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OverlandSolo
Menlo Park, California

Disappointing hotel; use only as a last resort despite good location

Review of Hotel Arenal
2.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed 30 Jul 2019
I chose Hotel Arenal because it was centrally located. The hotel was poor, bordering on terrible.

(1) the front steps of the hotel begin behind the narrow sidewalk of its one-way street. No place for a taxi to pull over so either the taxi stops traffic or it pulls to the right and you have to cross the street; no taxis available at the hotel.
(2) the windows didn't close correctly in my room; the wind whistled and rustled the drapes all night.
(3) the hotel has an elevator, but you have to take stairs to get to the elevator, both from the street and then from the lobby; some of the floors have steps between the elevator and the rooms
(4) front desk service is indifferent
(5) breakfast is fair, but the dining room is very crowded with tables and it's hard to get to the buffet even when most of the tables are empty; quota is one cup of coffee per person
(6) my hotel room was laid out such that I had to duck my head when moving from the entry area to the bed area; it had an arch that stopped 5.5 feet above the ground;
(7) the hotel is not a 4-star hotel (as booking.com describes it); 2- or 3-star at best, and a disappointment.

I would NOT stay there again.
Date of stay: June 2019
Trip type: Travelled solo
4.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
1.0 of 5 bubblesService
2.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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    3 - 8 of 80 reviews
    Reviewed 30 January 2018

    The beds were comfy but our bathroom flooded due to what can only be poor construction. Our breakfasts were mostly stale considering we had to pay around 40 Bolivianos to have it, only cos we had arrived a few too many hours before check in after an overnight bus. Not impressed.

    Date of stay: December 2017
    Thank rosemaryjose
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Tania M, other at Hotel Arenal, responded to this reviewResponded 31 January 2018

    We are very sorry to hear you didn't have a pleasant stay. We will continue to work on the items your mention.
    We understand your tiredness after a long bus travel, but our check in time is 2 pm and breakfast is only included if you slept the night before.

    Report response as inappropriate
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
    Reviewed 18 August 2017 via mobile

    Nice comfy & fairly spacious room. Took awhile for water to heat up but once it did - good hot shower, however water goes all over bathroom floor. Easy walk to main square. Cheese & ham omelets made to order at breakfast.

    Date of stay: August 2017
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank MareeandPeter
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Reviewed 18 October 2016 via mobile

    After an 8 hour overnight bus we had to wait over 5 hours for our room to be ready. No drinks were offered..... and we were exhausted.
    We took the breakfast at a cost of 45 Bolivian.
    I asked if I could borrow a pen from reception whilst I waited this was not possible..... then after a long wait for the room I was told to remove my foot from a stool by the receptionist. I apologised but found the whole place gave off a vibe that customers were a huge inconvenience. We were a group of 10 people so it would have at least made sense to try and get one room ready so people could freshen up....
    The area around the hotel feels quite shady. I would not stay here on my own.

    Date of stay: October 2016
    Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    Thank David J
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Reviewed 12 July 2016

    We stayed here in June as part of a tour group. we had a room on the 7th floor which on first inspection looked fabulous. On closer inspection, it was all a bit tired and had seen better days. It was a large room with a sitting area and two large beds in the bedroom. The bathroom had had a partial update but the tiles still looked old and the bath was one that I would never sit down in! On the upside the staff were pretty friendly and helpful although they organised a taxi to take us to La Riconda but didn't know that it was closed on Mondays. We only found out when we got there!. The hotel is undergoing renovations in the foyer at the moment and is having the full marble makeover. It is very noisy and dusty. Beware that the rooms are not as flashy as the foyer will shortly be! Breakfast was quite nice with eggs, fruit, bread etc.

    Date of stay: June 2016
    • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
      • Value
      • Rooms
      • Service
    Thank BeijingFreckleface
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Reviewed 29 June 2016

    This was an OK hotel not far from the central square. It is undergoing foyer renovations. The staff are friendly and helpful and the breakfasts good. It tries to be a four star hotel but misses out on the tired decor. One plus it has a lift. We were on the seventh floor but could still hear the traffic noise through the large expanse of glass that was not sealed. Some previous visitor stuffed paper between the glass and wall.But we got used to the wind making the whistling noises. The city is not very interesting, except for the free sloth viewing in the central square.

    Room tip: No good views at all. Try for a high room away from lift.
    Date of stay: June 2016
    • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
      • Sleep Quality
      • Rooms
      • Service
    Thank danweitongzhi
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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