Villa Cati

The villa was okay, though it felt old and a bit neglected. Our group got an unpleasant surprise with more than €250 in fees that hadn't been clearly explained. I wouldn't stay there again.

In my opinion, the landlord's practices are FRAUD/SCAM! The €500 security deposit had to be paid in cash, but we got only €50 back. They took €300 for electricity and another €150 for tourist tax straight away. It feels like that money could quickly disappear into slush funds. The electricity charge was €300 for one week, and the way it was worked out seemed questionable. They used a monitor, so we couldn't check it against a calibrated meter. At Villa Cati the rate was 35 cents per kWh, twice the average 18.2 cents per kWh in Spain according to https://strom-report.com/strompreise-europa/. They said we had used 854 kWh in a week. At that pace, yearly use would be nearly 45,000 kWh, compared with about 5,000-6,000 for a detached home in Germany. I could understand twice as much because of the pool and house size, but this is 7.5-9 times more. At 35 cents per kWh, that would mean €15,750 a year. Unbelievable! The solar panels on the carport apparently weren't being used for Villa Cati. We didn't run any energy-hungry appliances, and we didn't use the air conditioning. To me, this is a HUGE FRAUD/SCAM! The house's lighting also caused problems. Lights in many areas came on with motion detectors and couldn't be switched off by hand. My photos show the outside lights still on at night, even with every door shut. "Interhome employee M." said closing the doors should switch them off. The kitchen is poorly equipped for a house that can hold 12. The induction hob only fits three pots or pans at once, so cooking for a large group would be difficult. There was one chopping board, dull and broken knives, badly scratched pans, and a dishwasher that didn't clean properly, among other issues. Villa Cati looked like a dream house in the Airbnb photos, and perhaps it was a few years ago, but now it seems dilapidated. The boards around the pool were rotten and you could often break through them, so artificial turf has been laid around the pool to hide the eyesore. The presumed laminate floor upstairs by the stairs was loose. One room was in a former garage and had no proper bathroom door, making the toilet and shower practically unusable. The electrical panel was in that bathroom too, which seemed extremely questionable. There was Wi-Fi, but the internet was SOOOO slow, just 5 Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up, so we used all our mobile data on our phones. The TVs were at least 15 years old, had no smart features, and only received around 35 Spanish TV and radio channels. Mosquitoes kept biting and waking us, leaving us with several sleepless nights. There are no mosquito nets, so sleeping with the windows open isn't advisable. The owner turning up without warning speaks for itself. That's unacceptable. When we pointed out the problems and electricity bill as we were leaving, "Interhome employee M." became very unfriendly.

We had a few lovely days here. The hosts were attentive and friendly, and the garden and pool were very well looked after, including a shallow section for children. It is a big house, with air conditioning in every room and living space, which made summer comfortable. Electricity is charged based on what you use, and that, along with the tourist tax, is clearly stated on the website. We'll definitely come back.

We'd definitely return. It's a spacious house that works well for a family break, and the hosts were really friendly and helpful. As with other accommodation, tourist tax applies. Energy is billed according to use, which seems reasonable for a house this size, and the listing tells you about it before you book.