Apartamentos Sol Real

For around 50 euros, this is a great choice for a visit to Úbeda. The apartment is right in the center and very well kept, with everything brand new. It has a sloping ceiling and lots of room in the bedrooms and other rooms. The bathroom is a bit small, though still comfortable.

We ended up losing €400 and got neither a refund nor anything else. I asked for a complaint form and still haven’t had a reply. I can only imagine this may even be illegal. I’m giving one star because zero isn’t an option. It’s a huge disappointment to see people act with no empathy and care only about money earned through other people’s hard work, when you took full payment without providing a service. We booked the Sol Real apartments through Casasrurales.net. Four days before our stay, one of our guests was hospitalized in serious condition, so I sent the hospitalization certificate and asked if the booking could be changed. We weren’t asking for a refund, since the cancellation period was only five days. For the first two days, nobody answered the phone or the email address they’d given us when we booked. I found another number online and called. He said, “Well, you’ve finally found me, wasn’t that easy?” It wasn’t, especially while someone important to you was fighting for their life. I explained what had happened, though he already knew and hadn’t answered my email. Then he went on about all the costs he had for our reservation, even though we’d cancelled four days in advance. He also said that if I’d booked directly with them, they would have changed it. After that, Casasrurales.net and the apartment owner each blamed the other for why no changes, refunds or modifications were possible. The only option they offered was for us to stay during the week, which obviously didn’t work because we all have jobs.

It was spotless, very well located, and we got excellent service from José. There’s reservable parking very close by. We arrived during the major national power blackout on April 28, and he went out of his way to make us comfortable through the disruption. We’re very grateful.

The location is perfect, but the place needs work in almost every other respect, especially cleaning. The towels and sheets had stains, some kitchen items were missing, and the underfloor heating barely worked. Parking costs extra, which I feel should be included at this price. Poor value for money.