An insider guide to Cartagena certainly can’t exist without tips on how to survive the brutal heat! So the key is knowing about the nice quiet cafes where they don’t try to get rid of you and there’s no pressure to move just because there are too many people waiting. On this trip I’ve discovered a few places for this purpose!
To have a respite from the blazing sun in Cartagena, one has to be clever while on walks around the beautiful old city centre. 
There’s an unusually deserted Crepes & Waffles on calle 33 x carrera 3. (In fact, when I got there, it said ‘closed’, I pushed through and the door was open. So maybe that’s how they keep the crowd out?!) Unlike its nearby frantic sister branch at the corner of the San Pedro Square, this one seems to be hidden from the limelight..!!!! The best thing is that it’s a self-serviced ice cream bar so no one will ever come around to bother you!

Another cool thing is that this place has a slightly different menu from the rest of the chained and famed ice cream & comfort food restaurants. I went for the ‘frutas exóticas’ combo (at COP 8.900 / US $3) which was a cute, colourful surprise of 4 flavours not found in Bogotá!

Calle 33 #2-2, Cartagena