Teror 503

The one good thing is the central location, though the beach is still a 20 minute walk away. After 23 stays in Playa del Ingles, this was easily the worst, and I don't think the big hotel contractors should be renting it out. The block is mostly residential and incredibly noisy. I expected some resort and traffic sounds, but inside it was constant, with doors banging, furniture scraping, couples and families arguing or screeching, and TVs or music blaring. The pool area is relatively nice, but on most days five local teenage boys took it over for hours. The loungers were dirty, old, often cracked, and uncomfortable. The apartment was dated, dirty, and scruffy. Warped door and window frames were hard to open, the sofa was stained and had holes, and graffiti was carved into the coffee table. The bathroom felt like a 1970s relic. The shower was almost impossible to use because the hose popped off its holder when pressure built up. Reception is in a glass enclosure but was never staffed. I had to email a contact to meet me for the key when I arrived, and I don't know what you'd do if you got locked out. I paid a budget price for the week, but the experience was dire.

The place was clean and had a decent coffee shop on site. We booked it because the other places were full, and the only thing we really missed was air conditioning. Next time I'll book earlier so I can make the most of the holiday.

A week before we were due to leave for Carnival in Playa del Ingles, someone from the hotel got in touch about check-in, then called again to ask if we were from Milano. When I said I live there, they told me they were cancelling my booking, along with bookings by other people from that city, because they considered Milano a “red area” due to Covid-19. At that point that wasn't true: there were no restrictions imposed by the Italian Government, and we were only at the start of this terrible experience. I asked whether this was their decision or a Spanish or local requirement. They said it was their own view, and that Italians weren't welcome. It was shocking. I'd been in Madrid on business the week before and nobody had discriminated against me. That night someone from XXXing.com called to say the hotel wanted to cancel and that they would help find another place. With Carnival just a week away, I wondered how I'd find a reasonably priced hotel in the central area where I'd booked. I told them I felt discriminated against and explained everything. The next day the booking was cancelled, and XXXing.com emailed through the app saying the hotel had temporarily closed and I'd get a full refund. I was surprised and pointed out that it would be easy to check whether the hotel had actually closed. An hour later they apologized for the incorrect information, confirmed the hotel hadn't closed, and said the reservation had simply been cancelled. They would help me find somewhere else and issue a full refund. Having a booking cancelled a week before our flight was due, and feeling targeted just because I was from Italy, made me feel they were making a fool of me. In the end, it was a good thing we didn't go, given what was happening in Spain and across Europe.

The pool and its surroundings were very clean, and the location in Playa del Ingles is great. It's opposite the Yumbo centre, close to the Kasbah centre, and near the beach.