First Palermo Viejo Hotel

The pool is so small and looks green. Maybe that’s because they chose greenish tiles, but it doesn’t seem to have a pump to keep the water clean, so I didn’t feel like using it. The room was spotless and very comfortable, with a great shower, and the location is fantastic. I’d definitely stay again, though the pool is why I’m giving it less than five stars.

I felt safe walking around the lively neighbourhood on my own to shop and eat, and I appreciated the hotel’s quiet, secure atmosphere. The room was spacious, and I could control the air conditioning and leave it running when I was out, which I appreciated after reading previous reviews. The pool is shallow, but it was a nice way to spend an afternoon away from the city. I’d recommend staying here.

We spent four weeks here as part of a study abroad program, and it was a fantastic experience. The staff were amazing, the hotel was comfortable, and the location made it easy to get to many parts of the city.

The roof at night was the best part, though don’t expect to swim. The pool is only about two or maybe three feet deep. The exterior looks decent, and there are a few shops and lots of restaurants and drinking places nearby. The first floor has gathering space, breakfast, dinner, and dance lessons, but it was so hot in there that eating was uncomfortable. The hotel usually only serves a light breakfast, so our group had its own chef. The kitchen was inadequate, though the outdoor grill on the third floor helped him make it work. The hall air conditioners were usually unplugged or off, and the lobby was warm too, so the corridors were uncomfortable most of the time. Guests were told to turn off the room air conditioning when leaving. My room was just okay. The mattress wasn’t too uncomfortable, but other guests mentioned uncomfortable beds, torn mattresses, loose baseboards, flimsy or broken suitcase racks, too few hangers, and no washcloths. Outside noise was really bad in my room. People stayed at the restaurants and bars until after 4:00 a.m., then drag racing started. The wall plugs came out whenever I unplugged my universal adapter. The TV was small, and the remote didn’t work. All the channels were in Spanish, and I couldn’t turn on English subtitles because that part of the remote was broken. The bathroom was the worst: it was so small that the toilet was behind the door, and you had to twist into the room to close it. The glass partition covered only about a quarter of the tub, so every shower soaked the floor. The water temperature and pressure were hard to adjust. There were very few outlets in the room, though the closet area was pretty decent. The maids always cleaned well and were very nice, smiling at guests, but they never removed the dirty glasses or brought clean ones. Paolo (I think that’s her name) was nice at first, but during the last two days she called cabs that didn’t take credit cards, even though we specifically asked for ones that did. It happened to me three times.