Hostal Antofagasta

The staff were really friendly, and the location was good. Breakfast was okay. The AC was the letdown: there was no remote, and although we asked for help because the room was hot, they said nobody could assist until the morning, when we were checking out. They shouldn’t give guests a room when the AC isn’t fully working.

We only stayed a night. The hotel is right by the shore, and free parking was handy. The reception floor looked lovely, but the worn-out feel became obvious once we reached the elevator. Our room smelled bad and felt uninviting; there were dust balls on the bathroom floor and on the toilet paper, the glass had large white marks that might have been from birds, and the lampshades were torn. I didn’t want to walk barefoot or touch much. We had a city view, and on Friday the street noise came right into the room. Breakfast wasn’t great either, the scrambled eggs were burnt.

The hotel was very good, but we were charged 20% extra for paying by debit card. Nothing in the booking information or elsewhere said we needed a credit card or cash, and it was too late to find cash nearby. The receptionist was haughty about it and wouldn’t accept that we had no way of knowing.

The location right by the sea is hard to beat, and the staff were very friendly. The food was good, and breakfast is self-service with most of what you need. The hotel seemed a little short-staffed, though. My stay was very good, even with the rooms looking worn and ready for fresh paint and new carpets. The bathroom is small, so a shower leaves the whole floor wet.