Apartasuites La Flora

After a couple of days, I realized this older place, more like an updated hostel than what I'd pictured, worked for what we needed. The staff were great, and the residential neighborhood felt fairly quiet and safe. There are restaurants, a park, a church, and commercial areas about 3 or 4 blocks away. The rooftop pool and jacuzzi are a nice feature, though some cover for shade would help. The little dining room on that floor, where breakfast is made, is charming and gets a good breeze through the open windows. The sofa in the living room could use an update, and having a TV in the bedroom would be nice since there's only one in the living room. It was my first hotel stay in Colombia, so the whole experience was interesting.

The first day went well, but things got worse after that. They told me by email before my stay that the elevator would be working when I arrived, but it wasn't, and it doesn't even have buttons for going up and down. Cleanliness shouldn't be optional: someone should change the sheets and towels and clean the room daily without guests having to beg. No one came for the last two nights, and I had to call the front desk. They need more than one cleaner. Breakfast also went downhill. At first there was a nice fresh variety, but then a new cook started burning the eggs and serving old bread. Fruit was the one steady item, though there wasn't much choice. The coffee tasted like dirty water, and the milk seemed old. The kitchen staff spent the day complaining about low pay and not being allowed to eat breakfast, then questioned us about who our breakfast was for. They were so reluctant to give an egg to my one-year-old that I eventually bought groceries and made breakfast ourselves. I was told I should be grateful my daughter wasn't charged. It's absurd to charge a small child for breakfast, and they charge extra for a crib too. Other hotels I've stayed at have included one at no cost. Our first room had no hot water and dirty walls. They moved us to a better room only after we said we'd leave. The place has potential, but needs more cleaning staff. The owner doesn't seem to understand basic customer service. When guests explain what's wrong, they should take the feedback and improve the property. There are much better hotels with better amenities for less. I don't think the owners understand the work needed to keep this place up.

The beds were very uncomfortable, and neither the pool nor the jacuzzi worked. Our bathroom didn't even have a shower head, and there was no hot water despite what we'd been told. The breakfast was awful, with maggots in the juice, and the place was dirty and full of bugs. They agreed to refund us because the property was falling apart, but refused when we were ready to leave. We couldn't stay, so we booked the Hilton, which was a million times better.

I booked three days, but wasn't happy there. The pool was dirty, its white paint was peeling into the water, and the jacuzzi didn't work. After two nights I asked for a refund for the last day. They said I had signed a no-refund document at check-in, but there was so much paperwork that I wasn't going to read every page. I had no choice but to stay that extra night. Then the neighborhood lost power at 9:29pm. The place had no generator, and after half an hour in the heat, I couldn't take it anymore and packed up to leave. I was on the 5th floor and had to go down the stairs in the dark, which felt dangerous. I didn't stay all three days, but they still refused to refund me. The service was very bad, and I wouldn't recommend staying there. There was no customer service, and it seemed the owner just wanted to make money without investing in the property, which needs a lot of work. As an American, I'd never experienced a hotel or apartment losing power without backup, and that was unacceptable.