and a Beach Walk

However, San Luis is not just about tourists. Quite the opposite, local families predominate here. Many spread out blankets, bring food, and spend time by the water, just like we do at home by the lake. The atmosphere was also enhanced by friendly dogs, running around on the sand, playing with children, or simply lying in the shade of a palm tree.

The beach is approximately one kilometer long, so after swimming, we also enjoyed a leisurely walk. Walking barefoot on the fine sand, past the palm trees and the waves constantly breaking on the shore, was a small experience in itself.

Underwater World

If you wanted to combine San Luis with snorkeling, be prepared that the underwater world here is not very rich. Near the shore, we only saw a few ordinary fish, and the water, though beautifully clear, didn’t offer many opportunities for discovery.

There are much better places for snorkeling on the island, which we visited later – for example, La Piscinita. But we didn’t feel deprived at Playa San Luis. The fun in the waves and the overall atmosphere of the beach amply compensated us for it.

The only thing we regretted was that we couldn’t stay here for several days. We had accommodation near Playa Spratt Bight, and after visiting Playa San Luis, we sincerely regretted wanting to be close to the city and not close to such a paradise. But on the other hand, there are almost no services outside the city.

Where to stay? Ideally near Playa Spratt Bight

San Andres island is smaller, but there are relatively large distances between individual places, and no taxi apps work here. We didn’t see any buses either. Maybe some run, but they are definitely not a common mode of transport. The typical form of transport is renting a scooter or an ATV.

The best thing to do is to stay directly in the center or near the main beach. From there, you can easily take a taxi and arrange a pickup, or rent a scooter. Outside San Andrés city, you won’t find a single ATM, so it’s good to have enough cash with you.

Where to stay if you’re looking for budget-friendly options:

• Hotel Tropical dreams is located on the outskirts of the city towards the airport, within a kilometer of the main beach.
• If you’re looking for something right in the center and by the beach, check out Apartahotel Caribe Diez. It’s a bit more expensive than the previous one, but still offers a very friendly price.
• If you’re a solo traveler and just looking for a bed, Viajero San Andres Hostel has great reviews and is located right in the center by the beach.
• 💰 Check out other affordable accommodations here: Budget‑friendly

If you’re looking for quality at a reasonable price, consider:

The best choice is Caribbean Island Hotel Piso 2, which is located directly on the beach, and from the rooms, you can wake up to the beautiful color of the Caribbean Sea.

• If you prefer apart-hotels, a great option is Apartahotel Bahia Tropical III or Apartahotel Plaza. Both offer double and quadruple rooms and a great location.
• 🏡 Here you’ll find a selection of mid-range hotels: Mid-range accommodation

If you’re looking for something exceptional, don’t want to be in the city, and would like to relax for a few days on a private beach, consider Hotel Hotel Reina del Mar By Dorado.

Another alternative for luxury accommodation is Miraflores Boutique Hotel, which is Adults only. The hotel looks like it’s straight out of a catalog, and if we hadn’t come with children, we would definitely have stayed there for at least one night.