We booked this hotel through HostelWorld.com and were able to save about US$30.00 for a one-night stay (considering the USD was in the tank at the time). We stayed here with the intention to sleep away our terrible jet lag from Chicago. It was actually quite comfortable and I would recommend it to anyone seeking simple accomodations. The neighborhood looks rough, but really is pretty laid back. Check in and check out--very efficient. Very nice folks here at Cecil Hotel. Not much of a view, but for sleeping off jet lag, I would recommend it. It's pretty safe and comfortable if you don't want a lot of amenities.

We arrived late afternoon at the hotel to find the hotel clerk being really rude to a previous guest who thought he had left something behind in his room and who just wanted to know whether the clerk could contact him if his possession did turn up. This should have been a warning sign.

We then attempted to check in - I handed the clerk a print out of my email showing that I had asked for a room quote, accepted it and provided my credit card details as requested in the hotel's email. The clerk then told us that despite the email, we weren't listed in his book as having reserved a room. He said that the room offered in the email at a discount rate was no longer available, but (conveniently) there was another room available at a much higher price if we wanted that one! Because we were tired, we ended up agreeing. However, whilst the room itself was okay, the air obviously recirculated through the entire building. The people in the next room to us were smokers and the smoke from their room constantly flooded into ours.

Also, we discovered that whilst the hotel claims that it has air conditioning, you actually have to ask them to manually switch on the air con from downstairs before your unit will work.

All in all, I would say stay at this hotel only if you have no other choice.

The hotel was nice - great central location after returning from an island adventure.
However, after returning from dinner we were treated to loud music blearing from the bar below from 11pm until 6am.
Not a pleasant experience.

(Tip: There are left luggage deposits in at the local underground station before heading back to the airport).

This place is next to the metro and within walking distance of everything. The hotel itself is old and no big deal, but the staff is friendly and very helpful and the good location more than makes up for any shortcomings in the other departments.