Altea Beach Apartments

It was beautifully relaxing, and I’d happily stay again. I hadn’t expected it to be so isolated, with no shops and only a couple of places to eat, so you’ll need a hire car or money for taxis. Miguel was polite and helpful, thanks to him.

The worst part of my stay was what happened after I left. I accidentally left a gold necklace behind. It belonged to my late grandmother and meant a lot to me. I called the person in charge and asked her to check with the cleaning staff, but was told it “didn’t turn up.” I never got it back. The accommodation itself was decent and my stay was acceptable, though the place clearly needs renovation. I would have given it three stars if it weren’t for the necklace and the lack of honesty and empathy I felt afterward. It’s very disappointing, and I think other guests should know about my experience.

The apartment was clean, spacious, and comfortable, with both heating and cooling. We also had a great balcony and lovely views. It felt like good value for money. The peaceful neighborhood and stunning sea views made this a wonderful place to stay. Altea is worth visiting if you’re touring Spain or anywhere along the east coast, and Pierre Vacances is a great place to stay. There are wonderful restaurants and a beachside shack right outside. On Spain Black Day, it was even quieter, with little lights and just the sound of the waves breaking the silence.

The service was the worst part. The receptionist was the least helpful I’ve encountered in dozens of accommodations across around 30 countries. Twice she told me I had to make the call myself, then acted as if she couldn’t say that because I’d been upset. She was making me call from Spain to the UK on a Finnish mobile number, which probably cost me another 50-100 euros when I tried a third time to get my money back. I didn’t succeed, and only got instructions for making a complaint online. The 70 m2 apartments look nice in the photos, but ours smelled absolutely horrible and unhealthy. We were in apartment 306, on the first floor of building 7, seven, about 200 meters from the main building shown in the photos. It’s a renovated apartment in a very old building, and the smell was unbearable. When I offered the receptionist money to move us to the main building, she first said she “cannot make an upgrade.” Then she told me to call the place I booked through, even though I’d booked on Pierre & Vacances’ own website. After I spent 15 minutes calling the UK, she came outside and said she’d spoken to a superior and could change our apartment. Why couldn’t that have happened half an hour earlier? The “superior” apartment had a very strong smell of cleaning product perfume, which wasn’t good at all. It was clear staying wasn’t worth ruining my special holiday. Stay anywhere else.