Hotel Europa

A little budget gem. I’ve stayed a few times and find it small, intimate, and fun, with lovely, helpful staff and an equally fun little breakfast area. It’s a no-frills place, so the rooms are basic, but clean. The location works well for the train station or cruise terminal. Some rooms open onto huge terraces. There’s a nice little table outside where you can sit with a glass of wine in the evening.

It was 33 degrees in Genoa, and the broken air conditioning made our room unbearable. After a 6am flight we tried to sleep, but just lay there sweating and angry. The promised minibar wasn’t there either, only a half-drunk bottle of water left by the previous guest. We complained and were offered the next-door room, but its air conditioning was just as useless and seemed to date from the 1960s. We looked for somewhere else, but everything was booked except places starting at €250 a night, so we had to stay. Only after we threatened to call the police over the service we’d paid for did they give us a top-floor room with slightly better air conditioning. As a pregnant woman, I found the heat unbearable, and we lost many hours of our first day in Genoa. I feel for whoever had to sleep in those other rooms. The rest of the stay wasn’t perfect, but for the price it was acceptable apart from the temperature. What a shame. Whoever runs the hotel needs to invest in better air conditioning.

For the price, it was perfectly acceptable. I’d expected the worst after reading reviews, but the room was basic, clean, and well maintained, and it wasn’t noisy at all with the windows closed. The air conditioning was fine at 30 degrees, though probably couldn’t keep up if it were 40.

I checked in, then had to leave straight away. There was no air conditioning, and the person at reception didn’t offer another room, just said, “the night is calda” (hot). I collected my things, paid, and went to the B&B Hotel around the corner. That place saved me. It was brand new, and the air conditioning was already running when I got to my room.