Príncipe Real Guest House

The headline of this review sums up my reasons for choosing this guest house, and on all three counts it fulfilled my expectations. I was aware of the fact that it is on a busy road, and with the windows and shutters closed there wasn’t actually much noise. Access via door codes was very convenient, so was the car park next door. (It is a public parking site and costs 11 euros per day. The guest house’s description of it being ‘private parking’ which can be ‘arranged’ is somewhat ambiguous.) So, all good on those fronts. The bed was also very comfortable, however the seat of the armchair was worn out. Not so nice: several times during my two-night stay I found the door to the building was left open; the bags with the used linen and towels were left in the hallway one day and one night, not a very pleasant sight and not very hygienic; the fridge in the communal kitchen was crammed with other people’s food and drinks, many of them opened/not sealed, and there was no freezer compartment (I would have liked to ‘charge’ my ice-packs for the journey home) But overall good value and there’s a good chance that I will return.

I have stayed at this guesthouse four times in the past six months and it could have become a regular base for my frequent visits to the capital, BUT I must say that it is badly maintained and even in those last six months it has deteriorated to a degree which I can no longer find acceptable. The floor tiles (e.g. in the bathrooms) must have been sealed at some point during the renovation, but the sealing is coming off all over the place. The state often floor in the communal kitchen is nothing less than disgusting, and even after the cleaner has been there were still pieces of broken glass lying on the floor, while the carpet of the stairs gives the impression of not having been cleaned for several months. The wrapping of the piece of soap in my bathroom had been soaked and was discoloured. I had to through it in the bin. The door to the terrace (room no.6) had not been closed properly. In my previous review of this accommodation I mentioned the lack of security. Well, the code for the main entrance hasn’t been changed in the six months that I have been come here. The same applies to the code for re-entering the guesthouse after check-out (to pick up your luggage etc.) The cleaner didn’t wear a face mask. I guess it was easier this way to have a conversation on her mobile phone while the place was waiting to be cleaned. I love the location and I have always found the prices reasonable but this no longer makes up for the poor maintenance and filth in the communal areas.