Olborbotte

Our stay at Cottage Olborbotte, also known as Le Clos Nestor, was a disaster from the moment we arrived. The owner looked disheveled and uninterested, barely acknowledging us. When he saw our Dutch license plates, he made an openly racist comment: "I didn't think the Dutch would lower themselves to stay here." It made us deeply uncomfortable for the rest of the visit. The villa was dirty as soon as we walked in. Trash, used dishes and leftover food were all over the living areas, as if after a wild party. I suspect it was left by previous guests. When we pointed it out, the owner said, "Well, clean it up yourselves if it bothers you." That was the first of several rude, dismissive exchanges. The sewage smell throughout the house was overpowering, and our children couldn't sleep in their rooms. The owner responded, "You Dutch people always find something to complain about," instead of dealing with it. The villa also had ants and cockroaches. We found ants in the kitchen cupboards, drawers and even our beds. The owners called it "normal for the countryside." We had young children aged 2 to 5 with us, so we were horrified at the thought of them encountering cockroaches or being bitten by ants. The bathrooms were in awful condition too. The toilets had stains and smelled unbearable, the showers were caked with grime and hair that seemed to be from previous guests, and the floors were sticky. It looked to me as if the place hadn't been properly cleaned in years. When we raised it, the owner said, "It's an big villa, what do you expect?" The sauna and pool, which were the reason we chose this place, were only available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. So there was no late swim or early sauna. On top of that, the owner and his wife came into the villa unannounced every day to lock and unlock the sauna. They walked around at any time, sometimes while we were having breakfast. When we asked them to respect our space, they shrugged and said, "We have to manage the facilities, that's how it works." There was no privacy, basic hygiene, professionalism or hospitality. Calling this a luxury villa is shocking. To us, it was a dilapidated, unclean and poorly managed shack. Our vacation was utterly ruined, and I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. Cottage Olborbotte is the worst place we've ever stayed. Stay far, far away.