Sercotel Valencia Ruzafa

A lovely place to stay, and the staff were unbeatable. The reception team were incredible: friendly, helpful, and there for us throughout. They also arranged our airport transfers.

We finished a 5-day stay at Soho Valencia, and there were some nice touches. The staff were friendly, and the street may be busy, but closed windows kept it from being a problem. We could pay €15 to check in at 1 p.m. instead of 4 p.m., which was a lifesaver after a long trip. There were enough kitchen utensils for basic things, though not for cooking regularly. Complimentary coffee, sugar, and tea were appreciated. There's also a toilet near reception where you can wait before your room is ready, plus hand sanitizer and shampoo. The downsides took up more of our stay. We had no hot water for three of the five days. I understand the boiler for our room broke unexpectedly, but I think it should have been fixed sooner. Paying that price and going without hot water for 60% of the stay is ridiculous. The room was also badly lit. The bathroom was fine, but the living room and kitchen had two small bulbs that weren't bright enough, plus three other lights shining vertically for no clear reason. I contacted the staff, but they only offered a table lamp. This seems to be an ongoing issue: I saw reviews from two or three years earlier mentioning the lights, and it looks like the owner hasn't addressed it. Proper LED bulbs wouldn't cost much. Watching anything on the TV was nearly impossible, even with the brightness at 100 and those lights on. It felt like they were saving on electricity. The room was described as "soundproof," but I could hear the upstairs neighbor when they came back in the early hours. In other places advertised that way, we couldn't hear anything. There was also mold in the bathroom, especially in the corners near the walk-in shower. Cleaning was meant to happen every third day but actually happened every fourth. I don't mind that schedule, but why not say so? On the last day, cigarette smoke in our room was unbearable. We'd noticed some on day three too, though a little breeze cleared it. I can't say where it came from, but someone in another room may have been smoking under the extractor hood. Otherwise, the building's ventilation must be poor. I told the staff, and they said they'd write to the person in the other room but couldn't really do anything. The fridge had no freezer, unlike every other place we stayed. And calling that a balcony seems a stretch: you can't even fit a chair there. It seems more like somewhere for smokers to step out without leaving the building, so I'd call it a French-esque window. I understand they take card details to charge for any damage found later, but I'd never come across that before and it felt odd. A cash deposit returned after the stay would make more sense to me.

The bilingual staff were super friendly. Our kitchenette was spacious, clean, and comfortable.

Fantastic place with a great location and superb service. The staff were exceptional, the bed was lovely, and the kitchenette was well equipped. I'd recommend it 100%.