Orlando travellers are getting a rare thing: a nonstop to the Caribbean coast of South America. Frontier Airlines begins weekly service between Orlando and Cartagena on December 19, with introductory one-way fares from $129. The roughly three-hour flight restores a direct link that disappeared when previous nonstop service ended, sparing Central Florida holidaymakers the connecting itineraries they've had to put up with until now.

The Cartagena route is part of a bigger move. Frontier is simultaneously launching daily flights from Orlando to Medellín (from December 10) and Bogotá (from December 14, going daily from March 6, 2027) — the low-cost carrier's first ever service to South America. It's a natural extension of a Caribbean expansion that has been building for years, taking Frontier to San Juan, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Montego Bay, Nassau, Providenciales, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, plus growing intra-Caribbean routes centred on Puerto Rico.

Cartagena, though, is the leisure prize. The city sits right on the Caribbean Sea, pairing the Walled City and the bar-filled streets of Getsemaní with the beach strip of Bocagrande and boat access to the Rosario Islands. And the timing lines up with a hotel boom. The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena opened April 2 in Getsemaní — 131 rooms across restored historic buildings, with two rooftop pools and rates starting around $700 a night. That's the top end of a market that now spans everything from the storied Sofitel Legend Santa Clara, a 17th-century convent inside the Walled City, to the Hyatt Regency in Bocagrande, where rates were recently spotted from about $140 per night.

Airlines have noticed. United is adding Cartagena service from Houston and the Washington, D.C. area from December 17, and JetBlue has already grown its connectivity. More seats plus more high-end hotel inventory suggests Cartagena is shifting from boutique favourite to full-scale Caribbean rival.

One caveat on that $129 fare: it's Frontier, so checked bags, carry-ons and seat selection all cost extra. Compare the all-in price before assuming it's the cheapest option. Still, a sub-$130 entry point to a city where you can do a long weekend of food in Getsemaní or a week split between the old town and the islands is a genuinely good deal — and the December launch lands right at the start of Cartagena's drier, busier season.

For anyone in Florida who's been eyeing Cartagena but baulking at connections, this is the easiest window yet to book it.