Hotel Mar Azul

Maybe one of the worst hotel experience I ever had.||I came to Arica on an early bus from San Pedro de Atacama. When I got to the hotel, I had an attentive welcome. As it was so early, there were no rooms available at that particular time. Nonetheless it is good to mention I had booked a room several weeks before with a confirmation from them. Front desk arranged me a room for some hours so that I could have a nap and take a rest. ||Room was so awful. It looked like an old lodge where all broken things were stored in. Also it had a strong smell of paint and bathroom exposed pipes and wires on the walls. As it would be for some hours, I did not worry about it. Later when I supposed they would move me to another (and better) room I was told the hotel was full and they could not do anything for me: "you have to stay there" were the gently word said by the front-desk. But again, I'd booked it well in advance...||There's also a pool available but water looked like unclear and inappropriate for swimming.||Breakfast is nice and enough. You will be served bread, butter, jelly and juice.||Location is quite good in the centre of Arica. There are restaurants and markets all around.||For just a day I thought of being there anyway but surely I recommend travellers to look for better options for the same price range.

The building itself has seen better times for sure, but the rest was more than fine. The staff was very welcoming, the breakfast remarkable good for a budget hotel and the rooms were clean and comfortable. The location was close to everything: beach, shopping, dining, et cetera.

A nice, basic hostel in a great location. Objectively, the rooms are very basic and the wifi iffy, but the staff were extremely hospitable and accomodating. And that's what matters most when your behind-schedule bus drops you into an unfamiliar town at 2 am. May the good karma follow!

Hotel Mar Azul is described in the Chile Lonely Planet as "superb value", despite prices being near the top end of the "budget" range, so I was a bit disappointed with the slightly decrepit 70s building, bathroom door that doesn't shut and spartan shower. On the plus side, breakfast and wireless internet are included, and it has a good location. Staff was friendly and helpful.

PRÓS||||- Near the downtown area.||- Staff helpful||||CONS||||- The hotel doesn't have a good appearance and it's not so clean||- Room and bathroom smell bad and maybe you can find some insects.||- Doesn't have wifi in the room, only in common area.

Nice place in center town

Super

Solo quiero dejar mi opinión, ya que encuentro una falta de respeto que este hospedaje cancele las reservas días antes de la fecha, no importándoles la planificación que uno tiene. Teniamos listo este hospedaje por Booking y cancelan sin preguntarle a nadie, y la única explicación que dan es que ellos no trabajan con booking, podrían preocuparse que no aparezcan entonces en la app. NO RESERVEN ACÁ, NO SON CONFIABLES.