This was a hotel that I spent a long time researching before booking. It had excellent reviews and a very high rating online. Unfortunately, my experience was a case of “looks great from a distance, but not quite as impressive up close.”
Let me start with the positives.
The lobby is beautiful, with a charming vintage design that creates a great first impression. The front desk staff were friendly, helpful, and communicated well in English. Upon arrival, we were offered cold towels and refreshing welcome drinks, which was a nice touch after a long journey.
We decided to have lunch at the hotel’s restaurant. The food was average—not particularly memorable, but enough to satisfy our hunger.
The staff escorted us and our luggage to the room. At first glance, the room looked acceptable, but as someone who is quite particular about cleanliness, I quickly noticed a significant amount of dust on various surfaces. I tried not to dwell on it because, for me, the most important thing is a clean and comfortable bed.
Unfortunately, that night became the worst part of our stay.
I barely slept during my first night. Throughout the night, I felt as though something was biting my skin, and I found myself constantly scratching. It was extremely uncomfortable and frustrating.
The following morning during breakfast, a staff member kindly asked how we had slept. I honestly explained my experience and mentioned that I felt I had been bitten by something during the night. I requested that the bed linens be changed.
To their credit, the staff responded immediately. They informed the front desk, and shortly afterwards a manager came to speak with us personally, apologised sincerely, and arranged for a deep cleaning of our room. At that moment, I truly appreciated their attitude because they made me feel that they genuinely cared and were actively trying to solve the problem.
We then left for our day of sightseeing.
When we returned to the hotel that afternoon, I was genuinely surprised. The room felt completely different from the day before. It smelled fresh and clean, every surface had been thoroughly wiped down, the floors were spotless, and even the musty smell that I had previously noticed was gone. The room finally felt as clean as I had expected from a highly rated hotel.
As an additional gesture, the hotel offered me a complimentary 20-minute herbal bath treatment as compensation. I thought that was a thoughtful gesture and appreciated the effort they made to make things right.
Most importantly, I slept wonderfully on the second night.
For service and recovery, I would honestly give the team more than full marks. While the initial issue should not have happened, the way they handled the situation was professional, sincere, and efficient.
As for breakfast, it was decent and perfectly acceptable. There was enough variety, although I believe there is still room for improvement.
I would still recommend this hotel. The location is excellent, with many attractions and the riverside within easy walking distance.
Regarding the facilities, they are all on the smaller side. The swimming pool is beautiful but quite small. The gym is compact, and the children’s playroom is also rather limited in size. None of these were deal-breakers for us, but they are worth noting for future guests.
Overall, while the stay did not start well, the outstanding service recovery and excellent location left a positive final impression. No hotel is perfect, but what matters is how they respond when something goes wrong—and this hotel handled it exceptionally well.
