Hostel Vatra in Lvov

The worst hotel stay of my life.

Other than the photo there is no signage outside to indicate where the hotel is. Also reception is hidden on the top floor.

I had booked a “Delux” room for five nights. I am a British volunteer driver just returned to Lviv after several trips to Eastern Ukraine. I was due to head to Sloviansk today but cannot because of the very bad night I had here.

The room was freezing, and yes there is power here in Lviv most of the time. The supplied bedding albeit clean was suitable for summer conditions not sub zero winter ones. I could not get warm at all in the room. I generally like it cool, but not 10 degrees!

Also the room smelt so bad! I believe this is probably due to previous guests smoking and lack of real cleaning. No ashtrays were present suggesting a smoking room!

The tiled floor which was very cold to walk on was very dirty in places, all lamps had cobwebs and there is no bedside light or table/sockets.

There was however an old rusty commercial display fridge dumped in the room! I wondered if this was my un stocked minibar! But probably total lack of regard for guests using the room as storage.

The guests in the next room were exceptionally loud talking until 3am very loudly and were again active and very noisy at 7am. I’ve had zero sleep due to combination of cold and noise. I have had to cancel my volunteering task as it will be too dangerous to drive.

So around 8am I went for a shower, surprise, no hot water at all!! And no, that has nothing to do with the war.

I give up, throw on layers of clothes to try and warm up, pack my bags and leave. I’ve managed to book into another hotel nearby, it’s warm, I have showered and now I’ll rest a little.

Avoid this place at all costs! You have been warned. They can’t even provide the basics.

Oh and the WiFi didn’t work either.

If this is a “Delux” room, I dare to think what a basic room is like.

+Location of the hotel in the central part.
+TV, WiFi
- minuses, the room is cold, the room is heated by one panel that only heats when you stand near it. Although I called to clarify this, they assured me that it was very warm.
The sewage in the shower does not flush, the water is stagnant and there is also a smell of a cesspool throughout the room🤢 When we asked for another room, because it was impossible to stay there, they told us: :( this is our situation, we can't do anything).
The bedding is not fresh, the child only had new clothes, we had worn clothes from our grandmother, you can see that they were left in them after the investigation (photo attached).
The towels are terrible, not fresh, also from the USSR.
There is mold in the shower.
The window sill is peeling.
We didn't like it and were also afraid of being poisoned by cesspool gases that can be heard throughout the hotel🥴

Let's start with the pluses and this location is quite convenient, that's where the pluses end, and now the minuses, the ROOM IS VERY DIRTY, there was an apple core under the table, the tiles in the bathroom are held together only by cobwebs (maybe that's why they don't clean it), check-in only from 2:00 PM, if you arrive earlier you have to pay 300 UAH, there is no soundproofing, there are not even slippers in the room, and the photo on Booking is 10 years old. This is a hotel where you can stay for a maximum of 1 night and only if there is nowhere else (only to spend the night)

The people are just hogwash, to say that this is a sauna, no!!!! The pool is black, when was the last time the water was changed or cleaned there, no one knows (The door to the pool is broken, hanging on one curtain, the rest rooms are cold. The TV does not work (The sauna itself is simply unsanitary, there is dirt and dust everywhere. I do not recommend it to anyone!!!!

Call this place a "hotel"...?! No! The conditions are terrible. Check in for the night to spend the night with a child? No!!! Noise insulation 0! Behind the wall, the guests were having fun, and we ... were trying to sleep... 😡 Cleanliness. .for 2! The toilet is wobbly, the sink... too. I do not recommend it!!!

Plus, they were able to provide accommodation at night.
Cons, living in such rooms is dangerous. The bed is terrible, creaks everywhere. One socket in which all appliances are connected. The shower is broken.