Albergo Lussino

I was meant to stay here for three months while starting a job, but I couldn’t do it and even gave up the job. I’m not trying to be cruel, but people should know what they’re walking into. I booked after making arrangements with Mr. Paolo, the owner, some time earlier. I asked about bringing my cat, and he said no, asking who would look after her while I was at work. I hadn’t realized the room would be about 2m x 2m, basically closet-sized. If you allow pets, you allow them; if not, then don’t. On the way there, he messaged me to call half an hour before arriving. I tried calling and texting, but got no answer. We arrived at 4:30 pm, when we’d said we would, and nobody was there. We waited with no call or update. I went to speak to the coordinator for the job, and while I was there I got her calls. When I came out and answered, she said he’d be there in ten minutes. We waited, and he eventually arrived. I don’t judge people, but you could smell alcohol on him. He let us in and asked if my partner was my brother. What? I could barely understand what he was trying to say. After all that, he gave me a key for the first floor, room 4. I opened it and found it was occupied. The person wasn’t there, but I had the key. I went downstairs and asked the kind Paolo if he’d given me the wrong one. He had, but said, “Oh, no, it’s room 4.” Fine. The room we got was smaller than a closet, faced the inner courtyard, and smelled awful. There was a lot of dust behind the TV, and as soon as we entered the hotel all we could smell was beer. We went around town, and I have plenty to say about that too, but better not. When we returned, he wasn’t there, so we had to reach through a gate to enter by the next entrance. So much for security. We grabbed our bags and ran. There was no Wi-Fi.

I was there for one night. The price and the hotelier’s friendliness were the main pluses. The old building has no elevator, and my room with a bathroom was on the third floor, six flights up. The room smelled horribly musty, the only window looked into the building’s inner courtyard, and the view was awful. It wasn’t very clean either, there was even a cobweb in the bathroom. There was no hairdryer, bathrobe, or large towel for showering. Breakfast, served downstairs by the owner, who runs a bar, was disappointing too: a reheated croissant with jam inside that stayed very cold and dense. The cappuccino at night was good, though.

I spent a week in Monfalcone for work and had a good stay. The room was clean, and Orlando, the owner, was very friendly.

The owner is a really special person, and the place offers excellent value for the price. I’d recommend it to people like me who work nearby and need somewhere quick and decent to stay, especially around Monfalcone, Trieste, or Grado in Friuli Venezia Giulia.