Villa Chiara Porto Recanati

The apartments are roomy and welcoming, and the staff were really friendly. It’s a quiet spot, only 400 meters from the beach, where the booking includes an umbrella and two loungers at a nice beach club. The value for money is excellent. Cleanliness could use more attention, though. The black marks in the tile grout could come off if bleach were left on for 10 minutes.

We had indoor parking and a pool, and the booking also came with bikes and beach access, including an umbrella and two loungers. The beaches are nearby. The rooms could’ve been cleaner: we found clipped fingernails left by previous guests, and the kitchen was pretty sparsely equipped. It seems well suited to families, less so to couples without kids. The children of the families staying there were rude, which took away from our stay, though that wasn’t the property’s fault.

The location was one of the few good things, along with the bike rental and the option to rent an umbrella and lounger. We even saw rats in the following days, so we won’t be back and can’t recommend the place. The Conero area, though, is worth visiting for its gorgeous sea, things to see, and good food. Our holiday got off to a terrible start. We were given a studio that was basic, old, poorly furnished, smelled strongly of age, and was dirty, with spiders especially in the kitchen and mold in the shower. It didn’t look like the online photos or seem worth the price. Towels were very worn, and a face towel had several lipstick stains. The showerhead was clogged with limescale, and the mattress cover had hair from previous guests. There was no bathroom bin or hangers. The shared washing machine was dirty and full of grass from the recently mown lawn. One window had no screen, a shutter couldn’t be locked from outside, and the outdoor drying rack was dirty and covered in cobwebs. We told Mr. Francesco right away and asked to change rooms. While waiting for an official answer, we spent the first hour and a half cleaning. We were disappointed and disgusted.

The pool and location are lovely, which makes the poor management such a shame. The apartment was dirty, from the dishes to the curtains, and the bathroom was unsanitary and moldy. We reported it by phone right away and were told someone would come clean, but nobody turned up all week. The photos really don’t match the place. Disappointing.