Owl and the Pussycat Hotel & Restaurant

The hotel staff were exceptional. Really genuine caring service, a really solid team. They went out of their way to help us with information and it felt more like we were staying at someone's home rather than in a hotel. The design of the place is delightful; really whimsical and a nice flair for detail. There was a family of monkeys hanging out in the trees overhanging our balcony.

These are all minor issues overall.... The wifi didn't work very well in the room. There was a light fitting that had fallen off and was dangling from its cord on our patio. The windows could do with the salt from the sea air being cleaned off more fastidiously.

Location

Incredibly dirty, no proper reception, very poor breakfast, dirty drinking water in room served in a pitcher- looked like water from flowers, muddy mug coasters, it totally blew my mind this level of callousness the owner has since i paid 300 euros for a night and all my memories are with me inserting the pillow in a clean tshirt to be able to put my face on it. We had sea view room but i wasn't able to see the room through the very dirty windows ( also the windows were very small, we only booked sea view rooms and all had huge clean windows). The soap/ lotion dispensers had a lot of dirt on them and had many visible refills, not sure if it was safe to use them or we could get a rash, they looked totally unhygienically. The towels are colored so you don't see the dirt on them and are kept under the sink in a basket- i used a face towel in order to get a hair from another guest on my face- disgusting!- so my husband went to the laundry to get a shower towel for me since i couldn't use the towels in the room after that!!Also, the air in the room is very moldy, i barely slept. The bar/restaurant is a joke, we asked for a bottle of wine, the bartender said that they don't have it but they have something else at the same price so we agreed on it. After waiting for like 15 mins we comes back telling us that it actually costs with 50% more. Of course we refused. Wanted to make a tea in the room but there was no kettle in the room, but a dirty one in the hallway. Also no fridge/minibar in the room. We gave up on having a tea also. The bathroom has a ventilation like a window, right in the hallway, so you have no orivacy and you also hear the other guests when they come/leave. Atcthe breakfast they had a dirty toaster that didn't work, so the handy man brought another one, which didn't work either!

Tuk-Tuk drivers who stand at the entrance to the hotel disperse other drivers who are on call in order to charge double payment and no one can do anything about it. My driver had to go around them because he was afraid for his health.

Chelsea was absolutely brilliant and so focussed on the guest experience. She was very personable and extremely knowledgeable on the local area. Chelsea was the highlight of our stay. The restaurant, bar and pool area was lovely too and the location was right on the beach. The breakfast was yummy but not very many options.

Unfortunately, the property is run down and in desperate need of a refurbishment. The bed in our room was broken and the air conditioning was awful. I hate writing negative reviews but I felt this property was significantly overpriced for what you get.

The property is tastefully decorated true to its theme. It is a delightfully quaint hotel. The staff are accommodating but not overbearing. A shoutout to Emma who was an absolute delight to deal with and assisted us with a couple of tricky situations. We booked three different calibres of rooms and all were charming. Food was yummy but the portions were small. We mostly ate outside of the hotel. Things in the hotel don’t necessarily work as they might @ home but that’s part of the adventure. Overall we were very comfortable here and were a party of seven people of all different ages.

The tuk tuk drivers who reside just outside the property. We nicknamed them “The Tuk tuk mafia!” They are very territorial and any other driver who ventures onto their turf is given an aggressive scolding. We were also subjected to their aggression and scamming on three occasions. The hotel security make their presence known when the tuk tuk drivers drop you off but seem unable to really assist. I have never experienced this issue anywhere else in Asia. I am not sure what the hotel can do to fix but they have assured us that they will try. Unfortunately you are forced to use the tuk tuk drivers for transport as there are no other alternatives and the hotel is in a location that is not within walking distance to the main Streets.

Great location and views. Room was large with a comfortable bed. Staff were friendly and helped to organize laundry on short notice. Quiet and set back from the street. Generous yum breakfast included.

Had some minor issues with water pressure and heat but didn’t impact us too much.