Name and Shame in Spain - HOTEL ARTE VIDA

[MostlyHarmless]

I've just been on a short trip down to Morocco, and rode down through Spain from Santander to Algeciras. I stayed a night at HOTEL ARTE VIDA and not having 'plenty' of Euros on me the following morning I decided to settle the bill by credit card. I started to get an uncomfortable feeling about the chap at the desk when he asked for my PIN rather than offering me the opportunity to type it in. I insisted on going behind the desk and made sure that he couldn't see what I entered. Then after quite some time he claimed that the transaction didn't go through, he crumpled up the slip from the credit card machine and then asked if I could pay by cash. I tried to get the slip of paper from him, but he wouldn't give it to me. To be fair there was a complete language barrier so I eventually gave him the benefit of the doubt and paid in cash. Now that I am home my credit card bill has arrived and, yes you guessed it, the transaction had gone through. So I burned my fingers a wee bit and have learned to try and avoid getting into this kind of situation again. I write this to hopefully save someone else from the same thing happening to them, and specifically to warn people to be cautious if staying over at:

HOTEL ARTE VIDA
CN 340 Km. 79,3
11380 - Tarifa (Cádiz) - España

Tel. +34 956 68 52 46
Fax +34 956 68 91 33

It's a shame as otherwise I would have recommended this place.