Residence Park Imperatore

The rooms were spacious and clean, but the kitchen was poorly equipped: the knives were blunt, and the stove barely worked. We had to ask about everything, with almost no guidance on recycling or where to take rubbish. If we had known the rules beforehand, we wouldn't have chosen this place for a pet. Although it calls itself animal friendly, pets are only allowed on the ground floor and can't be left alone in the room, even if well behaved. Dog waste must go in a special container ten minutes away. Those strict rules weren't explained up front.

A good place to stay, all in all. The updated apartment was clean and quiet, though a bit cold for us. Once we asked, the owner switched on the heat. The internet was basic, and the shower stall was tiny.

We would never book these apartments again. Twenty-two of us reserved six apartments through a travel agency for seven nights, and everything had been prepaid. A snowstorm and avalanche forced us back at the Brenner Tunnel, so we had to drive an extra 600 km and could only arrive in the middle of the night. Our friends took another route and reached the property while reception was open. We agreed they'd pick up keys for us, so we could quietly enter at around 5 a.m. They explained everything at reception and offered to pay the deposit, but the owners, who were also the receptionists, refused to hand over the keys, saying our arrival would disturb other guests. There were six children aged 3 to 11 in our group, and one adult used a wheelchair. They told us to sleep somewhere else on the way and come back at 7 a.m. We had asked for nothing extra: all 154 guest nights had been paid for a month earlier, and our friends offered the deposit. We only got the keys after 7, losing a night. There was no compensation. When the travel agency asked about it, the owner claimed they had been at reception, which was a lie. A few other things from our week: the owners understood some English and German but mostly answered in Italian. The listing said the ski bus stop was 200 m away, which was true, but there was only one bus each day, leaving at 9 a.m. and returning at 5 p.m., so we used our cars. Garbage had to be taken out or there was a 30 EUR charge, but there was no bin at the property. It took some effort to get directions, in Italian, to a place about a five-minute walk away. There was only one bin in each apartment and no plastic rubbish bags, though we bought some at the supermarket. Separating garbage on the street was a bit of a game because the apartments weren't set up to sort it. There was just one roll of toilet paper in the bathroom. When we asked for more, we were offered two rolls for 1 EUR. We bought them at the supermarket instead, for a much better price, though we would have paid more just to avoid buying them from the apartment. Another unfriendly gesture. The bathroom and toilet doors had no keys. The kitchen extractor had three settings, but two were glued shut with something like chewing gum, apparently to save energy. At night, the heating was very poor. When we asked, we were first told the sensor showed the rooms were warm enough. The bathroom towel warmer was usually cold. After the third night I told the owners, a bit angrily, to turn the heat on overnight, and then they did. We never recommend booking here.

I really didn't like the owner's attitude. They were totally unfriendly. The shared downstairs room, just a space with chairs and tables, closes at 11 every day.