El Claustre de Ciutadella

Staying in the cloisters was such a lovely experience, and the building has a great atmosphere. The rooms are modest but nicely decorated and spotlessly clean, and the people working there are friendly. I had a great stay and would love to come back. If you’re sensitive to noise like I am, bring ear plugs.

We booked one night and ended up staying four. The rooms are simple but clean and comfortable, with an excellent shower and great hot water pressure. The rooftop is beautiful, with stunning views, and nights were wonderfully peaceful, so I slept really well. Perfect location and such good value for money.

The best things were the central old town location and a decent kitchen. I’m sure there are other hotels in the same area that could do better. I wouldn’t recommend this place, especially for solo travelers, though I imagine it would be much the same with another person. These were my experiences, and I saw other reviews mentioning similar things, though I’m surprised there aren’t more. There was no staff member around to help me check in or provide support. I arrived at night, and although my booking said check in was possible until 10.30, the reception was dark and empty. There was nothing in English, and I felt stranded. After about 15 minutes another guest told me I had to call the hotel. Several phone numbers were stuck on the counter, but after a few failed attempts only one worked. They confirmed my room number and said the key was there, so I was simply told to go to the room. There was no proper check in or passport check. They only asked my name over the phone, which didn’t give me confidence about how they check guests. The next morning the counter was still unattended, and by night there still hadn’t been anyone around. After several days of seeing no staff, I still don’t know whether it’s meant to be a self service hotel. I couldn’t find any WiFi information at reception or in my room, so I’d been using mobile data abroad. Another guest couldn’t find it either, despite WiFi being listed in the booking. When I called again, the hotel said the details were in the kitchen, but they weren’t there. I eventually found them on a side corridor after wandering around the floor. It wasn’t intuitive to find, and the WiFi was quite slow. There’s no AC, and the room gets very hot. The only fan didn’t spread the heat around, so it was concentrated in one small area. I had to put the fan right in front of my bed facing me to sleep. There were also mosquitoes, and I’ve been bitten a lot in the room. I tried spraying DEET while in the room and before sleep, and wore long trousers and long sleeves to bed.

There’s no front desk, so call ahead for the key safe code. The rooms are clean, the location is nice, and it’s simple but just right for a quick few nights.