Casa Tropicana- Homestay

Near Dona Paula, the room had a lovely look and feel. It was clean and peaceful, the service was excellent, and the staff were really friendly. I loved staying here.

I booked two rooms for my family for three days through Make My Trip, in the “annexe building.” I didn't expect it to be so far from Casa Tropicana's main property or behind a bar. The listing was misleading from the start, because the pictures showed it as part of the main property, all grouped together. They took a third-party booking that misled guests, without being accountable for it. The receptionist was extremely unhelpful and unempathetic, and seemed keen for me to take a refund, which would arrive a week later, instead of accommodating us. She told me to call Make My Trip customer care, cancel, and ask for a full refund, suggesting I give a medical reason even though the booking was non-refundable. She wouldn't take responsibility or make any adjustment. She just wanted us gone. No wonder there are so many reviews about her bad attitude toward guests. It was a horrible experience during peak season. It felt very un-Christmassy, and there was no hospitality at all. The place felt like a scam.

We booked a superior sea view room through Cleartrip, but at check-in the receptionist mistakenly put us in a premium sea view room. We didn't realize it at the time. Half an hour later he came back and told us to move to the room we had originally booked. It was much darker, smelled damp, and wasn't nearly as comfortable. We offered to pay the difference to stay in the premium room, but he refused, saying it wasn't possible because we'd booked online. That felt unfair and unprofessional. While we were moving our unpacked things, two young women at reception laughed and didn't offer any help. It was an uncomfortable and disappointing way to handle a mistake. There was no empathy or assistance, and guest comfort should matter whatever the booking method.

They didn't help us with parking or luggage. Staff watched us struggle with five bags, and two girls ran off to avoid helping. After we'd settled into the premium room, the receptionist said it had been given to us by mistake and made us move to a lower category, even though we offered to pay extra. He claimed the premium room was booked, but it was still available online. The replacement room smelled bad, was dark, and clearly had been partitioned. Nobody helped us move. The same two girls giggled and watched reels while we struggled. After two years of traveling, this was our worst hotel experience. Very disappointing and unprofessional. Maybe this can help the owner too.