Hotel Hernandez CTG

The service was horrible. They'd overcharge you whenever they could, and staff couldn't figure out the charges or fix them. They also seemed reluctant to give copies of anything or receipts. They said the HVAC only worked while you were in the room, but it kept turning off anyway. We woke up several times in a hot room and couldn't sleep. The beds are nearly on the floor. One day, we asked staff to help keep the room cool while we got ready for an event, but came back to a stuffy room. There are stairs and no help with bags, the street is always flooded, and they don't lock the doors at night like most hotels. It didn't feel safe. Don't do it. Thankfully, we had only booked for two days, really a day and a half, while waiting for an Airbnb, and even that was far too long.

The rooms are quite small, and breakfast is more of a snack. But the friendly staff, the location, and the view from the breakfast area make up for it. I'd recommend it if location and welcoming staff matter more to you than having a spacious room.

The kitchen staff were very friendly. Almost everything else made this a terrible experience for the price. At check-in they charged me 1,960,000 for two rooms, then added another 340,000 pesos in VAT because I have dual nationality. I paid 2,300,000 pesos for four nights in the two bedrooms, and the condition was awful. Some doors were falling off. The bathroom tiles were installed incorrectly, and one fell when I put my phone on it, breaking the screen. Repairing it will cost about 300 thousand more. The closet doors collided with the bedroom door, and the elevator only went to the fifth floor even though we were on the sixth and seventh. The sink splashed water all over the floor, the windows didn't fit properly and rattled in the wind, one bed was broken, and we took photos to avoid any dispute. The sheets were dirty and smelled like saliva, and one pillow had a terrible old, damp smell. The bathroom veneer was loose, and the eighth-floor bathroom door had a four-centimeter gap and wouldn't close fully. The closets didn't shut properly either, and I had to drag them into place. They had claimed the hotel was on the beachfront, but that's a lie. They're building a boardwalk there, so there won't be a beach nearby; you have to walk about 800 meters to reach one. I took photos of several problems, but the management did nothing. At the end, they tried to charge us for a bottle of water they said was open but not consumed, even though we always buy our own things to avoid extra charges. We eventually negotiated and things calmed down. A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE for the price paid. I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE. Although they have already responded to me on booking, I warned them that I'd complain about their awful facilities.

The staff are friendly. A few know some English, but if you don't know the local language, Google Translate might come in handy. The elevator is tiny and only goes to the fifth floor, while breakfast is on the eighth. I'll update with pictures if I go up for breakfast. So far I'm happy with my stay. My room is clean and has working AC, cable TV with an option to switch the audio to English, and outlets that work with a US plug without a converter or adapter. There's a tiny safe in the closet and Wi-Fi available, though I haven't tried it. The small drinks cooler was partly stocked, with four beers and a bottle of water, so I hope I won't be charged for things listed on the minibar inventory that aren't there when I check out tomorrow. The bed has a sheet and pillows, so if you want a cold room and blankets, you'll have to figure that out. It was 90 degrees today. There was no hot water as of now, so I had to tough it out with a cool shower. I found an ATM at a convenience store about a four-minute walk away, and got Colombian pesos with my bank card. That worked out cheaper for me than using a currency exchange. I arrived a day before I was supposed to and will meet my group at another hotel tomorrow.