Villa Flora

The owner, Mrs. Carmela, is always ready to help with whatever we need. The rooms are newly renovated, just as they look in the photos, and come with a washing machine, dishwasher, and air conditioning. There's daily housekeeping and free parking, too. We've been back in both spring and summer for two years now and wouldn't choose anywhere else. It's right on the main street, so we can walk to the beach and into town. I've recommended it to friends and family, and they've all been happy with their stays.

I keep returning to B&B Villa Flora. After staying there last year, I came back for a June weekend, rented the top-floor apartment in July, returned again in August, and I'm going back in September. The place is carefully looked after, very clean, and has everything needed in both the rooms and apartment. The apartment is especially comfortable and spacious, with a big terrace all guests can use. The owner and Carmela are kind and helpful, there for check-in and ready with advice. It's a quiet place run with care, and I recommend it.

The location is the one good point: just off the main street, with everything nearby, and five minutes from the sea. We won't stay here again; we'll return to Santa Maria but choose somewhere else. I wouldn't recommend it, especially for families with small children. We had a large room with a kitchenette and a terrace for meals, but a huge, useless table took up the balcony, and the kitchenette wasn't suitable. The rooms are small, storage is minimal, and our clothes mostly stayed in the suitcase. Cleanliness was superficial. There isn't a vending machine or even a coffee pod machine, so in the morning you have to wait for the bars to open at eight. One hot morning, we got back from the beach close to noon with our two young children, and the room still hadn't been cleaned. My husband told the cleaning staff we'd handle it ourselves, so that was fine, but we asked if they could at least leave towels. A couple of seconds later the owner called, arrogantly saying we'd have to pay extra for towels because they had been changed the day before. That wasn't true. She questioned what I said, insisting she trusted her staff completely. They must have mixed us up with another room.

The staff provided excellent service, and Mrs. Carmela was always available. I don't want to comment on the owners. My experience of the apartment itself was terrible: it was unrenovated, dirty, with worn-out furniture and no balcony. I think customers should be shown photos and told clearly when apartments haven't been renovated. People trust the photos and reviews, as I did. I also never received a rental agreement listing the services I was supposed to get, which is standard for a decent hotel.