ibis Valencia Alfafar

The hotel cancelled my confirmed, non-refundable booking without telling me first, and didn't refund all the money I'd paid. Months later, it's still unresolved. I don't usually write negative reviews and tend to keep bad experiences to myself, but this place is a complete joke. They ignore emails, and even when they do answer after reminders, it can take weeks. It feels like the hotel is run by people who learned management from playing The Sims, and not very well. Book at your own risk.

There are restaurants and shops within walking distance, parking is free, and breakfast was tasty.

The food was the one letdown. I know the meals are cheap and perhaps I shouldn't take off a star for them, but my ribs were clearly reheated in a microwave and cold in the middle. At only €9, I didn't feel I could complain. Inside, the place is decorated really well and the staff are very friendly, which is a surprise after seeing the ordinary-looking hotel exterior. The rooms are nice and clean, with a cool shower and bathroom pod built in that makes you feel like you're on a yacht. The room was a good price too. Drinks are insanely cheap, a huge plus, though I'm not sure they cost the same each time. One round, with red wine, zero beer, and two bottles of water, one sin gas and one con gas, cost €9.

From the street, it looks dirty, run-down, and nasty, but it's much better once you get inside. They advertise air conditioning, yet there wasn't any, and the room was stifling hot. Opening the window wide was the only way to cool it down, but then the road noise was a bit much. Management and the Accor group offered zero help.