Finca Batlet

We’ve been coming to the area for over ten years, but this was the worst-equipped finca we’ve rented, and the stay left us upset and appalled. The bathrooms were moldy. Only one shower could be closed properly; the others let water spill into the bedrooms, which may explain the musty smell there. The kitchen was dirty, many items were missing or unusable, and the coffee machine didn’t work, though it was replaced. The furnishings felt very cheap and sparse. There weren’t even umbrellas by the pool, where we badly needed shade. The owner has a farm next door with pigs, chickens, a goat, a horse, and a guard dog. The pig smell didn’t bother us, but he would come onto the property and do things without warning. One morning at 9, he was standing by the pool while we were still in pajamas. With our young daughter there, I felt watched and very uncomfortable. The air conditioning schedule was also outrageous. At 10 p.m. our child had to sleep in a room that was still overheated because the AC hadn’t worked earlier. It was mentioned in the listing, but easy to miss. In the evenings, the lights were simply switched off and we were left in the dark. I’ve never felt such a lack of hospitality. There’s more I could say, but I’ll spare the details. The vacation is already ruined. I haven’t added photos, but there are plenty.

The place needs serious renovation, and it seems the wrong people may have been managing it. We found too many technical problems to properly relax. Three of the six loungers were broken, the living room bulb was out, and the AC timer only ran in the evening and overnight. The pool light came on just twice during our seven days. There was a slightly musty smell throughout the finca, with a much stronger, almost foul odor in the street-facing room.

We still wouldn’t book Finca Batlet again, even though the covered outdoor breakfast area with an open barbecue was lovely. The bedroom and bathroom space was large enough, parking worked for two or three cars, towels were changed once, and a great restaurant with excellent service and tasty food is only a five-minute walk away. We stayed from September 15 to 24, and quite a few things were frustrating. There’s no daytime AC, and none in the living, dining, or kitchen area. The timer runs it from around 8 or 9 p.m. until 8 a.m. The outdoor lights are on a timer too, the loungers were broken, and the pool had no evening lighting. Wi-Fi was slow and weak, perhaps because the router is ancient. The dishwasher baskets were very rusty, then the machine stopped draining. It took four days and several emails to @Villascalador to get a replacement, with replies sometimes taking up to eight hours. The sink in one bedroom also wouldn’t drain, though that was fixed after three days.