Alborada is a small hotel in the heart of the city. The location is perfect, right on Barros Arana which is the city's main commercial street, only one block away from Plaza de Armas, and just minutes walk from the main attractions of the city such as Universidad de Concepcion, Barrio Civico and Parque Ecuador. We were able to walk everywhere!
We stayed during a weekend and half the following week. Saturday mornings are very busy with lots of people shopping, eating out and enjoying brunch at the different cafes. Sundays are extremely quiet, almost depressing. Monday to Wednesday -the days we stayed- the city was buzzling with people. A very active downtown.
At first we were afraid of what type of product we would encounter for such a low price when booking. We were surprised. The rooms are decent sized, well equipped, clean, bright, comfortable and quiet. The staff is friendly, attentive and with good enough English. The housekeeping lady that took care of our room during our stay always had a smile on her face. They even left tasty chocolates everyday after the daily service.
Breakfast was included in our booking. There was a good assortment of different kinds of bread (Chile is huge in bread, only second in the world after Turkey), pies and kuchens (thanks to the big German influence in southern Chile), and the typical deli products like ham and cheese. Also the basics such as butter and jam, water (we didn't know if it was tap or bottled since it was in a jar, so we didn't risk it), tea and (instant, not grain) coffee Orange juice (from concentrate) was also provided. Milk was UHT, Chile doesn't offer fresh milk at supermarkets or anywhere else.
We had a room on the top floor (level 4). We specified in the booking that we wanted a quiet room, and we got it. Room design and decor is simple but of good taste. Way more spacious than the room we stayed in the Ibis last time we visited the city, and for less money. Just don't expect a view, Concepcion is beautiful from street level, not from a high floor. Apparently people just don't care about their aging rusty roofs.
Wifi was good, fast and reliable. We never had a connection problem or any data limit. Basic free to air TV, no English.
This is the place to stay if you want to experience the city. Amazing value!