Selská Chalupa

What a shame, this place has so much potential and sits in a beautiful spot. The accommodation quality doesn’t match the price, and it’s quite apparent that the owner manages everything remotely. Many things are damaged, neglected or only partly working, and communication with the owner is very poor.

The cottage sits in a lovely part of Šumava, and the big garden, outdoor seating and pool are a real plus, especially for families. Still, for the price we expected more. The rooms were furnished, but there wasn’t enough bedding, and we had to bring our own towels. There were no toiletries because the cleaners arrived without keys to the cleaning room. Upstairs, water came through the bathroom taps only in a trickle. One shower broke, though the owner got a replacement for us the next day. The old kitchen fridge stopped working on our first day, then started up again but barely cooled. The kitchen equipment is worn, and the dishwasher’s extension cord was easy to trip over and pull out of the wall, socket included. We couldn’t use the sauna because it had broken for the group before us and wasn’t repaired in time. The washing machine was there but didn’t work; when I asked about getting another, I was told there wasn’t one. We ended up laughing about how many things were unusable or broken. A few days after we arrived in Šumava, a storm brought hail and heavy rain, and most of the upstairs rooms leaked. One room couldn’t be used. The owner’s husband said this had never happened before, but the maps and peeling paint on the walls made that hard to believe. There were wasp nests in the skylights, so some windows couldn’t be opened at all. A lot could be repaired or replaced for the money charged, and then the cottage could be perfect. Maybe we’ll see what it’s like once they renovate the rest, which was inaccessible at the time.

The cottage and its surroundings are quite nice, and the accommodation itself was reasonably good. But our Prague housemates said the shared areas were theirs alone, even though we had keys and they were meant for all guests. When we went to the common room, they complained, and our keys were taken away. The owner was arrogant and rude, with unpleasant calls and threats to involve the police. The other guests behaved inappropriately too. Forget the pool and sauna, neither was available to use. The room was cleaned very slowly, the grill was in a sorry state, and the owner’s attitude was a disaster. We were disgusted by how she treated us. She should learn how to deal with people.

The owner made unpleasant calls and threatened us over alleged conflicts with residents of other units. They complained that we wanted to use the shared spaces, even though those areas are described as common to everyone. If you’re not friends from Prague, you’d be better off spending the cottage money at the mall. Give yourself a break from this terrible experience during your hard-earned time off, or slap yourself. Never coming here again!