Años 50

The room was awful: the jacuzzi was dirty, the ground-floor window facing an alley full of bins wouldn’t close, and the bathroom smelled damp. The pillowcases were stained. From 1 to 3am, the upstairs jacuzzi was so loud that I could hear it through earplugs. Then at 5:30am water poured through the ceiling so heavily we could have showered under it. That might have been nicer than the actual shower. We reported the window as soon as we arrived, and the receptionist “kindly” gave us two 500ml bottles of water, worth maybe €4. The next morning we reported the leak, but got no explanation or offer of a refund. We couldn’t face complaining about everything else and just wanted to leave. My partner keeps calling about a refund and is being fobbed off with things like “call back later.” Getting that room was a mess too. We booked through booking.com, and the day before our stay they claimed they had tried twice to charge my card and it was declined. It wasn’t, and the same card paid for other accommodation and car hire that day. We switched to my partner’s card, but they never even tried charging it. My partner called the morning we left and was told we could pay on arrival. After midnight, when we finally arrived, they told us our booking had been cancelled because they couldn’t take payment. Booking.com showed it had been cancelled less than three hours earlier, while we were on the flight. They did have a room, but wanted €30 more. I refused because we had given them another card and they hadn’t tried it. They said they couldn’t use it because it wasn’t in my name, though neither their policy nor booking.com’s said that, and we often use my partner’s card on my account. Even if that were their policy, why not tell us before cancelling, or when we called? It was midnight and we were exhausted from travelling, so I lost the standoff and reluctantly took the “premium” room. Worst hotel experience of my life.

We had booked a month ahead, but our room was cancelled just two days before check-in. They said part of the hotel was being renovated and there were no rooms, yet rooms for those same dates were still being offered on Booking.com. It felt dishonest and unprofessional. They gave us no alternative place to stay and no compensation, leaving us to find somewhere else at the last minute. Very disappointing. I wouldn’t recommend it.

Watch out if you’re a tourist booking through booking.com or a similar site. After you enter your payment details, the hotel may reject the card and ask for another one. They did the same with the second card, waiting until just before arrival, then cancelled our reservation. When you show up unaware that the booking has been cancelled, they say the room isn’t available at the original price, but offer it for 150€ more. My father and I politely told the unprofessional, arrogant person behind the desk where to go.

The desk guy was kind, and for a one-night stay when I didn’t need much, it worked out okay. If you’re travelling solo and only need a bed, it can do the job, just bring earplugs. There was arguing from 10pm to 4am, either from bar guests or hotel workers, I couldn’t tell, and people were talking and shouting right outside my room. It didn’t feel like anyone cared about guests getting rest. My noise-cancelling earbuds helped me sleep a little, but I wouldn’t recommend this place if you want a quiet night or decent sleep before a flight.