Casa Hostal el Prado

The manager wouldn’t let us in when we arrived at 11:30 p.m. after a flight delay, even though Booking said arrivals were allowed until midnight. When we pointed that out, he just insisted it was how things were. We ended up panicking on the street while trying to find another hotel for the night. What a shame. Don’t go if you want to avoid unpleasant surprises, there are much better places elsewhere.

The dog smell was awful. The dogs apparently aren't washed, and every morning there was dog poop downstairs. The señora is also the maid, but after agreeing to clean my room three days a week, she yelled at me and didn't want to do it. There was never any soap, and the son didn't follow through on what he said he'd do. I've traveled for years, and this was nearly the worst place I've stayed.

The price is tempting, and the kitchen is about what you'd expect. Wi-Fi worked, though it could've been better. But the location is a long way from the center and beaches, so you're paying taxi fares or walking for about an hour. The dogs were a nuisance, barking often and leaving their mess right by the entrance. It was also very hot at night: even though my room had air conditioning, they only turned it on around midnight when a fourth guy arrived, and someone came in during the night to switch it off. There's just one bathroom for everyone, which might be okay if there are no more than eight people.

I stayed in the dorm, and barely noticed the family who live in this house. Cartagena is hot and humid, but the air conditioning kept the nights comfortable. There's a shared kitchen too.