Equatorial Palace Hotel

Avoid This Hotel

The Equatorial (or Equatorial Palce) Hotel is in the process of renovation. The result:

+ Restaurant 1900 -- closed.
+ Piano Bar -- closed.
+ Top Grill -- closed.
+ Top Bar -- closed.

Only the coffee house, grandiloquently called Victoria Regia, was open. It's a bust. The dinner menu included just four items: beef, roasted or grilled, and fish, grilled or fried.

My room was dark. The lighting was so bad I needed a flashlight to read at night. The furnishings were tattered. The room air conditioner was so loud I had trouble sleeping. The bathroom offered little bars of soap and nothing else -- not even a vial of shampoo.

Though I'd pre-paid for five (5) nights, I chedked out after just two (2) and moved to the HIlton. My Amazon Star Tours guide was not surprised. Some people, he said, check in, go to their rooms, and immediately check out.

To add to my discontent, it took over half-an-hour to check out. I didn't ask for a refund. The desk clerks simply couldn't find a record of my having checked in.

Unique Quality: There is nothing to recommend about this hotel. Even its location is undesirable. It's a good 30-minute hike from the city centre -- and there's nothing nearby of interest to a tourist.

I'm told the place is frequented mostly by business travelers.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average

Equatorial Palace Hotel Photo: Equatorial Palace Hotel

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