Retaj Moroni

Location: Frequently praised for being near city centers, meeting venues, and proximity to the sea.

Stayed five nights. There isn’t much choice of hotels on the island, and this place is supposed to be one of the best. The property is located near the ocean with beautiful views of the sunset. The grounds seem to be well maintained. However, for the price paid (approx USD 100/night), the property is not up to international standards, and is in dire need of renovation. There were numerous (more than 10/day) power outages every day, usually lasting only a few seconds. My room had cracked tiles in the room and bathroom, torn draperies and a cracked sink. Amenities included mini-fridge and electric kettle. There was also a safe, but it was locked and therefore useless. Comfortable bed and pillows. AC worked well. Reasonably functional bathroom. Shower with hot water, although water pressure was on the low side. Housekeeping was very inconsistent: when I arrived, there was only a bath towel and no hand towel or bath mat. Over the course of my stay, I had a different collection of towels every day: sometimes two bath towels and no hand towel, sometimes a bath mat and sometimes not. Coffee cups were never washed or replaced. Wifi was essentially non-existent the first two days: it hardly ever connected, and when it did the download speed was 0.1-0.7 Mbps, which made it a challenge even to check email. I complained two nights in a row and they sent an employee who spent hours troubleshooting, with essentially no results. Eventually they gave me a router, which made a big difference: I was able to get a stable connection, and the speed was up to a whopping 1.5 Mbps (!). The TV had poor signal. Breakfast with ok selection and freshly made omelettes, pancakes and crepes. However, the dining room was gloomy and the cleanliness left a lot to be desired. Overall a poor value for the price paid, although the island offers few or no alternatives.