Issam Hotel & Spa

The room and breakfast were okay, nothing too special, and the service was kind and good, so no issues there. The “& Spa” is a joke, though. There’s one tiny sauna that doesn’t get very hot, no relaxation area, and very basic showers. Half the gym is broken, with only some dumbbells and one barbell working. Everything only opens after 5 pm.

We wouldn’t come back. The pool we’d hoped to use was packed with school groups and locals, so it was impossible to enjoy. The gym was dirty, much of the equipment was broken or rusting, and there was no air conditioning. Our room smelled of body odor and badly needed some care. The stay was very disappointing and the property fell well short of what we expected.

The breakfast was a highlight, and there’s a large indoor pool with water at just the right temperature, though I didn’t swim. The lobby makes a strong first impression, with a white grand piano in the middle. I was told all rooms were the same size, but that wasn’t true. My first room had something blocking the window, so I asked to move to one with a view. The two alternatives I saw were smaller. It was okay, about what you’d expect from a three-star place.

Breakfast was okay, but the hotel itself felt poorly maintained and not very clean. The rooms are very small, and the location feels quite poor and claustrophobic. The staff weren’t professional: they forgot to collect the spa charges at checkout, then sent a guy by taxi to collect the bill and charged me for the taxi.