Hotel Romantic Los 5 Sentidos

“perfect location, flawless hospitality”

For my first time in Menorca, I chose to stay in Ciutadella because I wanted to enjoy the best of both worlds, nature excursions and the cultural life of the city. And I chose the Hotel Romantico de los 5 Sentidos in part because of its perfect location near the historic center (and parking) and i… more

For my first time in Menorca, I chose to stay in Ciutadella because I wanted to enjoy the best of both worlds, nature excursions and the cultural life of the city. And I chose the Hotel Romantico de los 5 Sentidos in part because of its perfect location near the historic center (and parking) and in part because it was the only hotel in the area with *all* 4- and 5-star reviews, and much praise in the reviews for the owner's hospitality. It almost seemed too good to be true. But my experience at the hotel was just as the other guests had described - a clean, comfortable, quiet room in a welcoming environment with an extremely helpful host. Diego truly went above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality. Each day, he not only provided general information on which direction the wind is coming from, and which beaches are therefore going to have the calmest waters, but talked me through several different beaches to visit each day, and suggested other scenic spots to check out along the way. Since I was new to Menorca and traveling by myself, I especially appreciated his willingness to answer questions and offer advice. He was easy to reach by text message and seemed to make it his personal mission that his guests have a wonderful stay in Ciutadella. On my last morning in Ciutadella, Diego once again gave me some tips on a town I could check out on my way to the airport, and he hadn't steered me wrong yet, so I was prepared to follow his advice, and already planning to leave a glowing review for the hotel. But then I went to get my rental car, and learned that the torrential rains the night before had turned the entire parking area by the old port into a river. Thick muddy water was halfway up the tires of the car, the entire car had mud inside up to the chest level on the seats, and another car had floated into the front, blocking my exit. I had about an hour before I absolutely had to leave for the airport, or I would miss my flight and begin an expensive cascade of disasters that would prevent me from meeting up with my wife and ruin my vacation. Since the flooding had affected the entire area, demand for tow trucks was high, and the rental car company was insisting that I wait in person to turn over the keys. Fortunately for me, Diego not only called them on my behalf and convinced them to allow me to leave the keys in the hotel office for the rental company's tow truck driver to pick up, but while I was outside with the car he printed out a claim form for me and gathered instructions on how I could get reimbursed for the cab I would need to get to the airport on time, and he called a cab driver he knew, who showed up promptly. Thanks to Diego's persistent advocacy on my behalf, well above and beyond the call of duty, I made my flight and got reimbursement for the cab fare within a day or two. I will never forget how helpful he was. Having had a lovely time in Menorca, I was already planning to recommend the hotel, but this level of customer service has earned my enthusiastic loyalty for life. Basically, the owner of the hotel is a naturally friendly and helpful person who truly wants guests to enjoy themselves, and the hotel itself is in a perfect location for exploring Ciutadella and the beaches on the north and west. A few minor details: (1) It would be helpful for the hotel to provide complete instructions in advance on where and when it is legal to park on the street. Despite Diego's best efforts at telling me where I should park, due to my misunderstanding the hours of free street parking, I parked an hour too early and received a parking ticket on my first night there - which Diego kindly helped me sort out as efficiently as possible, but still cost me €20 I would rather have spent on gelato. With written instructions in advance I would have been able to avoid this little annoyance. There is indeed free street parking very close to the hotel, but only in specific areas, and the spots close to the hotel are in a residential zone. (Also, I advise renting the smallest car you can, or a motorcycle or scooter - you do not want to be driving a big tank-sized vehicle around on these narrow streets. And even if there's no flash flooding, I advise getting the full insurance coverage on your rental, because the roads into the more remote beaches are a little rough.) (2) Be aware that the rooms are comfortable, but not spacious. I was just one person in a double room, but there was no good place to put my bag without rearranging furniture. If my wife had been with me, I am not sure how we would have been able to walk in the room without stepping over our luggage. A small bench or shelf or folding rack or closet for bags would be helpful. (3) The breakfast is continental, with not a lot of vegetarian options, but there's a machine that brews your choice of espresso beverage at the touch of a button. (4) Like many European hotels, this one has an energy-saving feature that shuts off electrical outlets when the room key card is not inserted in a slot on the wall. Unfortunately, the mini refrigerator in the room also shuts off when the key card is not in the room, so I was disappointed to find that the the food and drink I had chilled overnight warmed up again while I was out during the day. If I had known I would have requested an additional key, but a better solution that would prevent guests from wasting power leaving the air conditioning on all day but also keep the refrigerator working would be to keep the refrigerator's electrical outlet on a different circuit that stays on all the time. Many thanks to Diego for saving me from missing my flight, and for flawless hospitality throughout my entire stay. I hope to come back to Menorca, and bring my wife next time, and if/when we do, we will definitely aim to stay at this hotel.

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