The Macaw Guesthouse

The host was kind, but the place didn’t feel peaceful or secure. There was a lot of commotion when I arrived, and then I read earlier guest reviews and saw this wasn’t an isolated experience. I left early and booked somewhere else. I wouldn’t recommend it to travelers who care about quiet and feeling safe. Please run the other way.

The room had blood on the mirror, a dirty mattress and bedding, holes in the walls, and no heater. It reeked of weed, and there was a lot of fighting. The owner’s son spent an hour and a half in the communal shower and left his underwear on the sink. There was also a random ferret named Ludwig. At least it was affordable, though compared with the experience, we might have overpaid. Definitely unforgettable. James had a British accent on the phone, but I couldn’t find him in person. The guy who said he was James was named Brian and had a normal NY accent. So confusing!

I felt so uncomfortable that I left after one night, even though I’d paid for four. The proprietors argued and shouted at each other, and the rooms smelled weird. The only bedding besides the sheets was a sad, mall-thin coverlet, so it was cold. The guy called and said he’d try to get me a partial refund, then denied it. I was out of pocket, but stayed somewhere much nicer. Would NOT recommend.

I left after an hour, not because I was waiting for a room booked through Expedia, but because I felt unsafe. The proprietors were fighting loudly and intensely, insulting and threatening each other and briefly another guest. I quickly booked somewhere else and went. Another guest told me he’d been moved from room to room over the past few days. He said the previous night the original occupant of the room he was in came back and threatened to call the police when he found him in his bedroom. While I was there, a proprietor threatened to kick that guest out, or at best make him sleep on the sofa because the place was overbooked. There’s a certain old school NY energy about the place and its guests, but these people seriously need to check themselves and get some help.