Benedettini Palace - exclusive suites & views

Getting to the room was confusing from the start. There was just a small sign with a phone number, no clear directions or explanation of how to get in. We were told how to enter after calling, but the instructions about where and when were unclear, and the suggested place to leave our bags didn’t feel safe. Several sites called this a hotel, but it didn’t seem like one. The location was okay for nearby restaurants, though the beach and food shops were a long way off. The room wasn’t clean or sanitary, and neither were the plates and cutlery. The room description was misleading: there was no luxury feel or flat-screen TV like the listing said, and there was no cleaning service either.

There’s no lobby, and check-in is through a coded box like on Airbnb. The listing on hotels.com mentioned an airport transfer, but none was available. Calling this a “palace” is a stretch: it’s an apartment split into three rooms, and the building has clearly seen better days.

The place inside is quite pretty, though the “palace” is cramped and the rooms are very small. The kitchen is in poor shape, especially the refrigerator, which badly needs cleaning. The air conditioning doesn’t work, the Wi-Fi is very slow, and there’s a lot of noise. It felt like sleeping in the street. The lobby, shared spaces and stairwell were dirty and run-down, and remote check-in wasn’t adequate. Calling it a “Palace” gives the wrong impression, and it isn’t good value for money.

The central location was the one thing I really liked. I wouldn’t stay again, though. The bathroom was much too small, and the cleaning was careless: the sheets were dirty and there was hair on the floor. The fridge didn’t get cold enough, and there wasn’t even a bottle of water. Since it’s an apartment, I expected at least the basics. Only a few TV channels worked. I’d expected more.