Villa Capricia

We never got to stay, so I can’t comment on the apartment itself. The owner cancelled our reservation on the day of our stay. I read his cancellation email that morning, an hour before we reached our destination, while we were halfway there by car. I’d booked through my Booking.com account, which I’ve had for about ten years. It still had my French personal details, and I’d never changed them because I didn’t think it mattered. That was a big mistake. I’ve lived in Belgium for several years, my wife is Belgian, and so is our 18-month-old son. The owner used the fact that the booking was made with a French account to cancel it, citing COVID-19 travel restrictions between countries. He took advantage of the health situation to keep the money while claiming he was entitled to do so. That lack of ethics is deplorable. We called to explain, but he wouldn’t listen. He refused to let us stay, change the dates so we wouldn’t lose our money, arrange payment through a Belgian Booking.com account, accept copies of our Belgian ID cards, or give us any refund, even a partial one. We’d also paid him a €150 deposit from a Belgian account. We tried to appeal to him on a human level, but apparently he didn’t care. The day before we were due to leave, I emailed to say we wanted to use the linen service we’d paid for. He said that was fine, even though he knew he would cancel the next morning. He also told Booking.com we kept calling him as if we were harassing him. We found that out from a Booking.com employee we spoke to on the phone shortly after reading the cancellation email and speaking with him. She was receiving messages from him while we were on the phone. Talk about bad faith! He also claimed I could get a refund through my MasterCard. That’s impossible unless the customer cancels, and even then it depends on specific circumstances. I’m convinced he knew that already and just wanted to end the conversation. Maybe the apartment was rented again. Nice for him, twice as profitable for Scrooge McDuck! When money comes before ethics, that’s not something to condone. We lost over 150 euros in all this. It may be pocket change for him, but it isn’t for us. I’m sure the gentleman feels no remorse. Naturally, he’s within his rights. After checking, I saw the apartment was unavailable until March 17th. We’d booked March 8th to 10th. I imagine our dates overlapped with another renter who’d booked for longer. It’s shameful, especially since he told us on the phone he wasn’t that kind of person. What a liar!

The duplex is beautiful, well maintained, and has inviting terraces. It’s equipped with every luxury and sits in an ideal spot between Nieuwpoort-Bad and the city. Communication was friendly and very smooth.

Beautiful place in a good location, though early morning traffic wakes you up quickly. It’s on a busy road.

We’ve been coming back for two years in a row and have a great time. The apartment is super beautiful, nicely furnished, fully equipped, and in a top location.