Maguina 1467

The positives made this a positive stay for me, though the unstable Wi-Fi and cold room were serious problems. The double room was spacious and clean, with plenty of storage, separate seats, a balcony, and tea-making facilities, though no place to hang clothes. The triple rooms are smaller and darker, but set back from the street. Staff were friendly and helpful, the bed was good, and the evening shower was hot. The rooftop terrace has an excellent view, but only stools for seating. It’s relatively quiet and about a 10-15 minute walk from the city centre. Inside, my room was colder than outside much of the time. I could walk out in a T-shirt during the day but needed a sweater and coat in the room. The Wi-Fi kept cutting out, roughly five minutes connected and five minutes without network, though the speed was good when it worked. The room wasn’t cleaned daily, but they cleaned it when asked. Hallway lights were quite bright through the window above the entrance door. There was very little water from the bathroom tap. We didn’t like breakfast much: instant coffee, juice, bread, and a thick, floury maize pancake. You may want to book without it. Breakfast hours were inflexible, only 7:30-8:30am. When we had an early hike planned, we asked to take breakfast the night before and couldn’t. Staff didn’t speak any English and had to ask the manager or owner, who was only available by phone, for permission on everything. That could easily cause miscommunication. The other downsides were less serious than the cold and Wi-Fi.

We ran into an issue with Booking.com, but the manager listened and came up with a solution. The welcome was very warm, and the team deserves a big thank you. The hotel was quiet and close to the city centre, and our room was spacious, comfortable, and clean. We highly recommend it.

The rooms were fine, but we had to ask several times to get hot water for the showers. They refused to lend us cutlery and cups to cook our meal, and when we got to the rooftop kitchen it was extremely dirty. To top it off, the woman apparently in charge of the hostel, who had refused us the cutlery, asked us for money as a “gift.”

I had such a lovely time! The rooms are comfortable and affordable, and I went with my university class. The staff were so kind and helpful. 🥰 I’d definitely come back!