North Coast Apartments

Room 7 on the fourth floor was really nice, with everything we needed, comfy beds and a balcony. We'd happily stay here again.

We stayed in Apartment 6 and did enjoy our visit, though we probably wouldn't return to the North Coast apartments. The central location makes it easy to walk around town. The manager, Fernando, was extremely helpful. He divides his time among several nearby properties, but you can reach him through the apartment phone, and he's rarely more than a 20-minute motorbike ride away. Housekeepers came daily to clean and handle sheets and towels in the shared laundry room, with maid service Monday to Friday. The staff do a good job, but they use the single washer and dryer almost around the clock, all seven days, so guests may have to wait and be persistent to use them. The apartments are reasonably well equipped and clean, with a lift to every floor, free calls to European landlines and most European TV channels. There is no heating, which was okay in summer but a problem during winter. Fernando lent us a small fan heater that helped during two weeks of unusually cold weather. There's no proper oven, just a microwave, and no maid service at weekends. The building has front-facing rooms on a usually quiet road, duplexes at the top with private roof terraces and loungers, and rear apartments 2, 4 and 6. The first two types get full daylight. In 2, 4 and 6, light comes through frosted glass or clear windows facing a narrow enclosed space under a skylight. Apart from heavy rain, you can't really tell what the weather is like outside. Those apartments have very little natural light. Noise is another drawback. Other guests and outside sounds carry through the poor insulation, which is really bad. The property is used by business travellers, Spanish people visiting family and holidaymakers, among others, and it can get noisy both inside and outside. Parking right outside is virtually impossible. Spaces by the entrance are nearly always taken by nearby businesses, day and night. We hired a car for the full month and used the free public car park near the harbour, at least a 10-minute walk away. I think the chance of theft is low, though our car door did get a knock while parked overnight.

Just what was advertised, a small studio in a great location with lovely staff. I took off a star because there was only one wine glass and one teaspoon for two of us. The kitchen was so tiny you had to be a contortionist to wash up!

A brand-new apartment in a perfect location, with all the equipment we needed. The only small drawback is that there's no window looking outside, just one facing the staircase. That's fine if you aren't spending all day there.