Villa Maria I

The beds were comfortable, but the pillows were hard and difficult to use. The property felt dated, and many things were broken, so maintenance had to come and fix them. Some simple problems included missing air-conditioning controllers or controllers that needed new batteries. The oven labels had rubbed off, so you had to guess the temperature. The outdoor BBQ only had half its grills, making cooking too slow and impractical. The fridge shelves were broken, and a freezer drawer was missing. We asked for floor or bathroom mats, but none arrived. Unfortunately, I wouldn't return.

We were eight people and stayed for a full week. Shopping is about 1.5 kilometers toward the town center, and the sea is around 150 meters away. The location is generally quiet, though the playground right across the road can be noisy during the day and evening. There's a small parking area inside the fence and public parking spaces in front of the house. The house and furnishings were clean and tidy. The air conditioning and WiFi worked, and it had small kitchen appliances like a microwave and toaster. The house is very noisy inside, and the pool was unfortunately in poor condition, so I took off one star.

The pool raised the biggest concerns: 800 grams of chlorine had been poured into the 2.7 by 5 meter pool, leaving a chlorine level of 4.8 mg/l, when swimming is prohibited above 3 mg/l. Tiles are coming loose and leaving sharp edges. The terrace's safety barrier to the pool has also been removed, supposedly to make it child-friendly. This fairly new house is already starting to show its age. The kitchen air conditioning is broken, though the units in each bedroom worked fine. The patio chairs are falling apart, and the place is less than 200 m². The supermarket 80 meters away has been closed for at least 6 years. With rent above 15,000 euros a month, I definitely wouldn't recommend it. There are also 2-4 surveillance cameras inside, two of them visible.

The house is close to a pebble beach and Alducia, and it takes about 15 minutes to reach the return ferry terminal from Corsica. There's a playground with soccer, basketball, and a swing just across the road, around 20 meters away, which is ideal for children. I wish I'd read the reviews before booking. The official photos are from when the house was built, and both the neighborhood and the owner's changes have altered things since then. There are no safety barriers to prevent falls from the terrace or into the pool, which is dangerous for babies. The pool doesn't run long enough, so it's heavily chlorinated to compensate. It needs renovation too: tiles are coming apart, and we picked up about ten in a week. The kitchen is poorly equipped, the fridge is too small for 10 people, and its three-drawer freezer is useless. The air conditioning isn't maintained, with completely clogged filters and indoor units in undesirable condition, bacteria/mold, causing unpleasant smells in one bedroom and the kitchen.