Royal Mindelo — Hotel in São Vicente

The Cafe Royal can only be described as a jigsaw. It has all the components to make it a fantastic place but unfortunately all the pieces are currently jumbled in the box.||I will start with the good bits. It is a great music venue, the location is central, easy to find and the balconies have the best view of Carnaval (which is a fantastic spectacle to see). The owners and staff are nice people and the building has a quaint old Colonial feel about it. However that is where the good bits finish. ||||Our suite had a safe that did not work and a broken lamp. The broken part of the ceramic lamp had an edge that could cut if anyone had fallen on it. Management were informed on our arrival but nothing was ever done to rectify the situation during our 11 day stay. It is the first hotel where we have ever had to purchase soap and toilet paper, although I will add that when reminded the cleaners did replace the toilet paper. Fresh towels had to be asked for and even then the used towels disappeared and fresh ones appeared several hours later as if it was the original ones laundered. While eating dinner one evening the waiter approached and asked if I had finished with my drink. I nodded, even though I was still eating dinner, and my glass was whisked away. Moments later said waiter returned with a tray full of beers for another table. From that, I took it that there were not enough glasses to go round.||Breakfast was a joke. Day 1 was OK with several offerings on our table, day 2 was similar, day 3 and items had disappeared, day 4 more items had disappeared. Two bread rolls for a three person breakfast...... ''oh, we have no eggs today'' jam on the table but butter not. One morning when a customer was complaining about the wait to be served the waitress gave it a ''Pffftttt but the boys don't feel good today''. Sounded like they had had a good Carnaval drink through the night. Topping the lot was our last breakfast before checking out when my wife saw a rather large cockroach run through a food counter.||Another disturbing episode occurred on our last morning in the hotel when our four year old locked herself in the toilet. Unfortunately the toilet lock was faulty and it took several minutes and a very distressed little girl before the door finally unlocked. Just a little maintenance might solve the problem. ||||The staff try to look professional and do tend to move a little faster when the owners are on site, however they run around like headless chickens and seriously lack direction.||With professional management I have no doubt that the Cafe Royal could be the jewel of Mindelo. However nice the owners are I can only see this place going down hill further without some serious ongoing staff training and a change in attitude that puts the customers first. ||It is such a pity as the Cafe Royal could be...

Despite a great location (central and close to relevant sites to be visited/seen), our 3-night stay was a total disaster and not at all corresponding to what was described in Café Royal presentation on Booking.com : "Vous y bénéficierez d'une connexion Wi-Fi gratuite. Toutes les chambres climatisées comprennent une télévision et un balcon." We were imposed, when checking in, by a helpless young man left alone to receive several hosts arriving by the same plane from Lisbon, a double room to allow two beds (we are friends and not a couple) in an annex (never announced in this hotel's official presentation) on the 3rd floor and after climbing 63 stairs ... in the dark for the first two nights because of electric system not working !!! In this annex no wifi, in our rooms under the roof, no television, no balcony, no window, just two small openings at the level of the floor ... no water on the washing basin of one of the bathrooms, poor lightening of the rooms and bathrooms ... no soaps provided ... one brush only for the two toilets ... as regards breakfasts taken in the restaurant of the main hotel, no menu was offered, food was put on our table without asking our choices ... some was discovered by chance, looking at what other tables received (e.g. fresh apple juice available on the first morning and no more afterwards, replaced randomly by packed juices) ... a long delay to get served by a very nonchalant young woman, left alone to serve several tables at the same time ... in short:...

Travelling from santo antao, we spent 2 nights in mindelo at this crappy hotel.||- First night : the smell of the restaurant kitchen was almost in direct !! We had to leave early to catch the ferry boat and we discovered the receptionist wassleeping on the hotel sofa... there were cockroaches in the bathroom. |- second night : we refused to stay in the same room, the receptionist argued and asked us to pay the extra charge for another bedroom which was supposed to be better. After a long discussion, we had the room for no extra charge. A concert was organized in the place, absolutely no isolation made our night a nightmare. ||We strongly do not recommend this hotel, unprofessional and it does not deserve to host people at...