Hostal Roomsole

The location is the one good thing, provided you can put up with the noise at night. The rooms were shabby and the bathrooms and toilets had no doors. The receptionist, who was rarely around, was very rude. There are lots of other hotels nearby, so I’d look elsewhere.

The room was much smaller than the pictures suggest, and between the busy road outside and the broken air conditioning, I had the most restless sleep of my life. The AC was leaking, and despite calling again and again, nobody picked up. We went all day without air in high temperatures and had to keep the window open. The sliding toilet door wouldn’t shut properly, there were no bins in the room, and the reception desk was empty about 90% of the time. At checkout, with nobody there as usual, we had to put the keys in a black box. After all my calls and messages, they only replied once we’d checked out and didn’t address my concerns. The WiFi was terrible and wouldn’t connect on my iPhone. Honestly, don’t let the aesthetic fool you. It’s not worth it.

Once you’ve figured out where to go, it’s a great stay. When we arrived, there was no sign or anything to explain what to do, and I felt like a complete idiot standing there. I ended up asking the women smoking outside a nearby store. But the building itself is great, and it’s a really good budget hotel. If they put money into the rooms, they could probably charge double or triple the current rate.

The location is clearly the best thing about this place. My room, though, was the worst I’ve ever had, even compared with more expensive ones. It was tiny, noisy, and had no view. The toilet outlet pipes were exposed in the room, the bathroom had no door, and the toilet was right beside the pillow. If you wanted any privacy, your spouse, mom, friend, or dog would have to leave the room. You also couldn’t open the window, and the setup was awful. There were huge gaps under the doors, so hallway lights kept switching on and off all night, and mosquitoes got in. WiFi didn’t work, and housekeeping missed a couple of days. I could keep listing problems. Avoid this place, even if it means a long metro ride.