Rooftop53

For €208 a night, I expected a private suite. What I got was a bedroom and bathroom in a run-down shared apartment, with worn furniture and no privacy. The toilet seat was broken, the bath had no shower holder and ran out of hot water, and people on the shared terrace could look straight into the room while eating breakfast. The “private” terrace is used by guests from other apartments in the building, reportedly dozens of them at breakfast. I was also woken before 8 AM by noise from the shared kitchen and living room. The view is just the neighboring building. The Booking.com listing says there are soundproof walls, a balcony, sea, pool, garden, or mountain views, a concierge, a 24-hour front desk, a spa, and a private beach area. None of those things exists. This is blatant false advertising and a serious misrepresentation. At best it’s a €50 shared Airbnb room, not a €208 “superior suite.” Avoid it and book a 4 star hotel for the same money. Booking.com has been told the listing is wrong, but hasn’t corrected it.

My booking at rooftop53 was cancelled by the owner because of a room problem that was completely outside my control. We had to scramble to find somewhere at the last minute. He said he’d refund my $1043, but hasn’t replied to my emails or approved the refund through the booking company. Don’t book this hotel.

The owner was lovely and very helpful, and breakfast service was great, with an amazing view. It’s well placed too, close enough to walk to the center.

The breakfast was genuinely good, especially the fruit salad made on the spot, and the staff were pleasant. Still, the listing and the actual stay were completely different, and I had a bad experience. There was a persistent sewer smell in the bathroom. When I reported it, staff said it sometimes happens because of the sea, seriously. The manager first told me on WhatsApp that it was a first, then admitted there was a problem after I said the staff had confirmed it. I have records of those messages. The listing photos showed a bright room with a French door onto a private balcony. In reality, it was a small window opening onto a shared balcony used by other rooms. To get any privacy, I had to shut the window and shutters and sit in darkness. The bathroom window also faced that shared balcony. For a shower I had to close the frosted glass window, but the open shutter got in the way, while closing it left me in the dark. The shower hose was broken and leaking, and there were black marks on the white sink fixtures. I have photos. My request to leave my suitcase until 16h was flatly refused. Breakfast in the shared space was a bit noisy, and it felt more like being a guest in someone’s home than staying at a professional property. The neighborhood wasn’t nice, and although everything was 10 minutes away on foot, the area down below felt depressing.