Don Rafa has a really cool, boutique feel from the moment you walk in. The lobby and common areas are stylish, modern, and thoughtfully designed, with a unique art-deco vibe that makes the place feel more like a design hotel than a typical stay. The breakfast area is pleasant, and overall the property looks clean and well put together.
Our room itself was just okay. It was a wheelchair-accessible room on the main floor right beside the front desk, which we hadn’t requested, and it ended up being quite loud because of the constant foot traffic and lobby noise. The elevator was also extremely slow, which made getting around the hotel a bit frustrating.
The policies felt unusually strict for a hotel in this price range. There was zero flexibility on late checkout, and early check-in costs $100 USD plus tax, which feels steep. What I found especially strange was a printed list of damage and replacement fees sitting in the drawer beside the bed, itemizing the cost of nearly everything in the room. It gave the stay a slightly uncomfortable, overly monitored feeling rather than a relaxed boutique-hotel experience.
Overall, the design and atmosphere are great, but the rigid policies, room placement, slow elevator, and fee list in the room took away from what could have been a much nicer stay.
