Apartamentos Massol

The location is really handy, a few blocks from the main Pine Walk and the square, with a Spar, Chinese shop, charity shop and Patisseria around the corner. We also had breakfast at Flora, a very nice English and Continental buffet. You can use Flora’s bar and restaurant facilities too. In our second apartment, No 2C, we had a bright, airy room with a pool and mountain view, comfortable beds and a good night’s sleep. The bathroom was a good size, and the living area had sofa beds. There was a small hob, fridge, microwave, kettle, toaster and cooking utensils. Towels were supplied, one bath towel and one hand towel per person, as were shower gel, shampoo, basin soap, dish cloths, detergent and tea towels. We could request a room clean by hanging a note on the handle. Melissa changed towels and bedding and swept and mopped very well. Pedro at reception was lovely and quick to check us in. But our first apartment, No 0D, was a disappointment. It was on the ground floor, with the bedroom window and living room patio doors facing the pool, and felt cold and damp. The hinges were rusty, the beds and sheets felt damp, and the beds creaked badly whenever we moved. The bedroom window was soaking wet in the morning, and we couldn’t open it because the pool was right outside and of the security concern. The apartment was clean, but we kept the curtains closed and stayed there for a few nights before deciding we couldn’t spend the rest of the holiday in it. Pedro listened to our concerns and gave us keys to an apartment on the second floor, asking us to check it first. He also offered free breakfast the next morning as an apology. We’d stay again, but would refuse No 0D if offered.

The air conditioning worked well, and the pool was nice. It also seems you can use the pool and facilities at the nearby hotel where check-in takes place. This is described as a two-star hotel, though it felt more like a two-star aparthotel. There’s no lift to the upper floors, and check-in is at a nearby hotel, shown in the picture. Our furnishings were clean when we arrived, but the floor felt dusty and gritty under bare feet, and the utensils needed washing. We had no washing-up liquid or cloth for the first night, so had to use shampoo and our fingers.

The central location was good, and the staff were pleasant. Our room had intermittent Wi-Fi, no English TV channels, and no coffee maker. The pool is small, and there aren’t many sunny balconies. I was disappointed to be given a cold, dark ground-floor apartment after asking twice for a higher floor. At reception the next morning, I was given keys to see a higher-floor apartment, which was much better, so we moved straight away. It had a nice shower room, large bedroom, and spacious lounge-diner and kitchen. The apartments are large and vary in layout. Cleaning and towel changes were good, though the kitchen could use mugs and round-bladed knives. It’s hard to spread butter with a steak knife.

This was our fifth stay, and the little apartment suits us perfectly. Massol is quieter, which we like, and the small pool was mostly ours to ourselves. Hotel Flora’s facilities are available too if you want them. Already looking forward to coming back in October.