Il Giardino degli Oleandri

We paid €350 through Expedia for two nights for five friends, then after booking found out there was a €220 tourism tax to pay at the hotel. Why isn't that included in the price upfront? There was also a €200 deposit and no cancellation policy. They say €100 is for cleaning and city taxes, which is okay, and charge €10 per person per day for electricity, gas, and water. How does that add up to €40 a day for utilities? Check-in is at 5pm, too. I've worked in tourism for over 10 years and have never seen anything like this. Be careful, they may want you to pay for the walls, paint, and construction as well. They see customers as people to rip off. Never again!

Check-in isn't until 5pm, and the hotel charged nearly half the Expedia price in extra costs. They wanted €100 for cleaning, €40 a day for basic gas, electricity, and water, plus another €220 at the hotel under the name “tourism tax,” none of which was included when paying. Why should I pay daily for utilities I won't use? Total scammers, very unprofessional. It feels like they're using little, disgusting tricks to make easy money from customers.

Gianni was an incredibly kind manager, always smiling and joking. The low price was nice, too. We'd book again if they upgraded the kitchen, added blankets, and replaced the mattress. We stayed in the middle to end of May, when there were no blankets, only sheets. We warmed the room with the air conditioning, but sleeping that way wasn't nice. You could feel the mattress springs. The kitchen had only the most basic cutlery, a tiny wooden chopping board, and no decent knife. For an Airbnb, I expect basics like salt, pepper, and at least some oil. I don't understand why guests have to buy those things and the minimum cooking utensils themselves. The bathroom was okay, but the toilet flush wouldn't stop on its own. You had to hit it three or four more times, and we only noticed the water still running from the loud pipe noise when we were already in bed. I'd give it four stars as a three-star place, but it's advertised as a four-star hotel. All the best!

I'm writing on behalf of Durak because I can't reply here. We hadn't stayed yet, and I never claimed to be writing about an experience after staying. Once we booked and saw the extra €220 due at the hotel, we didn't want to stay. I called first thing in the morning to cancel and explain. Instead of helping me directly, the hotel told me to contact the booking agency. The agency's representative then said I had to call Expedia. The hotel sent me through third-party channels, and when Expedia got back to me, they said the hotel wouldn't accept the cancellation and I had to pay the full amount. There are three comments even though four of us booked, and one person still has to complain. The hotel said it often happens that customers are attracted by a very low booking price in big bold points, €350 in our case, while the other “minor” details, €220, are buried further down the page. If I were paying almost €600 for a hotel, there are much better places in the same location. I can see why the details and low price might be presented that way. They say these numbers aren't true, but I tried to upload a screenshot with all the details and prices, and Google wouldn't allow a photo containing text. Everything in their reply is nonsense. They were no help at all, focused on the small amounts they could rip off. I'm a travel writer and have worked with hotels for 14 years, traveling around the world and writing about them for 200 thousand people. I know when I see a scammer. Because you tried to fool me and made me stay at your hotel after I tried to cancel, I'll make sure people know about this so you won't fool anyone again. Best, Durak