We stayed in the Talamanca Hostal for three nights from last sunday. We had booked the room with no balcony or sea-view. As we got there the receptionist asked if we would like to have either one and pay extra of course. We did not. He did not tell us anything but I understood that the room he was trying to put us in was not ready or he did not find the key, so he gave another - it turned up to be a room on the first floor with balcony on a road side. We got there, the room door was open, one bed made, other not and we could hear the maids talking in another room. At first a little confused, but then we went to the maids and then they came and finished cleaning the room - bottom line the room was not ready, although we arrived well after 13. We spent some time in our room, soon the sun turned right to our balcony and we dragged the mattress out to the balcony and layed in the sun for couple of hours. Although there was a downside to it - the kitchen was very near and the smell of grease travelled to our noses little too often.
It was a sunday night and quite loud party downstairs, sounded like a caraoke. The air was quite damp in the night and there were no extra blankets except bed cover, so it was quite chilly at times in the night.
In the morning breakfast buffet from 8.15 to 10.00, selection was basic - platter of ham, other cheese, third tomatos, dark and light bread, some fruits, jam, joghurt, cereal, coffe, tea, juice, boiled eggs, muffins - that's pretty much it. And the same thing the other morning. The third time we did not get to eat it, because we had an early flight.
On a third day in the morning we placed a 'please clean our room' sign on the door and left for town. As we got back about 15 o'clock we found our room exactly as we had left it, not cleaned. We had a plan to go to the beach and so we did. And when we got back from there in the evening, it was cleaned. In the last night we also experienced some loud noises downstairs (our room was exactly over entrance).
Also there was a quite intensive smell on cleaning product in the halls, it could of been vinegar if to deside by the smell, and the water was very full of chlorine and the water pressure of shower unstable.
But we managed to manage - we did not use the hotel for much more than sleeping and cleaning ourselves up. I guess the experience was what to expect from a two star hotel.
I have to admit, the location of the hotel is good - right at the beach of Talamanca.
Would I stay there again - only for a short period perhaps.
- Hostal Hotel Talamanca
