Apartments Zoomzoom

It took about 15-20 minutes to walk to the old town, and we found a couple of routes with fewer steps. There’s a decent mini market a few minutes away, turning right after leaving the Mazda garage, and a bakery nearby too. Getting there from the airport takes around 30 minutes by car. We booked a taxi through booking.com, though the host can also collect guests. The host sent clear arrival instructions and photos on what’s app. We were on the ground floor, looking toward another apartment block. The frosted windows and net blinds gave some privacy, but there was a gap at the top, so people in the opposite apartment upstairs might have been able to see in. The place was clean and modern, with enough room for two to move around comfortably. It’s one room with a kitchenette, a two-ring hob, microwave, old-looking sandwich maker, kettle, table for two, comfy bed and bathroom. A few things were fiddly: the kettle tilted while pouring, there was only one knife, the shower stayed hot for just a couple of minutes, and the door lock took some getting used to. The hob had no markings, so we had to test which ring was which and how to adjust the heat. We could hear people talking quite clearly near the entrance and reception, which was annoying late at night and early in the morning. The frosted glass apartment door and reception light left the room brighter than we’d like for sleeping. There wasn’t a dustpan and brush for kitchenette crumbs either.

Our room had no view, though some rooms have balconies facing the sea. The place itself was modern, clean and spacious. The entrance uses a code for the key, and it took us about ten minutes to work out how to get in. There’s a public parking garage 500 metres away, charging 7 euros an hour, and the old city is a kilometre downhill. I didn’t like the bedside lamp’s daylight-coloured bulb. I’d have preferred a warmer light.

We didn’t get a good night’s sleep during our stay of more than four days. There were lots of ants, and school groups seemed to be common here. Students ran around at night, shouting and playing loud music, with no night staff available to speak to. There was no cleaner during our stay, and customer service was really poor. The old town may look 15 minutes away on Google Maps, but you have to climb stairs and walk uphill, so I wouldn’t recommend it for older people or young children. The manager offered an airport ride for 45 euros, which I wouldn’t recommend: Uber was around 25-30 euros, and there were plenty of taxis and Ubers around.

The balcony faces a busy road junction with a beeping pedestrian crossing, so light sleepers might find it interrupts the night. Others may just tune it out as city noise. The apartment was modern, clean and very well equipped, with local supermarkets nearby and an easy short walk to the Old Town.