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Cali · Hotel shortlist

4 star hotels on the waterfront in Cali

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Updated 1 September 2026 · 29 Cali hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Cali, out of the 29 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.7 down to 4.6.

Sonesta Hotel Cali is the one I would book myself.

Sonesta Hotel Cali

Highest rated of the five

Sonesta Hotel Cali

★★★★★4.7 from 4,579 reviews

Sonesta Hotel Cali comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 4,579 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under historic centre and around $91 a night on the dates we checked.

29 hotels in Cali qualified for this list and five made it. Hotel 9.5 San Fernando is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out

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All five, ranked

  1. Sonesta Hotel Cali1

    Sonesta Hotel Cali

    ★★★★★4.7 from 4,579 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  2. Hotel 9.5 San Fernando2

    Hotel 9.5 San Fernando

    ★★★★★4.8 from 321 reviews

    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

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  3. Hotel Pance 122 Wellness spa3

    Hotel Pance 122 Wellness spa

    ★★★★★4.7 from 464 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  4. Hampton by Hilton Cali, Colombia4

    Hampton by Hilton Cali, Colombia

    ★★★★★4.6 from 2,437 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  5. Leclerc Hotel Boutique Granada5

    Leclerc Hotel Boutique Granada

    ★★★★★4.7 from 163 reviews

    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Airport shuttle

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How this list was put together

29 Cali hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Stefan Bauer

Stefan Bauer The American west

Chases total solar eclipses. Seven of them on four continents, from Wyoming to a fishing town in Chile. Banks days off through the on-call rota and books the trips years ahead, because eclipse dates do not move.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.