ESTIVEL - Villa Marine

The apartment was quiet, cozy, and very well equipped, with impeccable bedding. It was relatively close to everything, and the small pool was nice for unwinding after the beach. A lovely little residence. The shared areas were dirty and full of sand and debris. The parking spaces are dug out and need repairing, since they could damage a vehicle’s undercarriage. The grounds also need a bit more care to improve the place’s appearance.

Apartment 101 was perfectly adequate as a studio. The only snag was the sofa bed: it looked new, but its mattress was old-fashioned. The residence was quiet and well situated, even if it seemed a little remote at first.

The apartment had some good points: it was spacious, though smaller than the photos suggested, with pleasant, quality furniture, a large bathroom, and a handy utility room with a washer and dryer. There was a big terrace with sun loungers, and the ground-floor apartments each have a large garden. Soulac itself is lovely, popular, clean, and family-friendly, lively in the center and peaceful elsewhere. The nearest beaches are 2 km away. The bedding was adequate. The residence gate doesn’t lock at night. But if you want peace and quiet, this isn’t the place. The residence sits at the intersection of the very busy Route des Lacs, and you can ask for a quieter apartment but there’s no guarantee. Half the building faces the road, with a constant racket from motorcycles, cars, trucks, police, and fire trucks. It was our noisiest vacation ever. The insulation is poor, so you hear every move your neighbors make, made louder by very heavy furniture. We resorted to earplugs. There was also nonstop barking from a neighbor’s dog, along with the ducks. Other problems added up. The kettle kept tripping the circuit breaker, and one bulb was out in each room. The parking spaces have slight inclines that may scrape a car’s undercarriage. Wi-Fi and cleaning cost far too much. You have to do an inventory at arrival, which eats into vacation time, but they don’t do one at departure. They keep the deposit and return it three to four weeks later. Who checks the apartment at handover? Apparently the cleaner after you leave, plus whatever the next guests write on their arrival inventory. Unbelievable. Cleaning is required, but they provide no cleaning products. Check-in at 5 p.m. is late, especially with checkout before 10 a.m. Reception has very short hours and is at another address, not on site. We hardly saw anyone at the pool, and understood why when we got in: it’s unheated, shaded, and freezing. Common areas only seem to be cleaned for arrivals, so they’re dirty the rest of the time. The bed had no sheets, just a blanket, no duvet, and it wasn’t very clean. The sofa was cozy but stained. If you want to come and go freely and have some peace, this isn’t the right place. Otherwise, the rest is fine.

A quiet, beautiful apartment in a wooded setting, with a great pool. It’s a lovely place to relax, especially for a family with a dog. There are plenty of hiking options too.