Casa Teo

We were four and found the house comfortable enough for our small group. It’s handy for Ávila, though the setting isn’t ideal: it’s beside the highway, so you hear it with the windows open, and sits in a sort of industrial area among houses and plots of land. Cleaning was adequate.

We picked the house for its charm, garden and apparent comfort, but what we found was a huge letdown. The garden areas weren’t there at all, just bare ground, with what looks like an abandoned plot next door. Dogs there barked constantly. It wasn’t their fault, but it made it impossible to switch off. The house itself is pretty, though nothing special, and it’s practically beside the highway, which ended up being the least of our concerns. Rest was another problem. The beds were so hard we couldn’t relax for even five minutes, and upstairs was unbearably hot. There’s only one full bathroom, which is really inconvenient for a group. Flies, moths and ants kept coming in, so we couldn’t leave the door open, and the cleanliness was almost nonexistent. The listing and reality didn’t match, and it’s a shame the stay was such a bad experience. With more care, this place could be much better. It badly needs maintenance and work inside and out. At a minimum, mosquito nets on the windows and a curtain on the door would help with all the flies. The dreadful staircase is a nightmare for older people. If you want to cook, the extractor fan makes a terrifying noise and doesn’t work, while the ceramic hob is incredibly slow.

The only real plus was being near Ávila. The house needs a lot of work and isn’t well maintained for rural accommodation, so it definitely wasn’t worth the money. Inside it was filthy, there were hardly any utensils, and we had to clean everything ourselves. The garden looked nothing like the photo: dry and neglected, with a huge pile of rubble and anthills everywhere. The stairs to the upper floor need fixing and felt as if they might collapse. Upstairs was incredibly hot with no air conditioning. The mattresses were rock hard, and the sofa bed mattress was so dirty we had to turn it over. There’s just one bathroom, which doesn’t work well for a large group. Worst house I’ve ever stayed in.

The bedrooms are upstairs, and cold drafts came through the ceiling in every room during our winter night there. We ended up pushing the beds together and sleeping communally to stay warm. The insulation needs urgent attention. Maybe, as another review mentioned bees getting in, the roof is part of the problem. At first sight the house and its large garden seemed in excellent condition. Downstairs is well equipped, including a small but adequate kitchen. The service was friendly and they responded right away. I’ll say how it ends.