Eurostars Araguaney

The price left me expecting much more from a hotel sold as 5*. On one of our four days, the room wasn’t cleaned, and breakfast was very expensive. Thankfully there are plenty of nice cafes nearby for less than half the price, including Liam, a sophisticated brunch place that was cheaper and very nice. Parking, one reason I chose the hotel, was expensive too. There are some real positives: it’s very close to the center, the hall and reception have an impressive old museum style, and the rooms are huge. But much of the rest didn’t feel like 5* service or quality. The building is quite old, with a dated and depressing cafeteria/bar that’s expensive compared with more attractive nearby places. The pool is small and looks old, internet is slow, and there are few TV channels. Rooms have no cattle for tea or coffee and no complimentary water, something common in many 4* hotels. I also missed a personal touch. I’ve stayed at many Eurostars hotels and had a good impression of the chain until now. This experience with Araguaney will make me more careful about choosing a Eurostars property. It’s a shame the chain markets this as a 5* hotel, setting expectations it can’t meet.

The balcony was very nice, and the location, rooms, beds, and service were all lovely. The decor is distinctive, and the restaurant is nice too, see my separate review. Breakfast felt limited for the price, especially with plenty of better options nearby. The pool was the letdown: the water was almost cold, and as far as we saw, nobody used it, including us.

The front desk service was excellent, and the hotel has some cool style at heart. It’s also easy to walk to the historic center. Still, for what I paid, the stay disappointed me. It felt odd for a “5-star” hotel to have no complimentary tea or coffee or daily water in the room, and the shower’s water pressure and temperature weren’t satisfactory. The furniture and decor were outdated as well.

TripAdvisor showed Eurostar as pet-friendly, but when I arrived with my poodle, I was told pets weren’t allowed. I had to find another hotel at the last minute, and they refused to refund my booking of over 500€. TripAdvisor sent Eurostar a refund request with documentation of the false advertising, but told me Eurostar still wouldn’t issue a refund, even with the evidence. Eurostar has since corrected its TripAdvisor listing, but I’m still out more than 500€ because of their mistake.