Villa Caterina 8 - LOC

Ants were everywhere and the place was dirty. The electronic doors failed and left us trapped inside. Since it was Saturday and the owner doesn't work Saturdays, we had to call the fire department. In a fire, we would have died.

We stayed in apartment 8 on the 2nd floor for three days. The courtyard had ample parking behind a fence, and there was a great outdoor area with a pool, grills and more. The lake swimming spot is under a 10-minute walk away, and Conad is just around the corner. Still, I wouldn't book here again. The apartment has a mold problem. There was mold behind the mirror, and the wardrobe was nearly flush against the exterior wall with no ventilation behind it. It had been superficially treated, but mold traces were still visible in the pictures. The walls were damp, and the bathroom has no ventilation system. With new airtight windows, moisture stays in the room unless you leave the windows open without mosquito nets or keep the air conditioning running. They offered to remove the mold, but for us, only staying three days, that would have meant extra hassle with cleaning products and wouldn't have helped. The door lock batteries were dead, so the door wouldn't lock. We had to buy replacements ourselves to avoid leaving it open. The elevator smelled musty, the walls were thin enough that we could clearly hear neighbors talking, and there were no fly screens on the windows.

I was in apartment 4. It was clean and really comfortable, and the garden was well looked after. The pool was still working even though it was already October. Highly recommended.

We had booked 11 nights, but left after just 2. The complex and location were very good, and the pool area was lovely, which is the one reason for the one star. The rest was awful. We were in Villa Caterina 3. The furnishings were dated, the apartment wasn't clean and some equipment was broken. Worse, the exterior walls were covered with mold. It smelled musty, the plaster was peeling, and there was mold on the backs of the closet walls too. You didn't want to look behind them. It seemed old and had clearly been painted over many times. We spent two and a half days just opening windows to get fresh air. They offered to clean, spray and paint everything, but we thankfully declined. You can't fix mold like that in half a day, especially with damp walls. We found somewhere else and left after two nights. We were told all the lower-floor apartments have a damp problem. We also met two men staying at Villa Caterina 2. They had ants and such a bad smell they could barely stay there. They'd only booked two nights and were glad they could leave. This needs to be dealt with. Sleeping there is unacceptable, and it's an absolute health hazard.