Pensión Catedral

The location is great, but I wouldn’t stay here again. Our room smelled awful, somewhere between musty and fishy, and there were little ants, especially on the bedside tables. Guests don’t have a fridge. Parking costs €18 a night, and the layout is terrible. Another car blocked us in, so we waited 45 minutes for a guest from another hostel to move it. While we waited, another car got stuck between the pillars, which is easy to do in such a tight space. On our first day, as we struggled to park, the receptionist called my boyfriend a bad driver. That was unprofessional and unhelpful, and I’d like to see them park in the spot they sent us to. Not worth it.

The location is Pensión Catedral in Seville. Our stay was awful, especially because of the state of the bedding and towels. They asked us not to use the towels to remove makeup, but the towels we were given were visibly stained and dirty. I asked for a clean one, and they replaced it after seeing how filthy the first was. After we left, my friend and I developed painful bites. A doctor later said they were from bed bugs and spiders. Our bites looked different, as shown in the pictures. I also got conjunctivitis during the trip, which made me wonder how dirty the sheets had been. When I contacted the property, they acted surprised despite other reviews mentioning cleanliness and bed bug problems. They denied responsibility and said the photos weren’t taken at their premises, even though bites can take a couple of days to appear. That meant there was no inspection or refund from them. It was outrageous. Airbnb refunded only 30% of the total cost, which I found completely unacceptable given how serious this was. This place felt dirty and unsafe for our health. I’d avoid it, especially given the risk of bringing spiders or bed bugs home, or ending up in the hospital.

The room was tiny and gloomy, with no natural sunlight, and felt cold and damp even though the weather outside was scorching. It reminded me of a dark rat hole. There was an old, shabby wooden wardrobe, and the thin mattress made the bed extremely uncomfortable. The bedding looked unclean, and I felt like insects might have bitten me. Bugs resembling cockroaches were always crawling around the bathroom sink. Noise from passing cars made it hard to sleep, and the room’s position near the building entrance felt unsafe. There was only one key for the two of us, and the staff were unfriendly, which made an already bad stay worse.

The shared bathrooms on our floor had clearly been renovated, and the toilet and shower were in good condition. That was the one bright spot. The price is among the lowest in Sevilla, but the rooms are poorly decorated and filled with very old, broken furniture. Service is limited, and the requested insurance fee seems unnecessary when there’s little of value to steal or break. The room doors are thin and flimsy, and awkward to get through with a suitcase or large backpack.