Aponye Hotel

I arrived late at night and the street was dark, with huge trucks parked on both sides. A few men were hanging around, then moved closer when the taxi stopped. The driver told me not to get out straight away because it looked like we were being watched. After a woman shouted to them, they left. The driver said she’d warned them in their language that police were nearby. He offered to walk me inside for safety. I’d never been in the country before and had booked based on reviews that had seemed okay. The photos hadn’t shown what the area looked like at night. He said it was rough after dark and that even he, as a local, usually avoided going there unless necessary. There was a security guard outside, but he was busy talking and didn’t even question us as we passed. That didn’t feel secure. Inside, the long hallway and many stairs were well lit but isolated. Upstairs in the lobby, a man was asleep, stretched out with bare feet on a table. The whole place felt sketchy, and I was worried about safety. I asked the receptionist if I could cancel. She understood and made a phone call, presumably to her manager. Then she said cancelling would be fine, but because I’d booked through booking,com they would be charged commission. She asked me to cancel from my side and show proof, so she could cancel on theirs without either of us being charged. I cancelled on my phone and showed her, then she did something on her end. We said goodbye and I went to find another hotel. As soon as I connected to WiFi there, I got a notice that this hotel had charged my card for the full stay. booking,com told me the hotel had made the charge and would have to reverse it. For the next three days they kept me updated while emailing the hotel, but the hotel didn’t respond. I contacted them too, and got no reply, even though they’d been happy to communicate before the stay. In the end, I felt they had scammed me out of the cost of a room they’d agreed to cancel and probably booked again. I recorded the reception conversation in case I needed proof, but I wouldn’t upload it here because the receptionist was probably just doing what the hotel had told her.

The room I stayed in had no key for the back door, though I really liked the bed sheets. The hot showers were good, and the food was good too, but a bit costly. The restaurant and bar close at 10pm, which is too early if you want something later.

Since coming under new management, the hotel has improved its service, with clean rooms and a restaurant and bar operating on site. The elevator still wasn’t working when I posted this, so you have to take the stairs to reception and then up to your room.

Megha standard supermarket is right below this very good hotel.