Hotel-Pension Bleckmann

The location is the standout: the hotel is close to pretty much everything, with lots of places to eat nearby, a Spar market a few blocks away, and a tram stop practically outside. The ride into the centre takes about five minutes via Schottentor and U2. It's far enough off-center to be quiet, and there's a pleasant park by the Votivkirche about a five-minute walk away. The little hotel has friendly people, clean rooms with enough space for a family of four, and bathrooms stocked with soap, shampoo and other amenities. Breakfast was a nice buffet, with limited choices but mostly very good. The soft boiled eggs were amazing, though they were hard boiled! We really recommend it. Tap water is safe to drink and great quality.

The staff were helpful with sightseeing tips, and they lent me an umbrella when it rained. I also asked for a kettle since there wasn't one in the room, and they provided one without any fuss. Breakfast is included, which is a nice bonus, and it was very good, with eggs, juice, coffee, cheeses and bread. The rooms are basic but clean. I stayed in August, and it was hot, though leaving the windows open made it fine. The Pension is in a quaint building, about 15 minutes from Vienna's attractions. A train stops right outside, and the main train stop is 10 minutes away.

The cozy feel, friendly reception staff and breakfast were the bright spots, even though breakfast was sparse. The place is about a 15-minute walk from the Christmas market. But the room looked nothing like the bright, new photos on Booking.com. When we arrived, my wife spotted poop stains on the toilet bowl. It looked as if someone had used it before us or it hadn't been sanitized after the previous guest. Dust and lint had collected along the floorboards, where gaps showed that they had been cut too short to meet the walls. The 140cm spring bed had two foam toppers, one for each side, and I slept horribly. I kept waking up in pain and rolling over, only to wake again, and I sank into the middle even though I'm athletic and don't put extra weight on one part of my body. For the last two nights I slept on the floor and rested better than on that awful bed and mattress. The room was so unsanitary that I started worrying about bedbugs. My skin felt itchy, and I wondered whether the sheets had even been cleaned, though I hoped it was all in my head. The walls were so thin we could hear the person next door talking, coughing and doing anything. Outside noise kept my wife awake for even longer stretches than it kept me up. I don't think this place deserves three stars, or even two. I've stayed in two-star pensions in my Eastern European country with better conditions. It makes you wonder about the standards for giving stars in Austria, and what their cleanliness standards are if somewhere like this can operate as a three-star.

The breakfast was plentiful and delicious, and the place was quiet and not too far from the city. Service was excellent and flexible. The rooms didn't have air conditioning and were a bit shabby, but otherwise clean, and the room cleaning was done perfectly. I'd recommend it to anyone who values good value for money.