Hostal Can Gatell

The place was a mess from the start. The air conditioner was covered in mold, the doors wouldn’t lock from inside, and the elevator’s doors didn’t close from inside either. You have to wait 10 seconds for them to shut, and they close without sensors, which feels dangerous. The small shower is about 1x1 sq. m. and looks more like a cheap vertical coffin than somewhere to wash. Soap is provided, but it’s very harsh and left me needing moisturizer. You have to buy shampoo, shower gel, and toothpaste yourself. Reception is open until 11 PM. Sitting on floor 0 (reception) is prohibited. The dark-skinned gentleman at reception harassed a female guest. 🥴 The laundry room looks like a horror room (see photos). There’s one washing machine and one dryer, both always occupied. Each costs €2.5, or you get two free uses A MONTH. Laundry closes at 10 PM, and you have to bring your own detergent. Don’t count on the dryer, it works extremely poorly. Even at the maximum temperature, clothes don’t dry properly, so it’s definitely not worth €2.5. There’s only one vending machine, and it doesn’t work. You have to download a non-working app to buy anything, since you can’t just use a card. Water costs €2. Sometimes the machine breaks and charges you without giving you anything, and hotel staff refuse to help. The fire alarm went off THREE times at night, all false alarms. Once it blared at full volume for 20 MINUTES. There were ants in the rooms, lots of them, so be careful (see photos). During my 4 months there, bedbugs infested the hotel and scabies started. Since there’s nowhere to iron the linens, there’s a risk of infection. The mattress pad kept crumbling and covering the bed and floor in white bits. After a month of asking, they finally replaced it with a normal one. Several times I saw brown stains on replacement bed linens (see photos). The cleaners come once a week and leave enough linen for the week, so you might not notice the stains right away. If I caught them before they left, they would replace it. The cleaners stopped coming once a week after deciding I “could clean the room myself.” When I asked what that meant, the Ukrainian woman said they were offended and wouldn’t clean. Reception and housekeeping aside, I’ve stayed in many third-world countries, and this is definitely the worst hotel I’ve ever been to.

The receptionist’s behavior toward a female guest was intrusive and crossed clear boundaries. He asked overly personal questions and made suggestive comments, speaking as though they were having a private conversation instead of a professional interaction. The guest was clearly uncomfortable, but he ignored her reaction and carried on.

The room was tiny, noisy, and far too expensive. The shower was only adequate if you’re extremely skinny, and there was barely any hot water. The air conditioner made lots of noise without doing much else. Some staff were rude, others downright offensive. Best avoided, and I won’t be returning to this dive.

The reception is the one part that doesn’t look dated. The rest feels straight out of the 90s, and the photos give the wrong impression. I found the place completely uncomfortable. The woman at the desk was rude and no help at all. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.