I have mixed feelings about Room Mate Valentina. We stayed here for 1 week. Because we had 2 appointments at the US embassy (5 minute walk from the hotel), we felt we needed to be in the area. This hotel seemed to be the best deal.
Let me start by saying the mattress was very comfortable for M and myself. I was also surprised by the wifi in our room which was excellent during our stay. In fact, I was able to do work without interruption. The breakfast is good: scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, baguettes, bread, ham, cheese, jam, muesli, different types of yogurt, fresh fruit, tomatoes, olives, breakfast pastries, and of course coffee, tea, orange juice and milk. I don't understand why some of the reviews (was it here or on Tripadvisor) say breakfast is nothing special. It's included in the room rate and there's enough to keep you stuffed until late lunch!
Here's what I didn't like about the hotel. Lack of English TV channels. The room was dated; Carpet was ready to be renewed. The layout of the room is weird and not functional. There was no power outlet by the bed. All power outlets are were in one corner of the room. There's a sofa (sort of) but you can't watch TV from the sofa and it's not comfortable anyway. Our shower head was not OK - water was flying everywhere but down. Also, the water pressure was weak - try washing long, thick hair with that. In general, I also wasn't a fan of the area. It's a little rough and there really isn't much around unless you're into partying and drinking. There's 1 elevator for the entire hotel - there are 12 floors (if I'm not mistaken). During our 1 week stay we had housekeeping on 2 occasions. One 1 occasion, we had been out all morning and afternoon. When we came back at 4:30 p.m., housekeeping knocked on our door within 5 minutes. Towels are old and thin - I have better ones at home and they're from Ikea... One time, one of their taxi drivers named Willie took us to the historic center. Nice guy, but talks too much and is a little pushy! When I booked the hotel, I emailed them to ask about airport pick-up. I never received a reply, so arranged a pick-up elsewhere. Front desk not extremely helpful or thoughtful.
I was interested in moving hotels, but this really was the best deal given we needed to be in this area, especially with free wifi and breakfast. read more