Hotel Baru

The staff were fantastic, and I couldn’t fault them. That’s why I gave the place two stars instead of one. The hotel itself was very poor, though. It was about $8 for a basic room, relatively cheap, and came in handy as a place to stay when I needed one. But it was a dive. I found it in Lonely Planet, which in hindsight should have been a warning. The sheets seemed not to have been changed in ages, and the dark, damp rooms all opened onto a small enclosed courtyard. Groups gathered there and made noise well past midnight. I eventually got up and asked them to be more considerate. The toilet looked clean but smelled strongly of urine, and pouring water didn’t get rid of it. Since the door wouldn’t shut, the smell spread through the room. A fan that barely worked helped a little.