Conny

This was the worst experience we’ve had in 20 years of renting holiday homes. We booked both apartments for two weeks in the summer holidays and arrived to find an unexpected building site, with workers on the balcony. We saw the owner that first time and never again. We wanted to move out on the first evening, but couldn’t find another place during the summer holidays, so we had to stay. The two apartments were dark and downstairs. Though legally classed as ground floor, they felt more like basements, even with the larger windows. In July the living areas were 18°C and bathrooms 16°C, according to our baby monitor. The bedrooms were damp, and after just a few days our clothes felt wet and smelled bad. There were no laundry facilities. The heating wasn’t turned on despite repeated requests. There was no Wi-Fi either. After we asked several times, an electrician came on day three; afterward two bars of light appeared in the entrance, but not in the apartments, and nothing else was done. Five of the eight of us got sick, including the baby, who had a fever of 39°C (102°F). The owner was hard to reach. She said she was at work all day, even on Sundays, and sometimes took hours to answer the phone. Her mother-in-law was very nice, but seemed overwhelmed by our requests. The apartments were old, unhygienic, and uncomfortable. All the electronic devices were at least 30 years old, many didn’t work, and the mattresses were just as old and worn. One apartment had dusty, musty, unhygienic carpeting. There was no shared room, so the place didn’t work well for a large group or help us spend time together. The outdoor area was very limited, and there weren’t even enough terrace chairs for the number of people listed. A large, nice dog roamed freely and urinated in the garden in front of the apartment. The ceiling was thin enough that we could clearly hear footsteps and chairs scraping above. Construction carried on every day around the property, with workers and vehicles. There was scaffolding in front of three of the five apartment windows, noise through the whole second week, and debris and tools scattered around. Pickaxes were left in the “garden area” meant for guests. Dear owners, guests pay a lot for their annual holiday, and you have a big part in whether it goes well. I hope you take this criticism seriously and improve things for your sake and future guests. As it is now, you’re leaving people frustrated with bad memories.