Travelodge Murcia

We booked a room for that same day, and the women at reception were extremely kind and helpful. The room was clean. The hotel is close to the highway, and there’s private underground parking.

The staff were really helpful, and the hotel gave us a free buffet breakfast the next day. The place itself is very dated and grim, with cracked ceilings and poor beds. Travelodge bought the Campanile motel, made no improvements, and put its badge on it. We wouldn’t have booked if we’d known how poor the rooms and beds were. The bed in our first room was broken and dipped right down to the floor when we lay on it, and we’re not big people. The TV remote didn’t work either, and the huge cracks in the ceiling made the room depressing. The hotel was full, so we ended up in a cramped twin room with three separate beds. Those were okay, but it was very hot. The air conditioning couldn’t be turned off and kept blowing heat even after we turned it down or set it low. At 10pm I went to reception in my PJs. The receptionist said the heating stays on in winter and can’t be set to cold, and that switching off the units was complicated. She called for help. An onsite repair guy came up and managed to stop the hot air, and we finally got to sleep. The free breakfast was nice of them, but I’m glad we didn’t pay for it. It was pretty grim: a small bowl of very nice scrambled eggs, bacon, thin pale sausages, a toaster, some fruit that looked off, pastries, and cold cuts. Definitely not worth €10 each. We tried to get eggs, but some guy emptied the bowl while we were waiting. That sort of says it all. There’s free street parking. It’s a 50-minute yomp to the centre, so use the tram. Tea and coffee facilities are available if you ask at reception, though they can run out.

It’s reasonably priced for a night or two. But if you’re travelling with babies or toddlers, there’s no microwave to heat baby food or a bottle of milk.

This still feels like a Campomile waiting for the Travelodge refurbishment. We only stayed because it was a last-minute trip to Murcia. Our bed was broken, so we moved to a room that was baking hot, and we couldn’t turn on the AC because it was still winter in mid-March. The staff were accommodating and very apologetic about problems outside their control, and gave us complimentary breakfast. It should cost €10 per person, and I’d have been very unhappy paying that. A very sad spread.