Villa Cecile

Our family had a baby with us, and after weeks of searching online, we booked a particular two-room apartment, the “Grand,” at Villa Cecile in Sopron for three nights through an accommodation website. Villa Cecile later confirmed that booking directly through management cost much less. So we cancelled the online booking and called to reserve the same “Grand” room directly. They confirmed it. We later had to move the dates because of illness, and that change was accepted without a problem. We made clear that we still wanted that exact room. When we arrived, the woman from management said they had mistakenly given the “Grand” to someone else and couldn't do anything about it. Instead, we were offered an “Albion” room. It had a couch and one double bed, rather than two double beds, and what was described as two rooms was really a medium room and a small one joined by an arch, making it one open area. We had booked specifically for two separate rooms and were unhappy with the change. Management suggested we quickly check whether the pension across the street had a suitable room. It was full. We were back at Villa Cecile less than five minutes later, ready to accept the “Albion” despite the clear difference from what we'd booked. Then the woman told us that room was no longer available either. She spoke to us rudely, as though we were spoiled, disobedient children who needed to be taught gratitude. With a baby, we suddenly had to find somewhere else to stay. The rooms may look nice, but after this experience I wouldn't recommend the accommodation. Not everything that shines is gold. I also saw a strikingly similar account from a former guest on TripAdvisor, from September 2013. Shame. One more thing: when I tried to leave feedback about Villa Cecile on Facebook, only a five-star opinion was visible. After I posted mine, it stayed public for no more than a day. Now the only visible opinion is positive again.

The room was okay, though the tub was a bit dirty when I arrived and the faucets made an awful noise when running. The woman on staff didn't speak English and knew only a little German. I couldn't reach the owner the whole time.

A perfect stay.

The location is nice and the accommodation was clean, but the hospitality was outrageously dishonest. On szállás.hu, the room was listed at about 64,000 HUF, including breakfast for three people for two nights. When I paid by card, the old lady charged the room and then said breakfast, about 11,000 HUF, had to be paid separately in cash. I don't argue with old people, but the breakfast worked out to around 1,600 HUF per person. For that, we got a couple of hot dogs and one pancake. At a nearby restaurant, fried knuckle with sides and salad cost 1,900 HUF. You can decide whether it was worth it. I don't think so. We weren't given a receipt for breakfast, either. The hosts were dangerously condescending. I'd avoid the place.