Villa Olesia

We spent a week at Villa Olesia in Ostra, Italy, with a group of 14. The bedrooms were a strong point: each was well equipped with its own shower and bathroom, had air conditioning, and the beds were good quality. The surrounding region is pretty too, which is a shame given the rest of the stay. Having the owners in the same villa caused problems for us. We felt watched throughout the week, and there was always a suggestion or comment about what we were doing. Guests aren't allowed to bring pets, but the owners have two dogs that aren't kept in their enclosure. Their mess ended up in our part of the garden, by the pool and loungers, and sometimes even on our flip-flops. We also found it very difficult, perhaps impossible, to have friends over for a meal, though when you rent a place you should be able to share a meal with friends. The kitchen is too small for the number of guests. The owners want quiet, but sleeping late wasn't really possible: tractors could be around the house early, or the villa's gardener might start mowing at 8 a.m. Want to use the pool early? That wasn't possible either, since the pool-cleaning robot stayed in until 9 a.m. or later. On departure day, the cleaning team arrived at 9 a.m., even though our rental ran until 10. We also had to pay about €130 extra for electricity, while the villa and pool were lit all night.

The upstairs was so good I would have given it five stars on its own, but for the vacation home as a whole I can only give three. We rented it for 14 days with 10 adults and 2 children. The rooms looked just like the photos, though some more places to hang things would help. The owners were friendly, but for the first 2-3 days they were around a lot and we felt a bit watched. That eased after a few days. We wondered if they were keeping an eye on us to check that we followed the rules. Heavy rain left the ceiling wet during our stay. The owner dealt with it straight away and arranged for a handyman. The grounds were generally well cared for, and whenever we noticed dog mess, the owner took care of it right away. I did wish we hadn't had to tell her first. The two dogs also often relieved themselves on our cars, which wasn't ideal. The terrace, living room, and kitchen don't really work for 10-15 people. There's no proper stove with an oven for cooking, and the fridge-freezer is pretty small even for 10. We gave the grill a thorough clean and put in a new gas cylinder.

The scenery was stunning, and there were lots of lovely places to visit nearby. We had our own pool at this very nice holiday apartment/house. I took off a star because the owner lives in the house, and the kitchen doesn't have a proper stove for pizza or even baking bread rolls.

This is a magnificent place to stay while exploring the Marche region. The residence looks out over the whole panorama, has every comfort, and comes with a pool surrounded by complete quiet. Fantastic!