Kamelly Guest House

We paid in advance for five nights and travelled from the UK, but a flight delay meant we didn’t arrive until 12:30 a.m. Staff said our room had been given to someone else because we hadn’t checked in before 11 p.m. No one had warned us about that deadline. They took us to a community apartment for the night, where we had one bedroom and shared a bathroom and shower with four bedrooms. It was in poor condition, with no basic toiletries or hairdryer. We had no choice but to stay there that night, but planned to complain and ask for a refund the next day. I was so angry. We got into our room on the second day, but it was terribly bad, so we moved out.

The room had a nice amount of space and was very clean, as was the bathroom, which had a good shower. Having a lift was much appreciated since the hotel is on a hill. The team answered questions quickly and were very helpful, while respecting our privacy. Buses and the metro made it easy to reach popular spots and beaches. The one thing I didn’t like was people smoking in shared areas. It wasn’t pleasant to walk through or use the shared kitchen, and smoke drifted into the room areas too. I’m not sure whether smoking there is allowed or if people were just being inconsiderate.

The room door was difficult to shut, and everything was dirty and noisy. Someone kept smoking weed in the hotel, so there was a terrible smell all the time. I couldn’t sleep because of constant stomping and shouting. The air conditioner didn’t work, the shower was broken, the stall doors wouldn’t close, and the hair dryer barely worked. There were cigarette burns all over the room: the floor, walls, cabinets, bathroom sink, and even the bathroom ceiling.

The view from my bedroom was over a small part of an old slum area with jumbled buildings below. It wasn’t upsetting or disruptive, though, and the inside was much better than the outside suggested. The hotel is newly reformed, three-star, and includes a large shared kitchen, dining room, lounges, and gym. There was also a fridge in my room for drinks. Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. It’s a five-minute walk downhill to the Metro, with a large market and plenty of shops and bars nearby. The beach isn’t far either. Everything cost 30-50% less than staying in Barcelona, where I’d been two weeks earlier. Well worth staying, and I’ll return!