Holiday home La Terraza de Onis

There’s barely any ventilation in the upstairs showers, just a little skylight with a blind. The showers are tiny, too. Don’t expect much comfort: standing in the room, you can easily hit your head on the ceiling beams.

We spent the Pilar long weekend here, three couples and no children. The location and surroundings are fine, but we found the house pretty average. The photos are flattering, and what you find there is different. There are spectacular houses in the area, so this one would be hard to choose. We won’t be back. The house is very narrow, with three floors, and fitting four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen into it makes the space feel cramped. The stairs are awkward, and the bathrooms are very small, though they do the job. There’s outdoor parking for two cars. The living room furniture needs improvement. The sofas are awful, and most of the cushions are so itchy they make you peel. The downstairs is short on supplies too: no hand soap in the bathrooms, no kitchen paper, and not enough dishcloths. With no washing machine, you can’t wash the cloths. They leave one dishwasher tablet per day. There are two small fridges, which may not be enough depending on how many people are staying. A large one would make more sense.

The price doesn’t match what you get. This is the worst house I’ve rented, and I’ve rented many. It’s basically a hallway, with tiny stairs and bathrooms, and the downstairs is unbearably hot and humid. The house is poorly insulated, in the village, and attached to a house on the right. Its windows are right by the terrace, though they can’t see it and we can’t see them. On the other side there’s a half-destroyed house. The outside is neglected and run down, with old features, missing grass, and just weeds. It looks nothing like the photos. The driveway is closed with a wire mesh fence and two steel bars that slot into a hole. There’s no washing machine. The owner never called to check on us, but came inside four times, which he can’t do when you rent a property. He owns a mountaineering company and went to get mountain equipment.

Rubén, the owner, was attentive to everything we needed and gave us lots of suggestions for places to visit and eat. We were delighted with our stay, and the house is fantastic and fully equipped. The area is peaceful, with incredible views. The beds are very comfortable, and every bedroom has its own private bathroom. I’d definitely come back.