Villa Parralito

We arrived to a dirty, broken house, then got blamed for things we hadn't damaged and were refused the €2000 deposit. The owner said things were broken, even though nothing was. The basement room where we slept the first night had so much mold and damp on the walls that it crumbled onto the floor. Since we had three very young children, we moved to another room the next night. The beds there and in the other rooms were filthy, with brown stains on the bedding. Dust covered the furniture and every corner. We had clearly requested four cribs when booking, but only two were there. The owner had no extra beds, so we had to buy two new ones ourselves and left them at the villa for the next family. The claims about toys being missing or broken are nonsense. We bought extra toys and inflatables and left them neatly in the playroom for the next family. We'd even found toys supposedly missing, or damaged, to be complete nonsense. This expensive villa was disgraceful. What scammers. Never again. I could make a living doing this too, you filthy bastards!

The pool was cold because its heating didn't work, and we lost our €1,000 deposit. I strongly advise staying away. We had an absolutely horrible experience, and there was no response when we shared evidence from the property's own listing and other platforms showing the damage. They know you're unlikely to go to court in another country over €1,000, so documenting every defect on camera may be pointless. At check-in, the house was in acceptable condition, though it had clearly been rented for a long time. The platform photos already showed damaged laminate in one room, scratches and chips around the house, and very worn IKEA furniture. It never occurred to us to film everything when we arrived, but even that might not have helped. They accused us of taking frying pans and toys, using too much water, and damaging the laminate that was already damaged in the listing photos. Those same photos showed almost no toys in the playroom, but they showed us photos from two years earlier as “evidence.” This was the worst vacation we've had in over 10 years. I have Genius Level 3 on Booking and a 5-star rating on AirBNB, which shows we travel a lot, but we've never had service or treatment this terrible. The property keeps being relisted on Booking and other platforms under the pretext of changing prices or conditions.

We were blamed for a long list of things we had nothing to do with, and it felt like an intentional effort to take our deposit. The damage was there long before we arrived, but the owner allegedly hid it and later accused guests of causing it, using photos of items that had already been broken. The security deposit wasn't returned. We've stayed in Gran Canaria many times and never had treatment this unacceptable. The location is bad, and the owner comes across as dishonest and unprofessional. This was the worst accommodation experience we've had. If you care about your vacation, money, and peace of mind, avoid this villa.

Our family has stayed at Parralito twice now, and we're already hoping to return for another holiday with the children. We've always felt comfortable there, even though we travel a lot and have had all sorts of experiences. The owner has been reliable, professional, and easy to reach, answering questions promptly. We never felt treated unfairly or dishonestly. The spacious house has always been clean, well maintained, and stocked for even a longer stay, with everything matching the description and photos. The new heated indoor/outdoor pool really impressed us. The large terrace and garden were a paradise for the kids, with lots of toys and a big playhouse. The whole property is enclosed, so we didn't worry about the children running into the street.