4/10 Rating
Kasa La Monarca is an "ok" budget hotel to stay at for a short stay in the city. It is acceptable, but let's not kid anyone: the only valid reason to pick this hotel is the competitive price. This should be clear by now, but let's keep in mind that this is not a comfortable hotel. Do not expect an ounce of luxury.
THE PROS:
- Well located, close to major bus transit lines, 10-min walk from Powell Station
- Generally clean
- Well-equipped kitchen in the common area
- The Kasa team is responsive both on voice calls and emails
- Beds are quite firm and comfortable (if you enjoy firm beds). Not ideal for side sleepers.
THE CONS:
- To be clear, this is a self check in hotel; there is no reception desk, and no hotel staff on site. This means that if you have any problem (e.g., noisy neighbours) , you have to call or send an email, which is an inconvenience to be aware of.
- There is no daily cleaning, which means you will have to keep the same towel for the full duration of your stay.
- Poor noise isolation. It is easy to hear people through walls, and most doors into the hallway have a 1/2 inch gap to the floor, which means that you hear anything happening in the corridor as if they were right next to you. There are complimentary ear plugs in the room to slightly compensate.
- No temperature control and loud radiators. There is no temperature control in the rooms, which can get hot or cold. The waters radiators (as of May 2023) were at times extremely loud, producing sequences of very loud metallic clangs at times that felt as if someone was hitting on the metal fire escape staircases with a metal wrench. This is most likely due to some form of issue with the water pipes, cavitation, or sludge buildup, and hence probably not an easy fix. You get used to it, but it remains very unpleasant.
- View / window quality is very unequal. There are a few rooms with bay windows on the front Street, but most rooms are on the side or back of the building. We had a room whose window was entirely blocked by a rusty metal fire escape, and looked right into a nearby building above a dirty area between building on the third floor, in which it was basically impossible to keep blinds open if any privacy was desired. I would ask for a room on the top floor if you want a better chance of having a decent enough room with sunlight and privacy.
- Very small bathroom with no counter space. Not a major inconvenience, but also not great. Shower can also take 5 minutes to warm up, or cool down once it's warm.