Krabbenkieker

We'd been looking forward to this weekend for ages, but it brought more stress than rest. The weekend itself was lovely, the vacation apartment wasn't. Sadly, after checkout it wasn't possible to contact the hosts anymore, so there was no way to discuss things or ask about a possible refund. The problems started before arrival. The welcome email never came, and we didn't get the check-in instructions or general information and dates that were advertised online as arriving 24 hours ahead. We had to call a number at the property. The person sounded unmotivated and almost unfriendly, especially since this was your mistake. She asked my name, gave us the key safe code, and ended the call without saying goodbye. The apartment is set up for 5 to 6 adults, but the kitchenette is so small that only one person can use it at a time. It had two burners, a microwave, kettle, mini-oven, and a mini-fridge with a freezer compartment that was completely iced over and unusable. The mini-oven was filthy. Some pots and pans still had food from earlier guests on them, and one had mold spores. The counter was tiny, with several large, obvious broken patches. There weren't enough dishes or cutlery for a family of 5 to 6, and there were no bowls or usual utensils like whisks or paring knives. There was also no information in the apartment about checkout, how to leave it, or where to put the rubbish. Some rooms were very sparsely and poorly furnished. Furniture was damaged and partly unusable, and the balcony was bare, dirty, and run-down. We couldn't get a restful night's sleep. One of the three rooms had a comfortable bed, but a badly and carelessly installed shelf above the headboard nearly fell into our faces. In another room the mattress was so worn that we could feel every spring, and the third room's mattress was rock hard. The lighting consisted of two bulbs, but one was broken and had simply been unscrewed. In winter, that meant hardly any light after 7 p.m. The bathroom mirrored cabinet was completely dirty, so it was hard to tell when the apartment had last had a thorough clean. The living room blinds were moldy and rusty, and there were burn marks on the window.

We spent one night in February, and the apartment was about 10 degrees Celsius when we got there. The heating went off soon after our arrival. The kettle, bedside lamps, and an armchair were broken too, making for a pretty miserable night and morning. The landlord never responded to our complaint. These conditions are unacceptable, best not to book.

The whole place smelled of urine, the apartment was filthy despite check-in not being until 3:00 PM, and the furniture was broken. We cut the vacation short before it had even really begun. Getting our money back has been impossible so far. I can only strongly warn people away from staying here. If you still plan to go, you'll need a strong immune system and nerves of steel. Here are just a few examples of what you'll find. Absolutely horrible!

We slept peacefully at night, and the location works perfectly if you're driving. The balcony was only a Juliet balcony, unfortunately, though Windes has apartments with balconies too. The furnishings were simple but adequate, and everything was spotless: freshly made beds, fresh towels, and toilet paper. The bathroom was modern and clean. Booking was straightforward, and communication with the host was excellent.