Villaggio Costa Real

We don't recommend this place. It's outdated and far too expensive, and the apartments don't match the website photos. The neighborhood is dirty, the roads have potholes, and the beaches were crowded and polluted rather than pristine.

We stayed at Costa Real Residence Village from August 9th to 23rd, 2025, with my family and our dog. We trusted the positive reviews and paid a huge amount for very little. The welcome was awful. There's nothing village-like about this neglected, dirty residence with a small pool. We were given a ground-floor "Superior" unit with a terrace facing the garden, but no gate for our pet. They handed us a chipped wooden lattice panel, the kind used for climbing plants, to act as a gate. Other guests' pets came into our space and made us uncomfortable. The garden was being used as a parking lot, so there was no privacy, and the ground was constantly rising on the terrace and inside the apartment. The unit had broken shutters, mosquito nets that were completely broken wherever there were any, and no basic kitchen utensils. There was just one of each dish per person 😱. The shower was clogged and flooded the bathroom. No bar either, only a miserable, poorly stocked and very expensive vending machine. The coin-operated washing machine was in a filthy room beside the waste area. The entertainment staff were completely inadequate and incompetent, so we had to entertain ourselves. The sea is the only nice thing, but we barely got to enjoy it because the beach can't be reached on foot from the resort. The included shuttle was badly managed, with absurd timings instead of running continuously. We had to rush and get up early, packed into a nine-seat minibus carrying up to 15 people like cattle. At the beach, we walked across sand and rocks under the scorching sun to get there. The resort beach had only four rows of umbrellas, packed side by side. We got one umbrella and two deck chairs, not even a sunbed, and there were no toilets or bins. Coming back, we had to wait for the shuttle with no shelter in the blazing sun. It was a real ordeal. Our dog wasn't treated as a pet-friendly guest, yet we were charged an absurd amount just for bringing him. This wasn't a good holiday at all. We wasted our money this year. Highly not recommended.

The free shuttle to the beach made getting there quick and easy, and we appreciated having a reserved spot at Grotticelle Beach, an iconic Calabrian spot. The partner beach club was quiet and well kept. The grounds are set in a pleasant, tidy garden, and the pool and shared areas were meticulously maintained. The apartment didn't meet the same standard. It looked more modern in the photos, but its furniture and amenities were aging, especially the kitchen and bathroom, including the shower. Many thanks to Mrs. Denise for her professionalism and helpfulness. She was always ready with a smile and made our holiday more enjoyable.

The only thing that made this week with my family bearable was the other families we met. We organized activities together and kept ourselves occupied, though that was down to us, not the resort. Getting to the beach was a mess. The shuttle was meant for eight people, but there were as many as 17 of us crammed aboard. After getting off, we still had a long walk over rocks. At the beach, the lifeguard often resold the umbrella and loungers we had paid for, so we couldn't find our place. When we did, there were only two loungers for four of us, and the umbrellas were packed so closely together there was no privacy. The rooms were old, dirty, neglected, and in awful hygienic condition, far below what I'd expect from a tourist resort. There was practically no entertainment either. Credit to the two young staff members who tried their best with very limited resources and no support. What should have been a relaxing, fun holiday became one inconvenience after another. The people we befriended were the one real bright spot. I strongly wouldn't recommend this place, especially for families or anyone expecting basic comfort, organization, and the services they were promised.