Gstehaus Leuchtturm

We went to reception every day, sometimes several times, and kept getting the same seemingly arrogant answer: someone would come look at it soon. We waited as long as three hours, but nobody ever showed up. We're very disappointed, and the price for what we got is completely unacceptable. We won't be back. The place is now called Big Ben Apartments and belongs to the Hayat Hotel. Apartment 8 was clean and well located, but that was about it. The restaurant downstairs was noisy at night, and at 1 a.m. trolleys rattled over the cobblestones. Some shutters wouldn't close properly, so the children woke early. The kitchen had pans but no ladles, knives, chopping board, or other cooking basics. There weren't enough cups or cutlery either. Showering was almost impossible: the bathtub was under the sloping roof, and barely any water came from the shower head. The TV didn't work. This isn't the full list of problems.

The owner gave excellent service, so I'd definitely stay again despite a couple of issues. The sink was much too small, and the water pressure was very low. Our room was neat and clean, with a comfortable bed, and the spot was quiet. Shops were only a two-minute walk away, with lots of restaurants nearby. It's close to the Europa-Park hotels, whose exit you can use, and about a 15-minute walk from the main entrance.

We stayed in an apartment for four. It seemed clean and was well equipped, with the parks and lots of shops nearby. The downsides were paid parking, a bunk bed in the living room, a narrow access time window, and a bed too small for anyone over 1.80m (5'11").

After we pointed out the problems, the host rudely insisted everything was clean and tidy, then said he'd come look. Once we showed him what we meant, we were kicked out and removed from the property. There were seven of us, including children, and after about 30 minutes there we had nowhere to stay that night. The refrigerator, sink, bathroom, and the rest of the apartment hadn't been cleaned, with mess from previous guests still there. The hosts were very rude, and the accommodation was in a disastrous state of hygiene. While trying to find somewhere else, other hosts said they knew of this kind of thing and that it often happened at the guesthouse. Luckily, another guesthouse took us in, so we could begin our vacation somewhere clean and well maintained.