Diavolo VIP Park Kemping

Nothing fancy, but the pizza is good :)

It’s good, but there are lots of problems.

We rented a wooden house for two nights. At least we could choose a working refrigerator, since the one in our first option didn’t work, and our house had an opening window, unlike the one next door. Lake Balaton really is a two-minute walk away, and that stretch is beautiful and nearly deserted. There was just one buffet in sight along the whole shore. That’s about where the good parts end. The bathrooms were scandalous: far too few for the number of guests, hard to close, and impossible to keep properly clean. There were no mirrors. The women’s sink was so tiny that water ran onto your feet when you turned on the tap, and brushing your teeth was even more awkward. The whole campsite was dirty and understaffed. Order your morning coffee the night before, and maybe it’ll be ready in the morning. Bring plenty of change too, because they never seem to have any and calmly say they’re “not the bank.” I didn’t find a microwave or shared kitchen anywhere in the accommodation, and there was no daily cleaning, despite what the ad promised. I wasn’t surprised the TV didn’t work, given the old junk furniture in the wooden houses, the kind you wouldn’t even see at a flea market. But on our last day, while unpacking, I found bloody panties in the closet. How long had they been there? You can rent anything on Lake Balaton, but I can’t believe we actually pay for this. Next time I’ll take the reviews more seriously. When a place has so many negative reviews, there’s usually a reason. 😟

The free beach is 100m away, and the food, both breakfast and dinner, was delicious for the price. Most of the other staff were kind and helpful too, and many of the people working there were nice. But what I remember first is the owner’s attitude. She spoke to us, a paying fresh-graduate class, as if we were students she considered beneath her, and her dismissive, cocky manner built up strong resentment in the whole class. She apparently owned the place, yet the wooden houses she gave us weren’t ready on time. At first they didn’t even want to hand over the keys, saying they only gave keys to teachers. We had to wait half an hour just to put down our luggage, then another two or three hours for the houses to be brought to an acceptable condition after the previous group. The wooden houses have no ventilation, and in summer they get as hot as a sauna. One key opens all of them, so anyone from the campsite can walk in and take things. After dark, the spotlight above the houses draws in insects, and huge spiders, around 5cm, showed up inside more than once. Even with the tasty meals, helpful staff, and great nearby beach, that woman’s behavior pretty much spoiled the whole place for me.