Castelli Hotel

If you’re after a walkable location, breakfast and a reasonable price, Castelli Hotel can work for a short stay. It’s near Ledra Street, the old part of Nicosia and the bus area at Solomou Square. Breakfast is included and there was plenty to eat. We paid around €100-€120 a night. Compared with places like The Landmark Nicosia or MAP Boutique Hotel, it’s generally cheaper, though you can see its age. Anyone wanting modern rooms and luxury amenities might prefer a newer boutique hotel. The building feels old and could use repairs. Our room had a door that didn’t always shut properly, and the key card sometimes failed, so we had to ask the front desk to fix it. The windows looked a bit dirty, the bathroom sometimes smelled like sewage, and the shower’s pressure and temperature kept changing. The ants were pretty gross too: a few cookie crumbs could bring lots of tiny ones out along the walls and corners. There was some noise from a nearby fire station, with sirens now and then, and early in the morning we could hear the call to prayer across the divided part of the city. The staff were mostly nice. It’s an okay hotel, but it needs fixing up. I’d give it three stars.

The bed linen was clean, and a few staff members were friendly, especially the night receptionist lady and Savvas. But I wouldn’t recommend staying here unless they make major improvements. The hotel felt outdated, badly managed and poorly maintained, especially for 90€/night. I asked about the shower in the evening and requested a repair or a room change. They said the technician and housekeeping had left, so I couldn’t move even though a room was free. I was told to wait until the next day, which left me without a usable shower. One older receptionist was dismissive and unfriendly, with very poor English and an attitude that didn’t feel customer oriented. The shower felt unsafe: with the temperature set normally, boiling hot water would suddenly come out every few minutes, and the pressure kept shifting. Air in the pipes made the shower head splash violently. The sink tap dripped constantly and splashed enough to soak my clothes even at low flow. There was no shower gel, just bar soap, shampoo and conditioner. The room was very old and poorly kept, with worn walls, outdated furniture and old plumbing. The floor had dust and debris, and there was dust and women’s hair inside the wardrobe. Ants regularly came out of the bathroom drain and crawled across the floor. The balcony door wouldn’t lock and made an extremely loud noise when opened. The hair dryer was unusable, tied inside a drawer with a very short cable, and many power sockets didn’t work; some were loose and felt unsafe.

The location and breakfast were great, but that was about it. Teenagers ran around at midnight and slammed doors every night, and the air conditioning didn’t work. The bathroom was shocking, and on our last day, just before going to the airport, there was no hot water. When we rang reception, he said he knew and there was no backup boiler, so it would be a while. We visit Nicosia many times a year, but we won’t return to this hotel. It’s expensive for a mediocre, tired place that needs an upgrade, and it certainly doesn’t feel like a 3 star.

The location is a real highlight: it’s about two minutes from the main city square and ten minutes from the checkpoints. I stayed six nights in November and had no complaints. The interior could be more modern, but it was clean, tidy and well maintained, and the staff were super friendly and helpful. The breakfast was excellent. I’ve stayed at a four-star hotel in Nicosia twice, and its breakfast wasn’t as good as this one. It’s a three-star hotel, so expectations should match that. If that works for you, I highly recommend it.