ibis Cartagena Marbella

I’ve stayed at Ibis before, but this location really surprised me in a good way. The view is great, and breakfast is on point. Staff do their best to accommodate you, the shared spaces are nice and tidy, and the rooms have what you need. They’re cleaned every day, which feels really good.

Friendly staff, a cute modern lobby, and a great breakfast buffet every day. I also had a really good steak dinner at the restaurant. It’s a modest hotel at a modest price, conveniently close to the airport. There’s no pool or balcony, and my sea view was through a window that wouldn’t open. The halls and room had a definite musty, mildew-like smell.

For $200 a night, I expected better service. I arrived late to find no water in the room and nothing in the minibar. In Cartagena you can’t drink the tap water, so that was a problem. The next morning, they said breakfast had ended and wouldn’t serve me, even though it was included in my rate. No one had told me at check-in about either the lack of water or the breakfast hours. The room itself was tiny but clean, with very few amenities. There were two towels, but no washcloth or hand towel. The shower got hot, though the water flow was minimal.

The hotel is right across from the beach, exactly where I wanted to be. Chelsea was warm and professional at check-in and made the whole process really smooth.