Guest House Bella Italia

Our room was in extremely poor shape, with serious moisture damage and a rotten, moldy smell. It wasn’t cleaned well, either, and there was filth throughout as well as cockroaches. We had been told at booking that an early arrival was accepted, but when we got there the room wasn’t ready. They also claimed they hadn’t seen any request for early arrival. On top of that, staff tried to stop us from accessing the complaint book, which is against the law. I found the people there dishonest and untrustworthy. In short, don’t book this place. It’s shoddy, filthy and unfriendly, even hostile.

The room was in poor condition: paint was coming off the wall, there was mold, and the door lock didn’t work properly. The bathroom had the cheapest toilet paper I’ve ever seen. There was no window to open, so the air was bad and everything felt very humid. Cockroaches seemed to enjoy the room’s climate, though I certainly didn’t. The building was noisy at night.

We only stayed one night before leaving. The room was just 22€ a night, so my expectations were already low and I didn’t mind that, but a clean, hygienic place is a basic part of hospitality. This accommodation didn’t provide even that. The bathroom was basically outside the room and seemed shared, although we had keys for it. It felt like a public bathroom: the toilet was very dirty, the bin was full of paper, the floor and sink had dirt and hair on them, and a wet, dirty towel was on the floor. The bed sheets didn’t even fit, and there was a bedside lamp with no plug, which was completely useless. We arrived around 11:30 p.m. and waited 25 minutes, making multiple calls, before someone opened the door. The listing said reception was open until midnight, but there wasn’t even a reception. I’m not especially demanding, but this was no fun at all. Maybe we made a mistake booking it in the first place, but I didn’t expect this service.

I thought I’d stay just one night because I arrived late, then head to the campsite, but I ended up staying for the whole trip. The rooms are perfectly decent for the price, under 15€ a night, and Raja, the owner, is very friendly and cordial. I arrived by plane an hour after the restaurant closed. Since I’d let him know my arrival time, Raja made me a meal, and we got along well, as I did with the regular customers. There’s a shared kitchen or the restaurant for meals. The sanitary facilities depend on guests respecting each other, especially people who expect hotel service and assume everything will be cleaned after them. Once you know it’s a bedroom with an outside kitchen and shower rooms, plus a small, cosy living room to watch TV with other residents, you can enjoy the place for what it is. There’s also a TV in each room. It’s a picturesque spot in a good location, with the whole city within walking distance. I completely disagree with the negative reviews.