Fuerte Holiday SELECT Playa Paraíso Residence

You'll need a car to stay here, since it's the only building on top of the hill and there's nothing else within walking distance beyond two beautiful beaches. But the views are incredible, stretching 180 degrees over the ocean and mountains. We spent hours on the terrace watching the waves and the windsurfers, and at night it was so peaceful listening to the waves. The downhill walk to two beaches takes only about five minutes.

The gravel road up to the complex is badly maintained and has a heavy washboard surface. Parking is scarce and disorganized, and the pool is cold. The place sits high above a very windy beach, like an eagle's nest. If you're into windsurfing, you might enjoy it; otherwise, the location can be inconvenient. The 500-metre walk down and back up is frustrating.

We booked two apartments here. Casa Lotta was perfectly fine, and I wish I could rate it separately because I'd give it five stars. I would avoid the "Sun and Ocean, free WiFi" apartment, though. When we arrived, there were more than ten dead cockroaches around, the place smelled of insect spray, and there was something floating in the toilet. One or two insects would've been unpleasant but manageable; the apartment clearly hadn't been cleaned after they were killed, so we left. Booking said the owner would have time to respond, but we heard nothing for four days, until we emailed him directly. We gave him a chance to sort it out in case something had simply gone wrong, but he accused us of blackmail. He didn't answer our second email, where we tried to clear up the misunderstanding, and we got no refund. Booking didn't help us either. There's a risk in booking this place.

The view of the sea from the balcony is breathtaking, and the rooms were clean and pleasant. The bed was comfortable, the shower was nice, and the washing machine was good quality. There was lots of kitchen equipment and a lovely welcome pack. DARIO? was the best host you could imagine. Fantastic place, highly recommended and worth every penny.