Husa Oriente

This is certainly one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed in. The first room I was in (room 101 for any masochists out there) opened to a small sidestreet, where the screams of women bemoaning their stolen purses, the shouting of all the drunks passing by, or the incessant garbage trucks (with their shouting drivers and horn honking) made it impossible to sleep, even with earplugs and pillows over both ears. Though the windows in these rooms are double-glazed, they are cheap and do very little to keep out the noise. And the noise is continuous--I was there from Thursday to Sunday and the nights were always the same. Changing rooms--to one that faced the hotel's inner atrium--created its own problems, as none of the 'inner' rooms have air conditioning (not that works anyway); these rooms have horrible plumbing to boot (lots of leakages, warped walls because of the leakage, as well as mildew). So the rooms feel like being in a smelly Turkish steam bath--even the hallways there were cooler. A number of my colleagues who were staying at the hotel also showed up haggard each morning, bitterly complaining about the noise and heat. To add insult to injury, the staff members (reception) were often dismissive and arrogant. They said they were aware of the hotel's problems, but "hey, that's life". Maybe, but life at the Husa Oriente is not one I'd wish on anyone.