Hotel Spa Congreso

I've been here once before, 5 or 6 years ago, and don't remember it being like this. We've only been here 45 minutes and it's already a mess. We have more than 20 hours to go. Pray for us! First, we asked reception to book the spa. The receptionist said to dial 500 from our room phone, but the phone didn't work. I called reception from my own phone, and they said there was nothing they could do, and I had to go there in person to speak with her colleague. That's a five minute walk each way. The spa staff member frowned when I mentioned we had a 3 year old with us. Our little one was asleep, but she wouldn't make any allowance and gave us only two options: go right then or come at 10.30 tomorrow morning, with checkout at 12.00. We agreed. She gave us bathrobes since there weren't any in our room, but warned that if the cleaning lady took them, she couldn't give us others tomorrow. After all that, I went to the bar for a sandwich or something to eat, only to find there was nothing. A staff member told me, 'We have nothing to eat but if you want up on the street is a Burger King.' Really?

The family room is spacious and clean, and the indoor pool and spa are nice to have on rainy days. That's about where the positives end. The hotel is starting to look old, and it sounds and smells old too. Soundproofing seems nonexistent. It's not as close to Santiago as advertised, and even though the staff are willing to please, they can't make up for the poor breakfast. On a windy day, with the bathroom window open, the false ceiling nearly came off.

The place deserves a 1 star rating. The rooms need updating, the shower was the worst I've ever had, and every little hallway noise comes through. The air conditioning wasn't working either. Breakfast was a mess: the dining room looked like a tornado had gone through, trays were picked over, the deli meat was old, and the tables were dirty. Don't waste your money.

For the price I paid, it was okay, but this is far from a really good hotel. The rooms are huge, though noisy, and the building is old, which shows in a few ways. Getting to the spa means crossing the whole hotel. The spa itself is alright and has a few different treatments. Breakfast has plenty of options, but almost everything was poor quality and I didn't like it at all. I could give it 4 stars at the price I paid, but if it cost more, I wouldn't recommend it.