1986's Hotel

The room was big and the air conditioning worked well, but the bed was small. The location is near the city center rather than on the beach, which was fine for me. Just don't count on the advertised sea view being much of a view. The bedding and towels were old, stained, and very dirty. Rooms had rubbish left around, including old clothes, cigarette ends, and even unused sanitary pads. When I opened a towel, one fell on me. There were also spiders and cockroaches in the room, and mice in the ceiling. I couldn't sleep easily. Some rooms had drinking water and others didn't. There were no hair dryers, and most fridge doors wouldn't shut. The staff were unpleasant, and I was told not to ask for help late at night because it disturbed the person on duty. My fault, I guess. Afterward I read the reviews and felt lucky I hadn't ordered breakfast. Something went wrong in the end. We booked late because the good hotels were already full, so we took a chance on this place. The name and exterior made me think it was a young company with better service than traditional hotels, but it still felt like the opportunistic, lax kind of business common in summer destinations serving domestic tourists. If you're heading to CL in peak season, book early.

We were a group of nearly 30, with elderly people and young children, and the hotel's attitude ended up ruining our trip. We'd planned to stay two nights but checked out after the first. I've decided I won't return to Cua Lo, and I can see why tourism there hasn't developed much over the years. Think carefully before booking here. I had clearly asked about breakfast when booking, and the hotel included it in the room rate. But nobody told us before check-in that it wouldn't be served. When we went down the next morning, we were simply informed there was no breakfast. When we raised it, the owner's manner was condescending and dismissive, as though the guests were to blame. The attitude softened only after we checked out, perhaps because they hoped I wouldn't post a review. By then I was already extremely frustrated. They had the money to build a hotel, but apparently hadn't learned how to provide good service. The room itself was spacious, but the towels were dirty and damp, and the floor was dusty and gritty.

The rooms were clean and the price was reasonable. It's fairly well located, near both the city center and the beach. The main downside was that sound carried easily between rooms.

The owner and staff were attentive and enthusiastic. My room was clean and had what I needed, and the beach was close enough to walk to. Five stars.