Balisani Padma Hotel

The staff are friendly and accommodating, though there's no towels in the room. You have to ask reception, and the towels they give you are small, old, and barely cover you. Breakfast is basic, just toast, eggs, and orange juice. It's been 11 years since my last stay, and the rooms are still old and dirty. The shower curtain is mouldy, and the pillow still needs replacing.

The staff were mostly nice, probably the hotel's only positive. It's an old place, so don't expect much despite the positive reviews. My second room had a shower, which was an improvement on the first, but the water was only cold. The lock wouldn't open, so my friend and I climbed in and out through the window. In the first room, the lights didn't work, and the bath was mouldy with no proper shower. Breakfast was basic, toast and eggs with a plate of fruit if you ate those. They wouldn't provide pool towels when I asked, and told me to use my shower towel. There were only six other guests, so I didn't think that was a lot to ask. The beds were hard, uncomfortable, and noisy, and kept waking me up until my back hurt.

At $18 a night, I'm glad we got a deal. The pool is really nice, but everything else is seriously lacking, and I'd have been furious at the full price. I wouldn't use the shower, which was yellowish green, and the doors don't lock properly from inside. The waitresses always seemed in a bad mood. We ordered from the lunch menu and got a sigh and a “fine.” The food tasted great 45 minutes later, though nothing special. The bar only opens if you can find someone to serve you. Checking in between 11pm and 5am takes about 20 minutes, and after that you have to ask how to find your room, where the included free water is, and what the Wi-Fi password is.

The room was clean, though it could be better, and it felt a little old. The air con worked well, and the balcony had a nice view. I loved the outside and the good pool, and the staff were good, especially the security team. It felt safe to stay here.