"Hotel Villacarlos is located on Avenida del Port, a wide five-lane avenue with fairly heavy traffic. It is certainly not one of Valencia’s most photogenic areas. Traffic does decrease at night, but if your room faces the avenue, some car noise can still be heard despite the double glazing. On each floor, rooms ending in 1 and 2 overlook the avenue. Light sleepers may prefer rooms numbered 3 to 10. That said, rooms ending in 3 are quite dark, as their only window faces a rather narrow interior light well.
As for the rooms themselves, they would clearly benefit from renovation. The parquet flooring, wallpaper and some pieces of furniture show visible wear. The same applies to the private bathrooms, which feel somewhat dated. This does not mean they are unclean — on the contrary, housekeeping does a very good job — but no amount of cleaning can fully disguise the passage of time.
We were also surprised to find an ashtray in our room, which suggests that smoking is allowed in some rooms. Neither the bedroom nor the bathroom smelled of smoke, but it did leave us with a slightly negative impression. We would have appreciated being informed at reception, as we would have requested a non-smoking room just to be on the safe side. That said, the staff are professional and consistently willing to help.
On the positive side, we appreciated having a small fridge in the room. It is also a thoughtful idea to provide a microwave in the reception area for guests who wish to prepare a hot drink. We liked the fact too that daily newspapers were available every morning, that the hotel offers a luggage room, and that there are two lifts.
Breakfast did not strike us as exceptional, nor does it stand out for its variety. It is comparable to the buffet typically found in many three-star hotels.
Regarding the area, Avenida del Port offers dining options for all tastes and budgets. While the avenue itself has little tourist appeal, it is very convenient in terms of services and public transport. Bus lines 4 and 92 connect the hotel with the city centre. For those who do not mind walking, the hotel is within reasonable distance of the City of Arts and Sciences in one direction and, in the other, landmarks such as Mercat de Colón, Plaça de l'Ajuntament, Mercat Central de València and La Llotja de la Seda. The Cines Babel, which screen films in their original version, are also very close by.
All in all, this is a hotel we would consider returning to — provided we were assigned a non-smoking room numbered between 4 and 10."
