The long-awaited second season of The Night Manager has arrived on our television screens, this time taking audiences to new locations as British intelligence recruit Jonathan Pine travels to Colombia.
After a 10-year hiatus, Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Pine, an ex-soldier turned hotel night manager turned recruit for British intelligence. Following on from a drama-filled first series, Pine now finds himself in Colombia, plunged into the middle of a deadly plot involving arms and the training of a guerrilla army.
Scenes of The Night Manager were shot in the city of Medellin, nestled in Colombia’s Aburrá Valley, and London, as well as coastal locations across Spain, but it's one particular hotel in Colombia’s port city of Cartagena that plays a starring role.
In some episodes of series two, viewers will spot the Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel Casa Pestagua, which was used both for putting up the crew and for filming.
Show producer Matthew Patnick told Time Out: “We ended up buying out the hotel for two and a half days. The show is going to change it forever, like the Es Saadi Palace in Marrakech in season one, which is still associated with The Night Manager 10 years later.”
Found within an 18th-century palace, Casa Pestagua is made up of 10 suites and six rooms, each featuring double-height ceilings and arches inspired by Moorish design.
Inside the palace walls, guests will find gardens with unfurling large leaves that drape across walls and over a terracotta-tiled courtyard pool. You may recognise this pool from a raunchy dance scene in episode three, when it was decked out with paper lanterns and champagne-filled dining tables. In reality, guests can enjoy the poolside on plush loungers or relax in the laid-back seating under the veranda.
We also get a glimpse into the sleeping arrangements at the hotel. Pine appears to be staying in the hotel’s Grand Suite, which comes with a private patio, a living room and a king-sized bed, all positioned under a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams.
However, this is not the largest of the rooms available at this boutique stay. The 140 square metre “Count of Pestagua Suite” has three rooms, exclusive lift access and a terrace complete with a veranda and a private jacuzzi overlooking the port town.
The rooms at Casa Pestagua are light and simple, dressed with four-poster beds, rattan furniture, freestanding baths and balconies.
Sheltered under the colonial arches, guests will find AniMare, the hotel’s restaurant that celebrates the flavours and techniques found on Colombia’s Caribbean and Pacific coast.
Diners will feast on Pacific red tuna, truffled oxtail cannelloni, corn tamales and ceviche, while at the bar, cocktails include local fruits such as soursop and tamarillo.
Elsewhere, the hotel has a fully-equipped gym on site, as well as access to a spa in its sister hotel, Casa San Agustín, which offers massages, facials and sessions in a hammam.
While Casa Pestagua is situated a few streets away from the water’s edge, it also provides its guests with the opportunity to book a trip to a private beach on Barú Island, reached by boat 45 minutes away from Cartagena.
Barú Island is known for its white and pink sands, as well as the brilliance of its pastel blue waters, visited by many holidaymakers by boat for the day to relax on beaches such as Playa Blanca, Agua Azul and Agua Tranquila.
Back on the mainland, Casa Pestagua is found in the historical centre of Cartagena, a colourful city known for its lively nightlife, popular beaches and vibrant Caribbean culture.
As the drama builds later in the series, you will see our main characters venture around Cartagena and its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture that has earned Unesco world heritage status.
The city boasts one of the most extensive and complete military fortifications in South America, as well as a complex lattice of churches, Andalusian-style palaces and colonial buildings, such as bullrings that have now been turned into shopping centres.
The Night Manager series two began on BBC One and iPlayer at 9pm on 1 January in the UK, with new episodes released weekly. The series is also available on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.
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