Arba Hotel

We barely slept. There were mosquitoes, cockroaches and ants everywhere, and it was awful. It feels like the owners haven’t invested in this “hotel”.

Amazing place.

The calm landlady and clean bed linen were the only good things, although the linens were worn. Renovations seem to have dragged on forever, with no sign the owners plan to finish. We stayed in March and the rooms were freezing. The split air conditioners are badly placed: the hallway gets hot, but the rooms get no heat. The walls are thin as cardboard and streaked, the light is very dim and hard to see by in the evening. Outlets are falling out of the walls, and the switches have no buttons. The rooms were smoky and hard to breathe in, with a heavy smell everywhere. By morning my head was pounding. Bugs were crawling around too, apparently because there are cracks in the walls and floors. The bathroom faucet and toilet were barely attached, and the toilet seat was peeling. It’s close to the metro, but you can’t get a seat during rush hour, and the commuter train is packed. The “hotel” is practically in an industrial area, surrounded by garages, auto repair shops and a bus station. It was a deeply depressing place. We stayed one night, then moved to another apartment in the city centre for practically the same price.

Friendly hosts and a quiet corner. It’s a ground-floor house with separate rooms. Construction isn’t finished yet, and the place is still being developed.