Before I launch into telling you how shocking this place is, I will be fair and grasp at straws to list the positives:

1. The location: it is only 4 blocks or a 5 min walk from the beach and main boulevard, restaurants, shops etc. There is also a small convenience shop across the road.

2. The front office staff speak some English. This helps when you are trying to argue that you shouldnt have to pay for a twice the price for the double room you booked when they are insisting you can only have a single.

3. The rooms are spotlessly clean, and are fully serviced each day. I really appreciated this.

4. There is a bar, outdoor lounge area and pool. There was even live music one night in the bar. Keep in mind that these facilities are extremely worn and basic and are only positive because the rest of the hotel is worse.

5. The rooms have balconies, which are a Godsend when you want to escape your terrible room.

The negatives:

1. The professional pictures of this hotel are so deceiving, its laughable. Actually, they foyer isnt so bad and there is even an elevator. The horror probably only starts when you get to your room.

2. Breakfast was ...revolting. It didnt matter how much of a budget I was on I was not saving money by eating there after day one. The selection is weird, and if you can find something normal to eat (such as bread or fruit) it was stale and/ or rotten. I'm not sure how they had the nerve to serve up brown rotten watermelon, but they did and that wasnt the worst of it. The food was mostly inedible. Also dont think you can sleep in and turn up 10 minutes before close, because they wont let you in.

3. The hotel guests are mostly young people who are travelling in groups. This is fine, except that the noise level was terrible, at all times of the night. People were running up and down the hall late at night, shouting and throwing things agains the walls, with absolutely no regard for other guests. I assume that this is because it is incredibly cheap. If you stay somewhere more expensive you might be lucky enough to avoid this, as it is likely the other guests will be older, or families. The noise level made it like a bad hostel. I am in my 20's myself but had little patience for this, as I thought I had booked a hotel, not a hostel.

4. The rooms are ridiculously basic, and worn. They are the kind that are so worn that you cant tell, unless you inspect more closely, whether it is dirt or not. Thankfully, the room was clean and it was just very very old and cheap. I prebooked and paid for a double room hoping for a little more space and a bigger bed, but when I checked in and they saw I was by myself they would only offer me a single room (at the single room rate though, after some debate). I came across this a few times in Europe though, so this quirk may not be confined to this hotel. The room I got was about 3 metres by 3 metres plus a small cubicle bathroom, complete with a peeling toilet seat and rusty sink. You can just open the bathroom door without hitting the bed but have to close it to get around. The mirror door to the wardrobe was falling off its hinges. The floor is rubber linoleum that is worn to cement in a few places.
There is a ceiling fan and aircon which you have to close the door properly to get working. The bedding is a single sheet, with another patterned sheet for a cover and one pillow. It doesnt sound too bad for the cheap price, but I must convey that these rooms are REALLY basic and quite horrible, and the single rooms are ridiculously small. I have stayed in hostels throughout Europe and I have never been more horrified than when I opened the door to my room in this hotel. It is a joke, and I imeediately wondered if I could afford to leave and find something else, knowing they wouldnt refund me. I have stayed in better hostels. The only saving grace is the air con, and that it is clean.

This hotel is NOT four star, as advertised on some sites. I would say that it would be a 2 star in Western standards, and only because of the facilities and not the rooms. Do not book this expecting a basic hotel - book it expecting hostel standards and then you wont be dissapointed. It is very cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for.

I would never recommend staying at this hotel, and strongly advise you to weigh up cost versus enjoyment. If you can only afford to stay here, postpone your trip, save up some more and STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE!