Apartamentos Orfeo Azul

We paid over £1200 for four days in an apartment. When we arrived, it looked passable but wasn’t clean. As a group of five women, we cleaned it ourselves and tried to enjoy our stay. The next morning, most of us woke with tiny bites, which a doctor later said were bed bug bites. On the day we left, Debbie from riviera came to demand a €300 deposit in cash. We had no problem paying, but were out of euros and asked to pay by card. She raised her voice, and we were shocked by her aggressive manner, especially as we’d been there since Saturday. She told me to go downstairs and pay in cash or else, so I thought it best to close the door. About 30 minutes later, we all went out to discuss it. Debbie was waiting outside with a man who also spoke aggressively and told us to go to the office. We asked again why it had to be cash instead of a bank payment. In the end, we paid in cash because only one of us had a bank card to withdraw money, on the promise she’d return it that evening. We tidied the apartment, bagged the rubbish, and swept and mopped. We left no dirty cups, and there was a dishwasher. We didn’t wash the bedding for the next guests, and that’s what she used to keep our deposit. She kept £160 because there was makeup on the sheets. We were five women on a four-day break, and nobody had mentioned that the place was unclean when we arrived, even after apologizing for the state of the floors and walls. Debbie said she was keeping the money for makeup on the sheets and for leaving bagged rubbish for the cleaners to take to the bins, which we hadn’t known we had to do. If I’d known there were no cleaners and guests had to wash and change the bedding left by previous tenants, I’d never have stayed. The place was unclean and dirty. It felt like they never intended to return our deposit, even though we left it cleaner than we found it. I’m very annoyed with the estate agents. Do not stay here!

There was snot on the bathroom door frame when we arrived, and the floor was filthy. We’re easygoing and chose not to complain because we were spending little time in the room and wanted to enjoy our holiday. Apart from that, the apartment was nice. We’re a group of women in our 40s and kept the place very clean. We swept every day and used the mop twice. There was nothing significant a cleaner should have found at checkout. After we got home, Debbie emailed a list of reasons for keeping our deposit. She said there was makeup on the sheets. After four days, that seems pretty normal on white bedding unless they don’t plan to wash it for the next guests, and it comes out in the wash. She also said there was rubbish everywhere, but it was in bin bags. We hadn’t realised we were meant to take it out. She claimed there was toilet paper in the toilet, which we don’t believe, but even if there was, it only needed a flush, not a repair for a blockage. The rest of the email was, in my view, completely untrue. Debbie claimed there were stains on the lampshade, doors, and walls. From what she described, the cleaner had to flush a toilet, take bin bags to the bins, and wash the bedding. She kept £160 from us for that. It feels like a way of fleecing people of their deposits, and that sort of thing really doesn’t sit right with me. We also all had bites. One person in our group was badly affected, and a doctor confirmed they were bed bugs. I’m horrified, especially as another recent review mentions this. Do not stay here!

We had a really nice time, and the neighbors were amazingly nice. The host was very kind and helpful too. The apartment itself isn’t bad, but for what we paid, I’m not sure it was worth it. The kitchen was great for a vacation home, though the equipment could work better. A bigger frying pan and kitchen utensils other than plastic would help, but it was usable. Most of my four-star rating comes down to the beds and bathroom. The shower water ran the wrong way, so we had to clean it up every time. The beds were absolutely the worst part: so hard that I couldn’t sleep well. I’m tired from the poor sleep, and it made me want to go home as soon as possible. Those are things I think they should improve.

Nice apartment with a great balcony that gets sun all day.