Euroglobe

The neighborhood seemed quiet and safe, and it was about an eight-minute walk from the "Forum" metro station. I stayed one night in a private room because it was affordable compared with other hotels in the city. The room was clean, and reception staff were friendly. I didn't have high expectations, so nothing struck me as a problem. Having a fountain in the room was convenient, though having just one socket was difficult.

I booked without reading reviews, and really should have. The hotel smelled of cigarettes and bad BO, and the walls were so thin you could hear everything. It didn't look dirty with trash or grime, but it gave me the feeling it hadn't been cleaned properly. I was very cold and asked to cancel when I arrived. No one was at reception, which was apparently staffed from 9-11. When I got there, the owner was yelling at someone who had taken his luggage down the stairs to carry it by hand. There's no elevator, and the guy was bringing a big suitcase down three floors. While I was away, the hotel canceled my reservation. Booking contacted them about returning the key and was told I needed to leave it in a box. Then I got an email saying they'd removed my luggage from the room without my knowledge, permission, or prior notice and left it in the reception area, where nobody was present. My passport was in it, so it could easily have been stolen. They then claimed I'd damaged the room, which I hadn't, and held me at the hotel against my will. They locked the doors and called the police. The police came, did nothing, and let me leave with my luggage. Being locked in by two scary men was still a horrible experience. They shouldn't have a business license. Even aside from what happened to me, it's a disgusting hotel with creepy guests. I know it's cheap, and that was why I chose it, but I'd rather pay $20 extra for a normal hotel or $20 less for a nice, friendly, clean hostel.

We got what we needed, a decent bed in the city, and our stay was pretty much as advertised. It's a very basic, minimal place with just the essentials. Nothing feels fancy or particularly nice, and the room wasn't warm or cozy. It reminded me a bit of a nice prison cell, though not in a bad way. One strange thing was that there were no lockers, so we couldn't leave our belongings for a few hours after checkout. We only had backpacks, so it was fine. The walls are paper thin, so if you can, ask for a room away from the communal showers and toilets.

The room looked fairly new and was generally clean, with a comfortable bed, though it was a bit too soft for me. The blanket was warm, and the street was quiet for traffic. It's not too far from the centre and the price is low, but you have to accept some compromises. The sink and its shelf were almost coming out of the wall. There were no hooks or shelves in the communal showers for clothes, soap, or towels. Each floor has only two toilets and showers for about 19 rooms and 24 people, so mornings got busy. My Venetian blinds wouldn't stay at certain heights and let in enough light to wake me at 6:00. Reception hours were odd too: nobody was there after 15:00, but you couldn't get a room before 15:00.