Chalet Francesca

We spent seven nights here for around €1100-1200. August is busy in the Dolomites, so the price was a little above average but still reasonable for the area. The apartment is huge, quiet, and extremely well heated. It was cool inside even during a spell when it reached 33°C in the mountains, and I think it could work very well in winter too. The silence was unmatched, and I slept better than I have in a long time. There’s also an outside power supply for charging an electric car, apparently fully provided by the property. The place has satellite TV with Prime, Amazon, Netflix, and other platforms. The main issue is the humidity. The property sits in a low part of Pieve di Cadore, in a valley, with the apartment well below street level. The room has a dehumidifier, and it’s necessary to use it or the place is hard to live in. Humidity was about 88% at first, then we got it down to 55% after a day with the machine. There’s plaster coming off one corner, so the damp is a real issue. We found the location particularly useful during the hot weather, but after a few days you might prefer being outdoors rather than staying in the apartment all day. The kitchen is very well equipped, and the property has plenty of space. There’s one rather unfortunate bathroom and another that’s very nice. Heating works well, but the internet was weak and only worked in the entrance hall and kitchen, not the bedrooms, which caused us some trouble. Phone reception was also poor. The description of the location mentioned a castle, a hollow 400 metres from the island and the Ama landfill. The bedding material bothered me, and I think the sheets, pillows, and blankets should be cotton. There were lots of mosquitoes too. We changed apartments four times in August, and this was the only place we visited in twenty years that had so many; we were practically attacked. The walls were completely white, so removing them was easy. Some supplies were missing: there were no soaps, cleaning cloths, or rags, and what we found was worn and used. There was a dishwasher but no tablets, and the same applied to the two washing machines. Most of the apartment was clean and the bathroom fixtures had clearly been sanitized, but when I moved the sofa to watch TV, there was still dirt on the floor, pieces of bread, and cotton buds from previous guests. General cleaning could have been much more thorough. We won’t be coming back. The property has a lot going for it, but the damp and cleaning need attention.