Domaine De Croccano

When we arrived, the owner presented the contract with a lot of talk about trust and “Here, it's like family.” The rental itself went relatively well, apart from one or two strange moments, until we had to hand back the keys. That's when the whole experience fell apart, and it felt like the owner was looking for a way to make extra money. We had agreed to pay €50 for sheets, if I remember right, though I'm not sure whether the listing mentioned it. Water and electricity were also to be charged based on the meter. But the rates were far above market prices: €7 per cubic meter for water instead of €2.80, and €0.50 per kWh instead of EDF's €0.28. The explanation was taxes, sanitation charges, and the subscription fee spread over annual use. The first bill for water and electricity came to €102. The owner then generously waived half, which felt more like turning the inflated charge into a favor after I pushed back. Luckily the Wi-Fi never worked. Otherwise, who knows, maybe we'd have been charged for his internet subscription and TV license too.

The house is magnificent and the setting is beautiful. We learned a lot during our week there, and Christian and Claudine always had good advice about places to see in the area. They love hosting, and we really connected with them. We'd happily come back. We'd seen some negative reviews before going to Croccano, but honestly, we weren't disappointed at all. They're wonderful people. Fanny and Jeremy.

The owners of the other places we had booked gave us full refunds, which made Mr. Perrier's response all the harder to accept. When my partner's grandmother was expected to die soon, we asked to cancel our stay two weeks before arrival and hoped he might show some understanding. On the phone, he came across as apathetic, selfish, and uncompassionate. It felt as though he was using the situation to make money without effort. His attitude leaves serious doubts about the hospitality and service we'd have received.

Getting to the room was a chore: we had to haul our bags 500 meters from the parking lot in a wheelbarrow. Inside, the room was dusty and stale, the building was run down, and there was no air conditioning. We had to keep the window open, which meant anyone could get in. The bathroom was outside the room, dirty, and smelled of urine. They never made the beds or changed the linens, yet we saw them entering our room each day while we were out, moving things or locking the closet. The owners insisted that guests have breakfast with them at the same time, late in the morning. From dinnertime on they were unavailable, and locked the house entrance with a heavy chain. We had to leave early and couldn't eat with them, and the owner seriously insulted us, calling us crazy, weird, and rude. He scolded us every morning. They ruined our vacation and, sadly, our memories of Corsica too. We can hardly imagine wanting to return. Zero stars from us.