Villa Caribia

The setting and grounds were excellent, with a great location and view, but the villa itself was a letdown for what it cost. We booked through Villa Plus for a family holiday in September, expecting a premium stay. The place felt worn and needed attention. Several cupboard handles were missing, the furniture was a jumble of poor quality pieces, and some areas were grimy. It had the feel of student accommodation. The beds were so uncomfortable that some of our group slept on the sofas. They seemed to have cheap child mattresses, which might suit children but were awful for adults. The downstairs annexe smelled strongly of damp, like a damp cave despite the hot weather. We moved the people meant to sleep there upstairs. We reported it to Villa Plus and were ignored. There was a pizza oven as advertised, but no tools for cooking pizza, such as a peel. We joked it was like providing a pool table without cues. After we raised the issue, Villa Plus sent us a pizza cutter. In two of the three bathrooms, the shower heads were cracked where they attached to the pipe, so much of the water dribbled out before reaching the head and the showers were poor. I suppose Villa Plus might not know if nobody reports it, but after our experience I wouldn’t be surprised if they sent a shower cap. The pool itself was great, but there was no net or scoop for leaves and dead insects. A pool guy came every few days with his own net to clear the debris, which seemed odd. We also found no booklet or help sheets explaining whether cleaners or pool staff would come, how the alarm worked, or when towels would be changed. It would be simple to provide this. There was a guest book with its last entry from 2018, and it already mentioned the same concerns we raised. Clearly nobody had read it. The disappointment came from the tired condition and sloppy service, not the location. With the premium price, these issues shouldn’t be hard to fix. If I owned the villa, I’d ask what Villa Plus is doing for its money. If I were Villa Plus, I’d tell the owner the property has to meet a minimum standard to justify that price.