Saimaa Lakeside

The cottage is nice and well located, but our July 2024 rental was the worst service we’ve had in years. We’re a month into handling a complaint, and after everything, our advice is to avoid this place if you can. It seems there’s been little maintenance over the past few years, so you’re lucky if nothing breaks during your stay. Customer service was poor, especially after payment. The only language we could really use on the phone was Russian. When something goes wrong, the owners make it very difficult and leave you with a bad experience. A woman handles bookings and answers calls, but the owner, who lives 400 km away, seems to be the person responsible for problems. If something breaks during the holiday season, they won’t come out to fix it or even try. That’s based on our recent experience. They know their rights well and drag out complaints until you decide the time isn’t worth it. Here’s what we encountered: 1. The sauna in the 135m2 cottage was broken and only heated to 40C. 2. The shared sauna was of limited use. After we paid, we were politely told there were heavy restrictions on using it. 3. The shared sauna lacked proper safety features. The latch for opening the wood furnace was broken or missing, and some shower taps were partly broken. 4. Extra guests cost more, but the extra beds were very old, thin mattresses bent in the middle, with bed frames that barely held together. 5. The terrace furniture was worn out. Only some chairs could be used, and the paint was badly scratched, so we had to cover the furniture before sitting to avoid getting scratched. 6. Both grills, the gas grill and the brick one, were poorly maintained. We ended up buying a disposable grill just to get by. 7. The pier was completely neglected, dirty with bird droppings, leaves, and other debris. There were nails and pieces of wood sticking out that we had to watch out for. 8. The included boat seemed never to have been cleaned. It smelled of rotting water and was muddy and dirty, so it was unusable. 9. Check that there are enough towels and sheets when you arrive. We realized late at night that the owner hadn’t provided the amount we needed. 10. We tried to post this review on their page, but it was never approved. No honest or negative reviews seem to appear there.