Villa Alejandro

The room was smaller than we expected and disappointing without any private outdoor space. Our Junior King Suite was beside the road, with no view or private patio, something we hadn’t picked up from the photos. They offered to move us to their other location, but we had a lot of luggage and weren’t sure how to get a taxi there quickly. The hotel itself is a nice boutique place with a pretty garden view and a communal kitchen for rooms that don’t have one.

It’s an easy walk into town, and the atmosphere is nice. The staff were great, and sharing the kitchen worked well for us. Check-in was virtual, which was new for me, but it got easy once I set up WhatsApp on my phone. The virtual staff replied quickly and gave us lots of guidance on the Villa facilities, local attractions, and places to eat.

We appreciated how professionally the staff handled our room issue. They moved us upstairs to BARU, a much better room that was newly renovated, very nice, and completely free of mold. The staff were also very nice and quick to respond on WhatsApp. The problem was downstairs: there was a strong mold smell as soon as we entered, despite the air fresheners, and the walls of our original ground-floor double room with two bedrooms were covered in mold. After we’d been there for a while, my eyes got itchy and irritated, which made us worry about our health. I’d strongly recommend avoiding the ground-floor rooms, though the upstairs rooms are a great option.

Remember to bring your phone for the digital check-in, which worked really well. The room had a bathroom, balcony, and little kitchenette. It’s about a five-minute walk to the main street, with restaurants and bars there.