Villa Maricel

I wouldn't book this villa again. The manager seemed more focused on profit than on providing a safe, comfortable stay. I told her the showers would suddenly send out boiling water, but nothing was done. The sensors inside the house also look as though they may contain cameras. And I find it hard to trust several five-star reviews appearing on the same day. Very odd. She also complained that we hadn't mopped before leaving, even though we'd paid a £200 cleaning fee.

We were three families with three children under two, and the listing made the villa sound suitable for us. But the outdoor area felt quite treacherous, the showers could suddenly send out scalding water, the air-con remotes didn't work, and there was no baby bath, despite one appearing in the photos. The toy box was full of mould, too. The week itself had been great, so I was really sad that the manager's response spoiled it. I privately and politely reported the problems, then left a good Airbnb review, giving her the benefit of the doubt because it was the start of summer. That was a big mistake. She reacted badly to my feedback and suddenly accused us of all sorts of things we absolutely hadn't done. I never got an apology for the faults, some of which could be dangerous. We treated the house with respect, as I always do, and followed the checkout rules: dishes washed, rubbish taken out, and beds stripped. I'd never been asked to leave a villa as we'd found it, and didn't expect that here, especially with such a hefty cleaning fee. The manager didn't try to charge us extra, so I suspect she knew she was in the wrong. I tried to contact her to work out what had happened, but she ignored me. Since I didn't get the chance to review honestly before, I'm leaving this here.

The management were friendly and professional. The location was excellent, a real island paradise.

Menorca is a beautiful place, especially around the port, where there are plenty of good restaurants. The beaches aren't that great because of the stones, though. The stay was spectacular.