Hotel Tantalo Casco Viejo — Restaurant in San Felipe

Although this was not our original hotel choice, we found ourselves quite comfortable during our four-night stay. The beds were exceptionally cozy, and we appreciated the spaciousness of the room—there was plenty of room to move around without feeling cramped. The mini-bar stocked with water and soft drinks was convenient, but we decided to explore a local market instead to buy bottled water and experience a bit of the local culture.

We did venture up to the rooftop area, hoping for a lively atmosphere, but were a bit disappointed. The music was quite lackluster; rather than a vibrant DJ spinning tracks, it was simply a random playlist that failed to create an inviting mood.

We also dined at the hotel restaurant, but unfortunately, the experience fell short of our expectations. While the presentation of the dishes was impressive and visually appealing, the food itself lacked the flavor and seasoning we were hoping for. On the brighter side, we did enjoy the drinks we ordered, which were refreshing and well-crafted. However, given our overall experience, we probably wouldn’t consider returning to this hotel...

Food: I ordered the Wild Duck and it was delicious. It's Asian-inspired which includes pickled ginger, soy sauce marinated eggs, and lots of great flavor!! Wish it was bigger (but that's on me cause I was super hungry)! Prices are also decent. For my dish and glass of wine, it was about $22 before tip.

Service: very friendly and helpful. I don't speak Spanish so we worked together to get through my questions. Appreciated how patient they were.

Vibe: great! Most people were at the rooftop bar so the restaurant was a bit empty when I arrived. But the look was cool with murals and mood lighting. The rooftop is special! It was two levels (main and extension) to take advantage of the city views. You can easily see both the old town and downtown from the bar.

Overall,...

This is an excellent small hotel. Our room was spacious and clean and the bed was amazingly comfortable! The food in the restaurant is very good and the decor is colourful and really interesting. The service in the bar is a little slow, but they are friendly and the view from the rooftop bar is stunning. It gets really loud on Friday and Saturday nights when the bar is open until 4:00 a.m., and you are supplied with complementary earplugs, but we are older travellers and we survived 😊 The white noise of the AC...