Old Strand Spirit

Fantastic location 👌. We had a great stay in these apartments, they were spot on and I’d recommend them.

The place was clean and right by a train station, but the apartment for nine people over NYE was just okay. We only had four chairs and barely enough cutlery. The bathroom sink was broken and leaked a lot when used. The slats under the not very comfortable beds kept popping out, basically every night, and we had to fix them over and over.

I booked seven nights for March 2020, but CR closed its borders the day before I was due to arrive because of the pandemic. Someone at the front desk called to say the country had declared a state of emergency and told me I could get a refund from Booking.com, where I’d made the reservation. A few days later, the full amount was charged to my account. Old Strand says Booking.com should refund me, but Old Strand made the charge directly. They’ve kept my money and aren’t answering my emails. I feel robbed!

I got an email confirming my reservation, but no payment had been taken, which seemed odd. I tried to contact them and got no reply. When I arrived, there was no receptionist, just someone online. He said he’d received my email asking for confirmation but hadn’t answered, and that they were fully booked. I had to find somewhere else for €600 a night.