Hotel Maria Rosaria

The cabin itself was really comfortable and spacious, nicely furnished, with air conditioning in every room, a large comfortable shower, a very nice bathroom, towels, a drying rack and washing machine. The hotel pool was beautiful and very clean. The check-in arrangements were much less comfortable. Weeks ahead, I asked Booking.com and the property by phone and message if we could arrive at 2:00 PM instead of 3:00 PM. They said they’d try. At the hotel reception, where we had to check in because the cabins belong to the hotel, we were told ours was the only one not ready, while all the others were. I found that unprofessional and not something you should tell a guest. We were asked to wait half an hour, then they asked for our documents to register. Booking.com said there might be a dog supplement, but didn’t give an amount. They charged €30.00 for cleaning because we had a dog, plus the tourist tax. As Sardinian residents, we paid €1.00 per person per day for that, which was fine. Then came the €150.00 security deposit, payable in cash. That deposit was not listed anywhere on Booking. They said they send a WhatsApp message the day before with these details, but in my case they didn’t have my phone number. I explained that we use email, not WhatsApp, to communicate with guests. I’d also called several times for information, and they could have asked for my number during one of those calls or messaged me through Booking. The information should have been on Booking. It shouldn’t be left until the day before arrival in a WhatsApp message. My father said he only had a card, and they told us we could withdraw cash at a bank there. I said I’d called several times and no one had mentioned the deposit. They replied that there were four of them and wondered who I’d spoken to. I answered that if four staff members couldn’t communicate with each other, that was serious. We paid the deposit. Before we left, I photographed everything in the cottage that was already damaged and sent the pictures by WhatsApp, since that’s the tool they use with guests. The deposit was refunded at the end of the stay. The issue wasn’t the deposit itself. They should have listed it on Booking, and given the exact dog cleaning fee there too. Since this was their mistake, I think they should have apologized, but they didn’t. They could at least have offered a discount for a meal at the hotel restaurant or pizzeria. We never ate there because we didn’t like how we were treated. Instead of apologizing for the late cabin handover, despite the time being confirmed on Booking, or for the deposit confusion, all we got were excuses.