Hotel Lazareto

The room wasn’t ready at check-in, which I could have accepted if it hadn’t turned out to be such a mess. As soon as we opened the door, there was an unbearable mould smell. It felt unhealthy, and I’m sure we avoided something by changing hotels, though finding another place during carnival wasn’t easy. It was cheap by European standards, but a clean room without stickiness or hair everywhere is the minimum. Checkout was even more frustrating than check-in. The owner or manager was extremely rude and didn’t care why we were leaving. I still have a Booking complaint against him because he accused me of not paying, even though my credit card statement has all the payment details. I didn’t take photos, but a picture can’t capture the smell, and I wasn’t about to zoom in on the gross stuff on the floor.

We made a reservation and arrived early to check in. That seemed fine until we got to the hotel, then we spent two hours in the lobby before being put in a dirty room with no internet, A/C, or TV. There was a used condom on the sheets. When we raised all this with reception, they said they’d have another room for us sometime during our stay, without saying exactly when. The location is also wrong: the hotel is on a white road, 500m behind the Google Maps pin. The pictures are stolen from other hotels in the area. Aparthotel Las rochas is at the listed location and actually has a pool and the other advertised amenities. Avoid this tourist trap and book somewhere else.

The menu was limited to fish, but it was amazing and excellent value. My boyfriend and I ate here last night, and it was the tastiest food we’ve had so far during our time in Cape Verde.

We enjoyed a good coffee and a really nice chat with the owner.