Hotel Alda Orzan

This was one of my worst hotel experiences in 20 years of solo travel. The staff was some of the rudest I've ever encountered, the room was dirty (spills on the floor, hair everywhere, bathroom smelled of sewage) and extremely noisy. There is no soundproofing, furniture is being dragged at all hours, cleaning staff is slamming doors and banging around starting every day at 9am. The shower was cold the second day. The only good thing was the location.

The person there when I checked in did not speak English. We made it work, but it says on the website that the staff speaks Spanish and English and she seemed really annoyed to have to communicate with me. I went up to my room and immediately saw hair on the desk and in the bathroom. I was jetlagged so I let it go so I could nap. It was impossible to sleep, even with earplugs. There was so much noise from all angles. The furniture above was the worst--furniture scraping, dragging sounds, shaking. When I gave up on the nap I got up and discovered a big sticky stain on the floor. I tried to clean it and it wasn't coming up, but I did see that the rest of the floor was dirty and hadn't been mopped.

I went downstairs to speak to the staff about changing rooms. The man I spoke to was extremely condescending and defensive. He spoke decent English and used it to talk down to me, like a child. I have never had a hotel refuse to take accountability for something that is obviously their fault. He picked apart each complaint and tried to diminish it by rephrasing what i'd said. "So your neighbor is rolling a suitcase? So you found some dust on the floor? What if everyone came and asked for a new room?" He finally agreed to move me to a different room, and it was no better. The noise didn't come from above, thankfully, but from the cleaning staff in the supply closet on the other side of the headboard. There was more hair in the bathroom and on the floor than in the first room, and the bathroom smelled of mold/sewage. I mentioned the hair when I saw him again, and he looked at me like I was ridiculous. I didn't mention anything else to anyone during my stay, because I did not want to risk being bullied again. He was a pitiful, childish man, and made the rest of my stay so uncomfortable. I had to pass him multiple times each afternoon and he ignored me each time.

It can be unnerving to travel alone as a woman, and while issues like cleanliness and noise can be forgiven (and expected to some degree), rude staff can really make it a sad and uncomfortable trip. Stay at your own risk.