Hotel Gilda

We asked for a suite and paid $38,000, but got a standard room on the first floor, number 106. It was completely empty. Outside, we saw a sign on the other side listing the most expensive room at $35,000 per night. We left a little while ago and then looked at the online photos, which showed rooms with jacuzzis and more. Unbelievable. I hope you respond somehow, because we'd like to come back given the area.

IDEAL. I paid a super reasonable price for the whole night, from 8 pm to 5 pm. Truly five stars.

The overnight hours are Sunday to Thursday, 8 PM to 5 AM; Friday, 2 PM to 5 AM; and Saturday, 4 AM to 5 AM. There are just two room types, standard and slightly larger special. We had standard room 105. Shout-out to Cintia for returning our forgotten belongings. A major thing to know is that guests can't leave their room during the stay. If one person opens the door, the stay ends for both. Bring water, snacks, or cold food for the many hours, since the bar menu is limited and expensive. The best parts are the price and the long overnight stay. The place could improve its service, staff friendliness, and upkeep, but it can work as a budget option if you come prepared. When we asked for hot water for our thermos, they gave it to us free. They take cash, debit, and bank transfer without extra charges or discounts. The room was noisy at times, with staff shouting outside and what sounded like hammering. The bed was hard and squeaky, with a hospital-style mattress cover that slipped around, so we kept adjusting it; the sheets came loose too. Two movable glass ashtrays felt risky in such a small room. There were two hangers with two hooks each, but one hook was broken. We could smell strong cigarette smoke, so we left the window open for a while. The TV wasn't smart, though it had a navigation button as well as the remote. The AC only cooled. The central heating wasn't enough, and when we asked them to raise it, they refused. At check-in, the maid kindly offered an extra blanket, but we didn't need it. There was no website, and phone service wasn't great. Breakfast was basic: one tea or coffee per person, and they got our choices right, coffee and coffee with milk. We got two croissants, one lard and one butter, but no juice or cold water. The minibar was empty and unplugged, though it worked fine once plugged in, and there was a small breakfast bar on top. With no chairs or armchairs, we ate at the bedside tables, which seemed a bit dirty. We asked them to clear the used dishes, and they did it rudely, banging on the pass-through. It was small and had no prerecorded announcements. The bathroom had three parts: a toilet and bidet with disinfectant strips, a shower with hot water and good pressure, and a sink outside the bathroom area. The sink had a hairdryer and a handy outlet; there was another outlet near the minibar. The fixtures were traditional. Toiletries were two soap bars, two shampoo sachets, two conditioner sachets, a comb, and a complimentary condom. No shower cap, oral hygiene items, or razor were provided, and those were sold separately at a high price. There wasn't a trash can, so we used one of the small towel bags instead. The touch control panel would be inaccessible to blind people. The towels came in three sealed bags, one with two small towels and the other two with large towels, but both large ones were torn. At check-in they tried to move us to a more expensive room, saying the standard room meant climbing stairs. We said carrying our things upstairs was fine, and they agreed to give us the economy room. They didn't show us the way or come along, just pointed to the stairs and said a maid would be waiting upstairs. That felt unhelpful, though it let us manage on our own.

We made a big mistake by not reading the reviews first. The place itself wasn't bad, the hours were okay, and the price seemed fair, though they make you pay for items as you order them. What ruined it was the service and the room phone, which kept cutting out. The woman didn't believe us when we said it wasn't working properly. She called us rude, yelled over the phone and through the door, then insulted us when we came downstairs, as if we'd hung up on purpose. Nothing we said could get her to listen, and she offered no explanation. It was a disaster, and we left with a bad experience. Don't go.