Lauren Santo Domingo Introduced a Trendy Crowd to Colombia to Fete the 4 Seasons Cartagena

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Lauren Santo Domingo Introduced a Trendy Crowd to Colombia to Fete the 4 Seasons Cartagena

Summer wardrobes may be packed away until next year, but this past weekend, a fashionable group traded crisp air and trench coats for tropics-friendly resortwear at the Four Seasons Cartagena. Guests—including Lauren and Andrés Santo Domingo; Alejandro and Charlotte Santo Domingo; Andrea and Tatiana Casiraghi; chef Mario Carbone and Cait Bailey Carbone; artist Olympia Scarry; designers Johanna Ortiz, Danielle Frankel Hirsch, Conner Ives, and Annie Doble; and entrepreneur Jen Rubio—took over the sprawling property’s 131 rooms for a multi-day celebration of Colombian culture.

“The city has a sense of magical realism,” remarked Lauren Santo Domingo, citing Cartagena’s prodigal son, Gabriel García Márquez. “The first time I came here, I really felt like I was transported and I was somewhere different, unlike anywhere I’ve ever been: every corner on every street, every balcony, is covered in bougainvillea.”
Lauren, who is Moda Operandi’s chief brand officer, was keen to spotlight Colombian designers, too.

Guests were invited to stop by Moda’s Four Seasons suite to select looks from Colombian brands—think: Silvia Tcherassi, Mercedes Salazar, CANO, Baobab, and Johanna Ortiz—to wear throughout the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Ortiz even hosted an intimate lunch for the clique in her sun-bathed home. Attendees donned her tropical-tinged ready-to-wear to enjoy watermelon margaritas on a rooftop overlooking the city, and the afternoon also provided a fitting opportunity to highlight the new Moda Operandi homeware line.

Beneath helpings of posta negra, ceviche, and coconut

Beneath helpings of posta negra, ceviche, and coconut cake were plates decorated with hand-painted palm trees, monkeys, and jungle cats. Following lunch, Lauren led the crowd on an impromptu walking tour of Cartagena, pointing out her favorite shopping spots along the way—including a whistlestop at Ortiz’s forthcoming store. But the majority of the weekend’s festivities took place right on the hotel’s storied grounds.

The property, located in the mural-splashed Getsemaní district and a few minutes’ walk away from the technicolor walled city, incorporates many chapters of Cartagena’s history. The building’s entryway is the site of the former Club Cartagena, a Beaux-Arts landmark that was once the stomping grounds for local high society. On Friday night, in the airy lobby with its white marble walls and glass atrium, the international cohort got acquainted over Prosecco.

In Mario Carbone’s The Grand Grill, a classic steakhouse dinner of steak and prawn cocktail awaited, with a carrot cake, key lime pie, and chocolate cake triple header for dessert. Afterwards, everyone was lured by the sound of salsa music into Bar Lelarge for a nightcap before scattering around the hotel. The following day, restorative massages in the hotel’s spa, Umari, were followed with relaxing strolls through the enchanting walled city.

Following a spread from the Four Seasons’ resident

Following a spread from the Four Seasons’ resident chef Julián Palacio Arango that highlighted Colombia’s local seafood—crab in leche de tigre and a bright, fresh whitefish—guests were whisked into the checker-floored Ballroom de la Veracruz for drinks and dancing, with singer Fonseca and, later, the trio Orquesta La Brava, offering all the right tunes for anyone looking to try out their best salsa moves.

Meanwhile, those who needed to rest their feet, or simply wanted to chat, sprawled out on benches beneath the hanging roots of the trees until the wee hours. The after-dinner portion of the evening left everyone wanting for nothing: A resplendent dessert table ran the gamut from berry pavlova to tiramisu, and—of course—trays of colorful Colombian chocolates awaited. And, later, a midnight snack of lobster rolls, hot dogs, and pizzas certainly quashed any late-night cravings.

But for those who still had the energy, the Catroux Presidential Suite, with a terrace overlooking the city, became the site of the unofficial late-night party zone. Though many chose to catch a few hours of shut-eye before flights home the following day, others kept the party alive for as long as they could. Johanna Ortiz, Catalina Londoño, Juliana Sardi
Danielle Frankel Hirsch
Samantha Tam, Laure Hériard Dubreuil, Karla Martinez de Salas, Maygel Coronel
Annie Doble, Conner Ives
Olympia Scarry, Robert Denning
Courtney Grow
Robert Denning
Martin Pacanowski, Alexia Niedzielski, Tatiana Casiraghi, Andrea Casiraghi, Olympia Scarry
Tatiana Hambro
Cait Bailey Carbone
Courtney Grow, Tatiana Hambro
Tinx
Jen Rubio
Julia Berolzheimer
Tatiana Hambro
Zoe Stewart, Julia Berolzheimer, Caitlin Burke, Claudia Li, Lauren Santo Domingo
Bronson van Wyck
Lauren Santo Domingo
Olympia Scarry, Derek Blasberg
Julia Ferentinos, Elizabeth Ferry
Mario Carbone, Cait Bailey Carbone
Catalina Londoño, Johanna Ortiz, Adriana Arboleda
Olympia Scarry, Beverly Nguyen, Lauren Santo Domingo, Conner Ives
Taliana Vargas, Alejandro Eder, Johanna Ortiz
Caitlin Burke, Courtney Grow
Allison Sarofim, Carlos Mota
Jóvenes Creadores del Chocó
Jóvenes Creadores del Chocó
Julia Berolzheimer, Tinx, Alexia Niedzielski, Lauren Santo Domingo
Tix, Julia Berolzheimer, Annie Doble, Lauren Santo Domingo, Sarah Elizabeth Bishop, Zoe Stewart
Hannah Jackson, Julia Ferentinos, Tatiana Hambro, Tinx, Julia Berolzheimer, Courtney Grow, Zoe Stewart
Fonseca
Conner Ives, Annie Doble
Tinx, Courtney Grow, Sarah Elizabeth Bishop
Andrea Jaramillo
Andrea Jaramillo, Maygel Coronel
Giulia Caltagirone, Astrid Muñoz, Allison Sarofim, Lauren Santo Domingo
Orquesta La Brava