Philip Stein
We, my partner and I, stayed at Vivarium for the second time, once last January and again this year. Overall, it’s a place with a lot of potential and charm, which is also why we decided to come back. What we really like: Vivarium is very well located in a lively neighbourhood, close to the Turia park. The building itself is beautiful, with charming tiles, and the co-living atmosphere is a real plus. The people staying there and the activities that are organised create a fun and social experience. What could be improved: Unfortunately, both stays had some issues around management and hospitality. During our first stay there was a booking mistake and we ended up in a smaller room than expected. This time, we had to move to a different room and floor after one week. Additionally, I experienced problems with the keys twice: the first set did not work at all for our room and the co-living spaces, and the second set also worked poorly. Checking this more carefully in advance would already make a big difference in how welcome guests feel. The rooms themselves are quite basic. The en-suite bathrooms in both rooms were rather cramped, storage is limited to a simple wardrobe, and there is little decoration to make the rooms feel cosy. A bit more attention to these details, as well as a clearer and warmer check-in process (showing guests around and explaining how everything works) and improving the kitchen stuff (cups, plates, glasses etc.), would really improve the overall experience. In summary: Vivarium has a great location and a nice co-living community. With a bit more care and attention to hospitality, organisation, and room and kitchen facilities, it could easily be a 5-out-of-5 experience.