Santa Marta attracts throngs of holidaymaking Colombians in search of the simple pleasures of rum, fun and sun. It's packed with revelers on weekends, sucking down snow cones, burying themselves in sand, and gathering along the rocky piers for glistening sunsets. The climate is hot, but the heat here is drier than Cartagena, and the evening sea breeze cools the city and makes it pleasant to wander about.