Gala Placida Experience 1923

There’s an underground parking option nearby for €18, but the stay itself was frustrating. On the first day the heater had problems, so there was no hot water. We kept being told it would be ready in five minutes, every ten minutes or so. When it finally came back, the water pressure was barely there. There’s no reception after 7pm, and nobody replied to our message. The bathroom was in a disastrous state. Breakfast was two pieces of toast with canned tomato and ham paste, plus coffee and juice. I had to bring water from my room for the coffee machine because the supply ran out quickly.

I nearly cancelled after reading the negative reviews, but I'm glad I stayed. The staff, hotel, and neighborhood were all very good, and the place was clean and well organized. I booked through booking.com. Apart from a couple of small issues with the shower and keypad, everything was spot on. Some of those reviewers need to have their heads checked.

For €37 a night, this was a good deal; people would have to pay three times as much before complaints seemed fair. The room was good, the parking was a three-minute walk rather than ten, and the pool was on the first floor, not across the street 😅. Ignore the one-star Karens!

We still haven't received the promised £100 refund. We stayed in December, and now it's February. We've called Booking.com and the hotel several times, but every time we hear the same thing: “The manager is not in. Call back tomorrow.” It feels clear they're avoiding us and refusing to return the money. This whole stay felt like a scam and was one of my worst hotel experiences. At check-in, reception was empty even though they knew when we were arriving, and we waited more than 15 minutes for someone to appear. We hadn't been told that the hotel uses two separate buildings. After carrying our luggage up stairs in the first one, we had to take a ridiculous route to the second. If we'd known, we would have made sure to book in the main building. The room was shockingly dark, with no ceiling light, just a small lamp. The towels were ripped, worn, and discoloured, and the sheets were torn and full of holes. It didn't feel prepared for guests. We complained right away because this wasn't what we'd paid for. Staff were reluctant at first, then offered a room that had actually been prepared. But they also told us we'd have to leave after the first night and find somewhere else to stay, promising to refund the second night. Tired from a full day of travel, we had no choice but to accept and spend the night looking for other accommodation. Don't book here. It's unprofessional, dishonest, and not worth the stress.