Hostal Grancasona — Hotel in Iquique

I stayed here for one night, only because the Hostal Cuneo across the street had not honoured my reservation and this was all I could find at 10pm. An uncomfortable bunk bed with shabby bedding in a tiny four-bed room, with no towels or even toilet paper, cost the same as a comfortable private single room at the Plaza, also across the street. The window was on an internal courtyard, dark apart from a fluorescent strip light directly outside the window - which had only a thin curtain - so the light glared into the room - more like trying to sleep in a prison cell than a hostal. Also, there is a gym directly behind the hostal, which blares out adrenaline-pumping music at high volume from very early until very late - one can hear it even in reception, and in the rooms at the back it is very unpleasant. ||||The breakfast "room" is a space under the stairs with one large square table, seating 8 people, and an enormous flat screen tv blaring only a couple of feet away. This was the only place in Chile where I was served breakfast of nothing but bread and jam; and hot milk was not available even on request. ||||Staff mostly unfriendly...

Other than having a spectacular location (the main drag, Baquedano) this hostel/hotel was not worth the extra money for my own room. The bathroom was dirty with cobwebs and the shower was extremely small and slippery. In fact, the shower head did not stay straight and ended up spraying all over me and the bathroom when I turned it on. Dirty hallways, old paintings, weird "art" of posters with cigarette butts and grass... Breakfast was dismal, the workers sat at a table when I came down, ignored me, then brought out a plate first of 2 pieces of pound cake and tea, the next day with a giant loaf of bread. Not welcoming at all. Best thing was that the wifi worked...

Lo primero que me cargó es que primero decían que x habitación costaba 48, después resultó ser 38 entonces parecía que intentaban ver si podían sacarnos más plata. Lo otro es que a pesar de que yo iba sola con mi hijo de 4 años y una maleta gigante, me enviaron al último piso y ni siquiera me ofrecieron ayuda para subir las maletas. |La habitación no tenía tele pese a que sí la habían ofrecido. Había que dar el agua caliente 10 minutos antes de que saliera realmente caliente y en dos ocasiones de me cortó el agua. No salía nada!|La pieza tenía una ventana que daba al interior de la hostal y directamente al primer piso, lo que encontré bien poco criterioso considerando que andaba con un niño. Por esa razón jamás pude abrir la ventana y me morí de calor pese a que fui en pleno invierno.|Después me fui a otra ciudad. Al volver a Iquique tuve que quedarme ahí mismo porque era la fiesta de San Lorenzo y casi no habían hostales. Además con la maleta gigante y mi hijo tampoco podía caminar tanto. Me dieron la misma pieza en Gran Casona y el cubre camas lo habían dado vuelta. El único cambio.|Lo bueno es que está bien...