I am a resident of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Unfortunately the review of Hotel Portales is true and we of Cochabamba are really upset about this.... but the manager/owner is a REAL GEEK and will not improve this Hotel. I hope the Tourist Dept. will down grade this hotel... It is a shame for Cochabamba and Bolivia to have a HOTEL LIKE THIS ONE. At one time it was a very good hotel. Their are other 5 star hotels, now here in Cochabamba. It is 3 stars maybe 2...we all say it is.

From A Bolivian friend from Cochabamba who is ashamed of this Hotel

I recently stayed at the Portales Hotel in Cochabamba, Bolivia from December 26th to December 30th. After careful research, I chose this hotel because it was the only 5-star one of this city.

My fiance and I have been traveling these past four weeks through Peru, Chile and Bolivia. All the 5 star hotels we have stayed at have been great, except this one.

The problems began from the beginning. The reception initially could not find our reservation. After that was resolved, we were taken to our room on the 4th floor. Unfortunately, they had no elevator.

When we entered our assigned room, we were taking aback by the lack of space and ammenities. First of all, this is NOT a 5-star hotel. The furniture was was very old. The closet doors came off each time we tried to open them. The so-called air conditioner is in reality a fan. The windows could not be opened. The bathroom was small and the bath tub tile was rusty and moldy. This is really a 3 star motel!

Later on, we were awaken by the constant noise that the water pipes made each time someone used their water faucets and/or showers. It was very loud and annoying. I called the front desk around 2:30 am to inform them about it. They told me that they would send someone to take care of the problem. No one came. Fortunately, we had brought ear plugs and slept the rest of our first night that way.

The next day, we requested a room change due the noise. We were changed to a room on the first floor. Fortunately for us, we were not awaken anymore by the annoying water pipe noises. However, the reception personnel became very unfriendly to us after this. Each and everytime we walked pass them, they would pretend not to see us.

The pool looked inviting except it was not heated. The water was too cold! Hence, none of the guests could use it. The gym is non-existant (eventhough the hotel advertises to have one) and we had to go to a private gym (Premier) and pay additionally for this service.

When we were checking out and ready to go to the airport to catch our next flight, the reception tried to charge me double for my stay. I had paid months in advance for my entire travel package. We did not encounter this issue in any of the hotels we stayed in. Thank God, I had a copy of my voucher of services. The management did not charge me but, this incident took almost 30 minutes to resolve. We had to rush to get to the airport.

In summary, I would strongly recommend to keep away from this place. It is not a 5-star hotel! I don´t understand how this hotel was able to be rated this highly. The Diplomat which is rated a 4-star hotel is a much better choice ( I stayed there a few years back).