Hotel Central Bastia

A comfortable room, helpful staff and everything was very clean. It’s an old-style hotel, and there’s no elevator, though the staff helped us with our bags. Breakfast was basic, and the internet worked fine.

We left after just one night, even though we had booked the junior suite for two. The hotel wouldn’t refund the unused second night, and we felt the suite fell short of basic cleanliness and what you’d expect from somewhere described as luxury. The room didn’t look like the booking photos. It was gloomy and dirty, with dust on the floor, lights, tables and outlets, plus a stained mattress. The air felt stifling. A ceiling fan stirred the dust, while the bathroom fan roared whenever the light was on, with the noise carrying through the room. The old sliding windows barely worked, so opening them was difficult. The sleeping area opened off a shared staircase, with the bed’s headboard against a door that had no sound insulation. We were jolted awake all night by slamming doors and voices in the hallway. There was also a room they called a guest room, but it felt more like a storage closet: no windows or air conditioning, just two small sofas, a TV and a built-in wardrobe. The wardrobe door was broken and its inside filthy, so we wouldn’t put our things there. With 30°C outside, we couldn’t stay in that room for more than a minute. The so-called kitchenette was an open passage with no door, containing a microwave, small fridge and kettle with limescale inside. There were two dirty cups on stained napkins apparently left by previous guests, and one wine glass. It was completely unusable. The toilet and shower area had no height-adjustable shower head, dirt on some surfaces and ants on the floor. The terrace felt like something from a horror movie, with walls and ceiling that looked untouched since the 19th century. Trees blocked the light and made the room feel even darker and more depressing. We asked to move to a room like the ones in the booking photos, but were offered only smaller rooms, barely bigger than a double bed, with the toilet concealed behind a wardrobe door. They offered no price reduction for moving down from the junior suite, so we refused.

There’s a great bookshop just around the corner, and the hotel is right in the heart of Bastia, close to all the transport hubs. It’s a comfortable, welcoming place, full of art and literature. Just keep in mind there’s no elevator. The old stairs have plenty of character, but can be hard for anyone with limited mobility.

The location is central and our fourth-floor room was comfortable, but there’s no elevator. Parking is on the street and you have to pay. Breakfast costs 10 euros per person, then one egg adds another 5 euros. Skip the eggs unless you want breakfast to get very expensive.