Hotel Misional — Hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

We have stayed at Misional for eight days in the end of January. Overall, the feelings are very mixed.||The location is very central, just behind the main square and the cathedral. While this allows access to a number of restaurants and hot spots, it also places the hotel right on the route of the yearly carnival practice runs (more about this later).||The rooms are of adequate size and nicely decorated. Still, perhaps the carved ornament on the headboard is too much: the protruding nose is a bit of a hazard as my roommate would testify after hitting his head on it one night. There is good closet space and a small table with chairs to sit. A flat screen TV has a number of cable channels; most if not all in Spanish.||The bathroom is good size with well working amenities. The hot water is scalding hot: this means the adjustments of water temperature are not easy to achieve. No 'non-slip' mat.||The rooms have been cleaned and the beds were made daily. Perhaps the floors could be swiped and washed more thoroughly. Clean towels were provided daily.||Breakfast adequate with freshly baked croissants, Danish pasties, empanadas on offer. A selection of fresh fruit and juices, coffee, yoghurt, a plate of cold cuts and cheese. Everyone should be able to find something unless you are addicted to cereal… I have not seen any. Breakfast service is courteous. I do not believe there is a restaurant in the Hotel but there are plenty around.||The single biggest problem is the lack of sound proofing. There is on sheet of glass between the room and the street below. Not only the carnival (music blaring from about 6 pm until 9:30 pm on Friday and Saturday) but the nearby jewelry store's alarm was ring on for several hours before anyone showed up to check on it. Not a place to rest, more to use as a base.||One last issue: there is no such thing as a non-smoking room… non smoking means that you choose not to smoke. Patrons before you might have. Our room reeked...

I was put up in this hotel as a visiting teacher, and was very happy with it. The rooms are spacious, clean, and the air conditioning was effective. The front desk speaks minimal if any English. ||||The rooms surround an interior covered courtyard which has a few statues of indigenous women with very perky breasts, which might require some explaining for young kids. The roof of the courtyard also amplifies the sound of rain significantly. The courtyard and stars are functionally external as the stairs are not enclosed, so it is warm there. There are two fast elevators.||||My room faced the plaza which is behind the scenic large cathedral. There was frequent music and celebration in the plaza, till late at night, which was quite loud. I dont mind, but a light sleeper should ask for a room on the other side of the hotel.||||Free internet was fast, for Bolivia. I was able to stream youtube pretty well here.||||The hotel did laundry for me, but the mechanism isnt straightforward - there is no bag, no price list... I'll see what the end up charging me. I have also freely consumed waters and poweraides from the minibar, I'll try to remember to post back what that ends up costing me.||||Under (and connected to) the hotel is a nice gelatto place. Right next door are two coffee shops, we enjoyed the closer one more. A short walk away, across from the cathedral, are two good places to eat - Bar 24 and next to it, our favorite, Lorca. Oh my. That place stand up to anything anywhere. At $13 or so per entree, its expensive by...

Stayed for 3 nights. The hotel is well located one block from the main square. Soundproofing is completely lacking: thin, poor sealed windows, doors with large gaps underneath, thin walls, hard floors which amplify noise. Rooms facing the street are the worst with street noise at all hours. Rooms facing away are not much better, as they face an inner courtyard with barking dogs. Moreover, every few minutes one hears a vibrating noise like drilling, which according to the staff is due to the water heater system. The staff appeared surprised, stating that "not everyone complains". Finally, there is plenty of noise from the hallways and the lobby.|Room decor is extremely basic. The room didn't even have black-out curtains. The night lamp didn't work. There wasn't even a phone in the room (they brought one after I complained). The safe had been left locked and was unlocked only after several requests.|Bed and pillows were reasonavly comfortable. No extra pillows or blankets were provided.|The bathroom was also quite basic. Old bathtub with decent shower, however water temperature very difficult to adjust.|Breakfast was mediocre: good fresh fruit, but poor selection of pastries; coffee was poor and cold.|Wifi worked well.|The staff...