Casa Aljibe de Santa Ana

This was my second stay, and I wish I’d looked at the reviews from the previous six months before booking. Last year, at €25 a night, it was good value: a spacious room with a private bathroom for a solo traveller. I put up with the windowless room and poor communication with the staff, who were barely around, because the location was excellent. This time was a completely different story. Check-in was listed as 2 PM to 10 PM, but when I arrived at 5 PM I couldn’t get in. There was nobody at reception, and as I later found out, there was never any staff there. Nobody answered the phone number on the door. After an hour and dozens of increasingly worried texts, I finally got a reply telling me how and where to find the key. I speak a little Spanish and could follow the instructions, but you’d expect a hotel in such a popular tourist spot to have English-speaking staff. The confirmation email with the key box code only came 24 hours later. The room was €40 a night this time. I could live with its shoebox size and tiny bathroom, but the overpowering, nauseating stench from what seemed to be a broken sewage system was unbearable. It filled the whole second floor, so other rooms may have had the same problem. Opening the windows couldn’t fix faulty plumbing. They’d been left wide open when I arrived, making the room so cold I had to sleep in a sweater, and the smell got worse each day. Thankfully, I was only there for two nights and spent most of my time out, though I still had to sleep there. Water constantly dripped through badly fitted drywall in the bathroom ceiling, but that felt minor by comparison. When I got home, everything in my suitcase had absorbed the smell, so I had to wash it all. I didn’t complain during the stay because I didn’t think anyone would do anything. I somehow got through it, but I will absolutely never return. It was an insult to human dignity. Avoid this place.

Charming surroundings and interior, and the shower had good pressure and enough height for tall people. I did get a good night’s sleep, but the soundproofing claim on the booking site doesn’t match what I experienced. With the room door and balcony doors shut, I could hear people talking outside, cars passing, someone putting a key in a hostel door, toilets flushing, and sinks being used. That left me feeling misled. I’d suggest they leave sound out of the description and let guests judge the noise for themselves. 😄

We weren’t looking for anything special since we were in a bit of a hurry, but the meal was disappointing. We ordered a burger with fries and got salad instead. They also gave us some cold shrimp for free, possibly raw, and they didn’t look appetizing at all. For dessert we asked for yogurt and got a Danone pot still in its shop packaging. I’d avoid this place.

The rooms are clean and comfortable, and the price is very affordable. But the location is terrible if you have luggage, since you’ll be dragging it all the way uphill. It’s good value for the money, though there’s no AC.