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Cheap and nicely located - and that's it!
The hotel was one of the cheapest in our travel package, and the location was great - in the middle of downtown. Well, at least it looked great on the map. The street where ViaSui is located looks like those forsaken streets present in every city's downtown - dark and dirty, with occasional hobos. No wonder the door is kept locked. Sometimes you have to put on a little show to get the doorman's attention.
The lobby is small and has few sofas, so you often have to sit in the breakfast area. The lift is old and very, very cosy. You have to open two wooden doors to get into it and two more - on the opposite side - to get out of it. Watch your step! They never quite stop on the same level of the floor.
You open your room door with a card - put it in the box, wait for a green light to flash, take the card out and open the door while the green light is on. Then grope in the darkness for a box on the wall at your right, near the door. Remember, the opening for the card is on the opposite side of the door. Leave the card there, it is obligatory if you want some electricity in the room, which is always nice. Turn on the lights. The air conditioner remote is near the telly.
To open the window, lift a small lever between the panes. To open or close the outside blinds, you have to start a quest for the "box" mentioned on the instructions plastered to the window pane. Here is a tip: behind the veils on your right side, right next to the window, you will find out that it has a larger metal structure than its left. There's a small knob to it. Really small. Pull it and you will find a rope. Pull it down to open the blinds and up to close it. Oh, to close it you'd better catch the lower end of the rope, pull it in your direction to release it, and then pull it up.
Beware of the shower! You have to shower in a small bathtub - seriously - so you have to balance yourself not to fall. You'd better pull the curtains inside the bathtub if you don't want to be surrounded by water once you step out of it. The left tap if for hot water. It comes fast and hot, so beware.
If you'd like to use a blowdryer, or even charge your cellphone, go to the electrical supply in front of the hotel and buy an adaptor, otherwise you won't be able to plug it to the socket. Oh, and there is a safe inside the wardrobe.
The safe is another adventurous quest. It is very simple, actually. You just have to press the button inside it, set your password and use it whenever you open or close the door. Jut like the instructions wiritten in front of it. But to find the damn button is definitely compared to the quest for the Holy Grail. Tip: it is on the innermost edge of the door - you cannot see it, you have to grope for it. And do not open the plastic case inside the safe, it's just batteries.
The staff is very friendly and helpful, you can ask them for a taxi with no charge. But check out at the last possible minute - no use checking out earlier. The receptionists change turns and forget to tell each other who has already checked out.
The breakfast is terrible, I mean terrible! The bread there is either very sweet (brioches) or a bit sweet. You will learn how to operate a toaster. You will eat cornflakes, eggs and ham every morning until you turn into an American. Sometimes there is cheese. To drink, awfully weak coffee, milk and some artificial juice. Apparently, there is tea if you ask.
I recommend the hotel to people on a tight budget and with no frills. On the brighter side, the room is comfy enough and rather clean, the bathroom is small but has a large mirror. And near the wardrobe you will find another mirror, a full-body one, very good for us vain women. Also, the hotel is an excellent start point to know Buenos Aires by foot, taxi or metro, since it's near the main touristic spots like Calle Florida, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and Recoleta. Remember that Plaza de Mayo is the start point of most metro lines in Buenos Aires.
