Jardinets Guest House

We paid the full amount at the hotel after booking through Booking.com. They had sold out of the room we reserved, so they called the replacement an upgrade. The following night, though, they moved us to a downgrade, a room with one bed for three people. We said that wasn’t acceptable and asked for a refund for the night we wouldn’t stay. They told us we’d get one, so we checked out early. Then we spent over 5 hours arguing with the hotel and Booking about that one night, which the hotel had rented to someone else. There was no accountability or customer service, just a runaround. It’s a small operation that refuses to take responsibility. Never again.

The rooms were cute, the little garden was lovely, breakfast service was amazing, and everything was clean. My concern was check-in: they photographed my ID or passport using a mobile phone. I don’t know whether it’s legal or safe to keep that data on a device that may have other apps capable of compromising privacy, and I found the process a bit strange. They should also correct the availability on Booking’s website, since it lists different prices and room types.

The staff kept out of our way, which we appreciated, and we enjoyed our stay. My sister and I had a cozy, warm 2 bedroom suite in November, with fresh towels and cleaning provided every morning. Coffee and tea were always available, and we made good use of both, including the sugar substitute they left out. Having an elevator was a big deal. I wasn’t comfortable with the receptionist taking photos of our passports on her cell phone, and she agreed not to.

We stayed in room R6 at "guest house Le jardines" for a few days and were extremely unhappy with the hygiene and service. At first, we found flying ants by and on the bed and regular ants on the floor. We were already disgusted, but didn’t think much of it. Before the third night, a huge cockroach turned up in the bathroom. Room service was supposed to clean daily, and we always left before 11am, so this should never have happened. That evening, we called the accommodation’s official number. When someone finally answered the next morning, they said the bugs came in through the bathroom window, though we never opened it. We think they may have come through the many gaps and leaks in the room and bathroom. There was a large hole behind the toilet stuffed with tissues and toilet paper, plus other holes in the floor and wall, including under the sink. An employee said insects like these are common in Barcelona, especially on streets, in metro stations and alleys. But during our four days in the city, we saw none, not even near trash cans or in dirtier areas, and no other vermin either. It seemed especially contradictory that they appeared in our room. We made three small requests and only one was handled. Nobody in room service got back to us about removing the cockroach, and our follow-up message got no reply. We called several times to ask whether it had been found or removed. They said they’d call us back in 5-10 minutes, but never did. We felt very uncomfortable because of the small insects from the beginning, and the cockroach was the final straw. The floor was never cleaned during our stay, nobody answered our requests about the bug, and they never even told us whether it was gone. They just left the leaking bathroom door open. There wasn’t a quiet moment to relax. The living conditions felt like a constant health hazard and caused a lot of disgust. We were deeply dissatisfied with the hygiene, and the service was completely unacceptable.