Hotel Diamonds and Pearls

The room smelled bad and was awful, and we had to stand in the rain and call someone just to get the door opened. The shower never got warm, so I skipped the ice bath. Curtains didn’t shut properly, and light from several outside lamps came into the room. The terrace door wouldn’t close right either, meaning anyone could get in from the emergency stairs. It was noisy and miserable. I’ve never slept so badly in a hotel. Avoid it and find somewhere decent.

The shared spaces, including reception, the breakfast area, and courtyard, were in good shape. The rooms, though, were run down, with disgusting torn carpet, mold in the bathroom, and peeling paint. You can tell the hotel used to be good, but the rooms haven’t been maintained. Staff aren’t on site, and they made us feel like an inconvenience. We waited outside for over an hour because none of the numbers on Booking.com, Google, or their sign worked, and there was no hotel staff there to check us in.

The location is fantastic, and the nearby streets have lovely places to eat and drink. Shoutout to Café Barries! The reception was every bit as beautiful as it looked online, and the room had good equipment, lovely indirect lighting, tasteful styling, and a strong hairdryer. The beds and towels were tidy. We didn’t notice the noise too much after a few drinks, but the thin walls meant we could hear outside and the stairway. We chose DAP hotel after being drawn in by its classical charm and A+ location. It wasn’t the cheapest option, though we didn’t overpay either. The arrival felt more like an AirBnB, with lockers and self service, and no one there to greet us. That’s not necessarily bad, but we wondered if we’d made the right choice over cheaper places. The room had the style, but lots of little things spoiled the impression. Everything felt old and flimsy, and some areas looked dirty. There was a chlorine smell, so we didn’t feel unclean, but dirt and mold seemed baked in in places. Hard to recommend, though if you set your expectations, you’ll be fine.

We saw cockroaches and bed fleas in the room, and the fleas bit us. We filmed them and killed some, and they were full of blood. The condition of the place was poor too: several lamps were broken, leaving no lights in the bathroom or corridor, and some wall sockets didn’t work. The dirty, damaged carpet seemed like a nest for bugs, as did other furniture. It felt like no maintenance had been done in a very long time. We were paying more than 250 euros a night and expected at least a clean, decent room. After the first night, we told the owner, Mr. Maarten, in the morning that we couldn’t sleep there a second night. He said he understood and agreed in writing to refund the second night, saying he would transfer the money. We left, but still haven’t received the reimbursement, and he has stopped communicating.