Copacabana

We spent two weeks in a privately owned apartment. The building was nice, the shared areas were clean, and it stayed quiet at night. The pool was pleasant and the sunbeds comfortable. The neighborhood was less noisy than downtown Las America's, and it was easy to find better restaurants than the ones downtown.

WARNING: APARTMENT 77. There were four of us, two adults and two small children. Each apartment has its own private host, and our relatives upstairs were treated like royalty. The owner asked for €980 in cash as soon as we arrived. She quickly showed me the bedroom, with two made-up beds, and explained that the sofa in the living room opened into a double bed. She pointed out spare sheets in a closet, then we went back downstairs to fetch our luggage. What a mess. The sheets were dirty and had been used, the old pillows had no cases, and the closet was broken and full of old, smelly cast-off clothes. The spare sheets were used and smelled too. I also found old coats in Tenerife, dusty blankets and piles of rags. The kitchen had cockroaches. I was desperate and started cleaning. I kept our clothes in the suitcase and shut the closet with all the dirty things inside. My sister-in-law upstairs lent us a clean set of sheets, at least for the children. The double sofa bed was completely broken, and the slats fell out, so my husband and I couldn't sleep the first night. At night there was a very strong sewer smell from the bathroom, and the toilet leaked. We asked the host for our €980 back, but he never answered any other numbers. We couldn't move because everywhere was full and prices had shot up. I spent the first day disinfecting everything I could. We bought an air mattress and pillows from Declaton, and giant sheet-shaped towels from the Pakistani Giu. I bleached a kitchen cupboard and used it only for unopened food, because there were small cockroaches when you opened the drawers. I try to keep everything as clean as I can, especially around the kids, but it was a bit of a fire. The building is beautiful and well kept. The pool has been cleaned twice during the seven days we've been here, and the condominium itself is well cared for. But my owner deserves a complaint!

Palm trees and cacti line the lively waterfront around this bright yellow, 12-story building, and there are luxurious views all around. The residential complex has apartments with private pools and ocean views. It has elevators, and el Bobo beach is 300 meters away, about a five-minute walk. There are two supermarkets and plenty of cafes along the way.

We had a wonderful holiday at the Copacabana apartments and will definitely come back!