Casa Aura

We stayed because our group was in town for a competition, so moving out wasn’t easy and we only came back to sleep. After finding bed bugs in the first room, we changed rooms and ran into the same problem. At 2 am, we’d woken thinking mosquitoes were biting us, then found the bugs, killed a few, and took videos. We’d already decided to sleep on top of the covers because the pillows and covers smelled funky. Looking for bugs also showed us the sheets were dirty. The beds were old and very uncomfortable, the floor was dirty, and there was barely anywhere to put our things, just one chair and a tiny “desk.” There was no one available to help us change rooms until 7 am. I left a note at the front desk, but the woman who saw it in the morning seemed oddly unconcerned. She said they had fumigated the day before and that the huge red marks on my face, neck, arms, shoulders, back, and legs couldn’t be from bed bugs at the hotel. We had video and pictures of how the bites looked at 2 am, before they got much worse by 7. They offered another room or fumigation; we chose the room, but it had the same issue. I’m appalled. This is one of the most disgusting things I’ve been through, and I hate that they dismissed it instead of taking responsibility. I gather this happens often, since fumigating doesn’t kill bed bugs. I read that everything has to be thrown away or burned for them to actually die, though I’m not sure. The marks and horrible itching may take two weeks to go away, and there was no remorse or urgency from them about fixing the situation.

Booking.com showed a promotional rate of 300 pesos for a room with two beds, and I specifically asked for that price. The woman at the front desk charged me 450 pesos instead. I spent one night there, then moved to another hotel. Liar!

Basic and affordable, and you get what you pay for. It’s not especially nice, but the amenities are decent and the staff are friendly.

For the price, I got a nice room and bed. The restrooms were outside my room and shared with other customers, and finding the place was a bit of a hassle.