La Vila Maria

The shower flooded the whole bathroom, there were no amenities, and the room was poorly cleaned, with spider nests all over. It felt like a bug-infested basement. The room they eventually gave us was nothing like the pictures: barely enough space for luggage, and no chair or table as shown on the booking sites. When we arrived, staff demanded more money for the room we’d booked. They said the place was fully booked, which seemed like a clear lie to make us pay extra. At €70, you could stay somewhere nice with proper service and better value. This felt like a total scam, with misleading pictures and pressure to pay more on arrival. An absolute nightmare, avoid it.

The room we ended up in was dirty, covered in spider nests, and clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly. The shower leaked across the floor, and the promised amenities weren’t there. On arrival, staff demanded more money for the room shown in the pictures, saying otherwise the hotel was fully booked. The whole stay felt like an attempt to squeeze extra cash from guests. Vila Maria is untrustworthy and uses deceptive practices to charge more when you arrive. Avoid it.

We stayed for a week and found the location decent. The owner is very passionate about his place and quite forward, while his daughter, who helps him or may be a co-owner, is kind and understanding. We arrived a little early but were still checked in. They noticed we weren’t young and moved our room from upstairs to downstairs. They also recommended a restaurant around the corner, and it was delicious. It’s near the train station. They only take cash at check-in. You can use the station ATM, but the fees are crazy: we took out $400 and were charged $470, about $70 in interest.

The room was exceptionally clean and quiet, and the bed was comfortable, which was a relief after we’d been awake for 24 hours. The host speaks English fluently and was very helpful. It’s easy to find and just two hundred meters from North Rail Station, so it’s a perfect spot if you’re traveling from there.