Maki Hotel

As Chilean Australians visiting one of Chile’s beautiful sights, we were disappointed by how poorly this stay went. We had booked through Booking.com for three adults and one five-year-old. At arrival, they asked the child’s age, told us there would be an extra USD $20 per day for the child’s breakfast, and took the payment. We were welcomed and shown to our room, so we had every reason to think the booking was valid. But the next morning at breakfast, we were abruptly told we could not stay because hotel policy did not allow three adults and a five-year-old in that room type. We were told to leave. Nobody offered us another room or helped us find somewhere else. The owner’s daughter, Josephina, said openly that she did not work there, but still got involved. At times she aggravated things by laughing during discussions between my sister and the staff, and mocking our mum for speaking Spanish, as if that meant she could not really be a foreigner. You can be proud of being a dual citizen of both your birth country and your home country. At other times, she offered to reverse the car out of the driveway or find another room. It was confusing and extremely distressing to be checked in, stay overnight, and pay extra fees, only to be told the next morning to leave. If this policy applied, it should have been explained at check-in, before accepting payment and letting us stay. The unclear communication and lack of professionalism caused major inconvenience and disappointment. The mishandling of our reservation and awful customer service caused our family unnecessary stress and ruined part of our short stay in Pucon. We would not recommend this property.

The two nights at the hotel were wonderful, but the last morning left a bad taste. After we asked for a small discount for booking both nights, the rate came down from $89 a night to $80. When we explained we’d be leaving early for a trek and would miss breakfast, they offered to pack some for us and let us have coffee. On our final morning we had to leave early again. When we went in for coffee, the man in the kitchen, who turned out to be the manager, yelled that breakfast wasn’t included. He didn’t speak English, so we tried to explain to the receptionist that we’d had a packed breakfast the day before and understood that this was the arrangement. The receptionist said breakfast wasn’t included at $70. I clarified that we had paid $80, and said it was unpleasant to be yelled at over a cup of coffee. The response was that the manager had decided we would get nothing. After four days of paying quite a lot, we were shocked by such dismissive, disrespectful treatment. It felt insulting and rude. Guests shouldn’t be treated that way. RUDE MANNAGER.

A relaxed, pleasant atmosphere, comfortable accommodation and a very reasonable price. The breakfast is basic, and they should add a coffee machine. The location in Pucon is good, with everywhere accessible on foot. Highly recommended.

The rooms were spotless, with a nice balcony, and the hotel is close to everything in Pucon. Breakfast was freshly made, with scrambled eggs, fruit, cheese, cold meats and bread. The staff at the Maki Hotel were so welcoming and nothing seemed like a problem. They even arranged an early breakfast and booked buses for us. Five-star service with a smile.