Matama House

The price and central location were still attractive, and they let us check out a couple of hours later for our convenience. But the furniture was mostly broken and poorly maintained, the bedding was old and dirty, and one bed sagged. Stucco fell off the walls whenever doors closed, and we could hear everything said in other rooms through the thin walls. We also weren’t told how to turn on the hot water. At least clean sheets might have made up for some of the other problems.

We rented the place for two months because of its good location, but everything went wrong. The apartment wasn’t nice, and after making us leave for five days so they could rent it to another family for more money, they still charged us the full month’s rent. When we moved back in, it was filthy, with unwashed sheets and towels. At the end, they kept our €800 deposit, saying we had used a lot of electricity and broken things, which is obviously a lie. They showed us two bills covering four months, even though we were there for only two. For a month and a half, we shared the apartment with other couples, but they made us pay all the utilities and for supposed damage that didn’t exist. Unfortunately, it felt like a scam.

It’s right in the historic center, so we could explore without using transport. The apartment was welcoming and quaint, with stone and log walls. The walls are handmade, and the different shades where the finish dried are part of that, not mold as I’ve read. The owner was very friendly and even showed us around, brilliant! There’s a washing machine, and a self-service laundromat next door too. A mini market is just steps away. At night it was dead quiet, with no outside noise. The living room had a visibly new sofa, and our bedroom had a bedside table with a raised shelf for hanging clothes over the closet. Very nice. The bathroom and bedroom were well stocked, including shampoo and shower gel. There’s air conditioning, and the place has an ethnic, rustic atmosphere. Highly recommended, and we’ll definitely stay here again if we return to Cagliari.

We had to leave the room and find somewhere else to sleep. The hygiene was completely inadequate, not just for the COVID period but in general. There was no toilet paper, and inside the bathroom cabinet we found a small, well-used roll left by previous guests. The sheets and towels were worn. The booking details mentioned a shared living room and kitchen, but didn’t clearly say the bathroom was shared or explain that there were two different rooms with different features. The owner assigned us a room with only one central light, far from the bed, and a folding door that only partly closed. We also had no instructions for getting in. We called the number on Booking.com, and the lady said she’d sent an email through Booking.com, but I never received it, even after checking spam. Luckily, we found a room at a nearby hotel for slightly more than €64, with much better comfort and services, and avoided the disappointment of staying at Matama House. We couldn’t give this property zero stars, though that’s what it deserves. Stay far away from THE MATAMA.