Caravan Hotel

Caravan Hotel Bites- LITERALLY

I stayed at the Caravan Hotel for 3 nights in October 2008 and it was one of the WORST hotels I have ever encountered.

Service:
At check-in, the man at the reception desk could not find my reservation and tried to charge me more for the room until I presented him with my confirmation email. Then he suddenly "found" the reservation. At check-out, the same man tried to charge me AGAIN for the room and I had to show him my receipt (which I had insisted that he give me upon check in). Then he tried to charge me for food at their restaurant-- which I had not ordered and we both knew it. He was very quick to drop the charge when I reminded him I had not ordered it. I also overheard other guests arguing with him over charges they had not made.

Facilities:
The facilities were disgusting. The place reeked of smoke, was filthy, had old, broken, ripped furniture everywhere, and stained walls. When I was checking into my room, the bag boy literally folded the sheets down on the bed and did a sniff test to see if the sheets seemed clean (they were not). Both twin beds were wrinkled and had hairs from different parts of the human body. When I showed this to the bag boy and asked for new sheets, he was miffed and reluctantly-- very reluctantly-- presented me with clean ones.

Most importantly, I was bitten by BED BUGS at the Caravan Hotel and even saw them climbing on the mattresses and the ceiling. Yes, real bed bugs. That alone should deter anyone from staying there. There were also mosquitos, which the hotel encourages by keeping the old windows in your room open. Bottom line: it is NOT worth a cheap price for a room.

Amenities:
Soap is provided (that shouldn't be a surprise but considering the condition of the place, I had to mention it as the only plus). There were no outlets to recharge anything (all of them were strategically placed or hidden so it was impossible).

Location:
Caravan Hotel boasts being a 3 minute walk to the Jett Bus Station (it was more like a 10 minute walk) and a short distance from the Abdali bus station. Well, that is both true and misleading. The hotel IS a short distance from the Abdali bus station. The problem, however, is that the Abdali bus station is closed, and the one that is used (including to and from the airport) is nowhere near the hotel. The hotel also claims it is 15-20 minute walk to the New City. It is one hour walk to downtown.

Unique Quality: Caravan Hotel does not have anything nearby-- no restaurants, etc. PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and stay in a reputable hotel near restaurants and in a better location. Steer clear of this hotel-- the filthy conditions are not worth saving a few bucks.