Bastia 2

Francesco was there whenever we needed anything. Boat trips, trekking, 4x4s, jet skis, canoeing, you name it. An unforgettable holiday. See you soon.

The room was roomy and bright, with air conditioning, and the location was central but away from the city bustle. There are a lot of stairs up to the rooms, which could be a hassle with a stroller or lots of bags. In my view, room cleanliness needs more attention, since it matters more than the other details.

We had to climb about 40 stairs to reach a rundown place that was basically a basement, in a very inconvenient location. At €120 a night, it felt like a rip-off for what was, putting it kindly, a hostel. I strongly advise against staying here. The studio smelled musty and felt unhealthy. The building was in poor shape, with no maintenance: water wouldn’t drain in the shower or bidet, and the window panes were broken. It was completely unlike the other reviews on Google and elsewhere, and I can’t work out where those reviews came from. The owner gave the impression he cared only about collecting rent and not about providing service. We’d booked and paid for two nights days in advance, but when he handed over the room, he asked how many people were staying and whether we needed sheets for the sofa bed. Check-in was at 7:00 PM, not 10:00 AM, so he’d had plenty of time to get it ready. He’d also asked for and received the bank transfer within hours. We ended up providing our own sheets, but they were single ones for a double sofa bed. He brought replacements, but those were wrong too.

I called after a friend recommended the place. Mr. Francesco described spacious, airy, separate apartments. He said it was €75 a night on Booking.com, but he could do €70 for me, plus €10 if I wanted a private garage. When we arrived, nobody was there to greet us because he doesn’t live on site. The place is down a narrow side street, and you have to climb several steps to get to the rooms. Ours smelled strongly of mold. They also told us, as we arrived, that they didn’t know whether our car would fit in the garage. We went to look at it since the room was already a letdown. The garage is on a side street before the building, down a one-way road, so we had to loop all the way around. It was tiny, and getting the car in took endless maneuvering. Back in the room, we hoped the smell had just been in our heads, but it was definitely real. I called Mr. Francesco’s sister, who later took over the reservation, and explained the problems that hadn’t been disclosed. I asked how breakfast worked since it’s a B&B, and found out breakfast wasn’t included. We decided to look elsewhere. For that price, the musty room, tiny closet, and garage being away from the room felt like a rip-off. Then they offered us a different room that was spacious and clean. We accepted in the end because we’d already lost an hour and didn’t want to search around. I checked Booking afterward and saw the room was listed at €62. A real rip-off, I’d say.