La Casa di Mannazzotta

We left on the first day without spending a night there because of the owners’ rude, arrogant responses. We booked one apartment but were told outside the door, while unloading our bags, that we’d be given a different one for three of our ten days. We couldn’t really settle in, and the replacement had no hot water because its boiler wasn’t working. When we raised that and the sand in the shower, we were told we were making excuses for a discount. They also said our own boiler at home breaks down, too. We were told to leave if we didn’t like it, but that meant losing our deposit. Mr. Mario was the only person we could reason with, and he agreed with us about the problem, but it didn’t change anything. I was told that if you pay without complaining, you’ll be fine. We booked somewhere else in a hurry, and have referred the deposit dispute to a lawyer because she refuses to return it. Be careful if you have a problem.

We spent a week here as a family of four in a lovely top-floor apartment. The landlady was friendly, and the location is close to the beach, supermarket, restaurants, and bars. It was our fifth time visiting Castelsardo, but our first stay in Lu Bagnu. In our opinion, the area has improved a lot in recent years. The beach and nearby surf school are highly recommended.

Airbnb guests, be extremely careful. We were made to pay an extra €200.00 shortly before checkout. The owners approached us: the woman listed as the host on Airbnb, a man who didn’t introduce himself, and an older woman. They loudly accused us of hiding my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, who had stayed in the apartment for two nights. I was shocked, since we had already messaged the host through Airbnb to say they were coming and would sleep in the existing beds. They demanded €200.00, or €50.00 per person per night, which was more than the rental itself. The landlady claimed Airbnb required the full amount, but wouldn’t show proof. Her (?) husband aggressively insisted we hand over all our identification before we could go to the bank to get the money, and said paying through Airbnb wasn’t possible. That’s a lie. Airbnb warns about scams like this and says not to pay cash on site. The landlady and the older woman were talking among themselves, and the older woman seemed close to tears. My wife understands a little Italian, which the landlady didn’t know, and understood what she was saying. She asked them both to stop demanding more money. The landlady knew we had to catch a ferry, so we felt we had no choice but to pay. We had to ask repeatedly before my brother-in-law got a receipt for the €200.00. I checked Airbnb again afterwards, and the apartment cost the same for two or four people. Be careful. If in doubt, insist on paying through Airbnb. It’s always possible.

Run away! This was a very bad experience, especially for a family. Don’t rely on Google reviews, check Booking.com. The person who checked us in barely said hello and didn’t know what we’d booked. The listing offers a family room with a double bed and three singles, but it doesn’t exist. The photos are mixed up and made us think it might be a small apartment. From the description, we expected at least two adjoining rooms, with the children sleeping separately. Instead, we were given two rooms on the same L-shaped landing, with someone else’s room between them. That didn’t feel legal with underage children left alone. We had to sleep with the doors open and strain to hear them at night. And despite the bed and breakfast label, there was no breakfast. When we reported the problems, staff didn’t respond or show any flexibility. We asked to leave early because the booking didn’t match the listing. Within the first hour, they held our passport and said we could have it back if we paid the room cancellation fee, which is normal, plus €200 in cash as compensation. That amount was only stated verbally by the establishment and wasn’t listed on Booking.com or anywhere else. There was no card machine. We’re clearly not the first people this has happened to. I call it a scam.