Hostal Virginia

Our work weekend for eight turned into a miserable stay from the start. At check-in, a rude receptionist insisted we'd booked six rooms for twelve people, even though I'd confirmed the booking with the hotel several times. He wouldn't correct it after I tried to explain, just tossed me some key cards and smirked. My colleagues didn't mind sharing, so we went up to the rooms, where there were cockroaches in the corridors, broken furniture, missing light switches with bare wires, a toilet that wouldn't flush properly, and air-conditioning and WiFi that didn't work. A taped-up hairdryer gave one colleague an electric shock and blew up. The cafe was closed without notice, too. Since it was too late to find somewhere else, we made do. Two colleagues were arriving the next day, so I left their key cards in my room, thinking they'd be safe. After dinner, I came back with them and found the cleaning staff had removed the cards and other belongings from my room. Reception was closed, there was no clear way to contact anyone, and other hotels in Tortosa had no vacancies. My colleagues had to drive all the way back to Barcelona. The next morning the receptionist argued that it was my fault for leaving the keys there and that I should have kept my things with me. I was fed up and asked for the bill. Then he charged us for the rooms my colleagues couldn't use because his staff had taken the keys. I was too angry to argue again, so we paid and left. I've travelled all over the world and never had a stay like this. The staff handled our belongings terribly, the receptionist showed no respect or customer service, and the hygiene and facilities were disgusting and unsafe. The manager had plenty of chances to fix things but chose to argue. I never want to repeat this experience and strongly recommend avoiding this hotel.