"This was our third and final stay at Lemon & Soul. We’ve always enjoyed our previous visits and specifically booked rooms on the top floor to take advantage of the balcony space. However, during our recent stay over the Christmas period, we were very disappointed to find significant building work taking place opposite the hotel, which appears to be an HMO. Also, during our stay, we also experienced a leak in the kitchen and had no hot water one evening, making it a really cold shower. We have stayed at this hotel during the last five years and noticed that the room was lacking in general maintenance, i.e. the laminate flooring had parted and needed repairing. The mattress needed replacing, it woke you up when turning over it was that creaky!! The light didn’t work above the extractor fan.
It was clear that the construction had been ongoing for weeks before our arrival, therefore, the hotel was aware of the disruption but failed to inform us. When we raised the issue, the response was that the work was out of their control and they had no information on timelines. Unfortunately, the noise was constant throughout the day, making it impossible to use the balcony we had paid extra for.
To compensate us for the inconvenience and the additional costs incurred, such as eating out for lunch in restaurants instead of being able to enjoy the balcony during the day, we requested a price reduction on the room that we had booked, however this was not granted and instead, we were offered a free breakfast (which we don’t eat), or a 20% discount on the New Year’s gala at a different hotel. We declined both, as we did not want to ask our friends to pay for a gala dinner at 120.00 euros each just to take advantage of the 20% discount, or eat breakfast that we didn’t want. An alternative room was offered, but it was not of the same standard/space as the one we originally booked, nor did it have a balcony—which felt unfair given that we booked the room specifically for the balcony. We even visited the hotel a month prior to check our room allocation while in Las Palmas for the day from a cruise ship, and there was no mention of any construction work.
The hotel is in a fantastic location, and the staff are friendly, but the disruption significantly impacted our experience. We couldn’t even open the net curtains, as the builders were that close to our room.
At the end of the day, we just want to make people aware: if you’re planning to stay soon and are considering upgrading to a balcony room, we strongly recommend checking with the hotel about any ongoing renovations before booking, as the hotel will not proactively inform you of any noise disturbance. We all work hard for our money and our holiday time to relax. The hotel should be making guests aware beforehand so they can make an informed decision."
