Via Mare (PVC512)

The only good thing was the pool. It's nice, suitable for children, and has a partial sea view. The rentals are overpriced for what you get. There's an open-air dump at the entrance, and the so-called mini-villas are actually duplex apartments packed close together with no soundproofing. You can hear the neighbors and even their drawers closing. There's no parasol on the terrace, so eating outside at lunchtime isn't possible.

We booked through Booking.com and arrived to find a run-down apartment in the hills above Porto-Vecchio, not the villa shown in the listing photos. Getting there at night was an ordeal: the path was steep, unlit, and dangerous. Inside, it was old-fashioned, charmless, and unsanitary. A little air conditioner in the living room couldn't cool the bedrooms at the far end, where the heat was unbearable. The barbecue was badly placed and had no light for evening use. The toilet was broken, there wasn't even toilet paper or a bottle of water despite our late arrival, the beds weren't made, the sheets were rough and stained, the mattress protectors were stained, and the Wi-Fi didn't work. The terrace view is lovely, but in the middle of August the heat in Porto-Vecchio was stifling, and without a parasol or any sun protection we couldn't enjoy being outside. We chose the place for the pool too, but it was unusable at the bottom of the residence, down a difficult unpaved path. With our three young daughters, that was unthinkable. We immediately complained to Booking.com and asked to be rehoused and fully refunded. A complete rip-off, absolutely avoid!

The owner was quick to respond when the water went out during our stay. It could have happened at home too, and they offered several solutions and did everything they could to sort it out fast. We were warmly welcomed to a quiet, spacious apartment with a breathtaking sea view. There are a few small things that could be improved, but it's a friendly and pleasant place. Jonathan Delanote

The view is about the only premium thing here. The apartment is spacious, but laid out badly: the shower cubicles are installed poorly and leak, flooding the bathrooms, and the electrical outlets are loose. It's also short on amenities, with limited dishes, a small electric barbecue, and no sun loungers. Despite our booking, it hadn't been cleaned when we arrived. After it was cleaned, the work was still poor and we had to redo some of it ourselves. The pool water was cloudy, and the residence seemed poorly maintained. The website photos looked beautiful, but the stay was a huge disappointment. I don't recommend it.