The Sarah by Urban Rest

We spent several nights in a room where the curtains beside the bed had visible mold. We reported it straight away and were told someone would come to deal with it, but nobody ever showed up. After the first contact, the host stopped responding too. It was upsetting to sleep beside that for the rest of our stay. We expected much better care and professionalism.

The room had several practical problems: there was only one bedside table, nowhere in the bathroom to put toiletries or clothes, and very little space for luggage or other belongings. After showers, the bathroom stayed extremely humid for hours. Worse, the lights repeatedly went out and would come back on at unpredictable times, leaving us sitting in the dark. With no reception on site, we had to use Booking.com messages. The response was to call it a possible temporary issue. We asked for a refund for the remaining 4 nights so we could find somewhere else, but were refused and told to cancel through Booking.com, which would have meant losing our money. A very disappointing stay, well below what we expected.

The rooms were gorgeous and nicely finished, and the price felt like good value. Check-in was easy and the location was great. We first thought the bathroom looked small, but it turned out to be perfectly functional with plenty of room. I do wish there had been a blackout blind, though. We like a completely dark room, so that may not bother everyone.

We paid by credit card through the hotel's own website, and the charge came out immediately. Our circumstances changed, so we cancelled while still within the free cancellation period. The hotel said the refund had been processed on the day we cancelled, yet 14 days later we still haven't received it. We've now started a chargeback with our bank. Be careful if you book direct and then need to cancel, you may not get your money back.