Residenza Roccarosa

We’ve now stayed at Residenza Roccarosa three times, and we’ll keep coming back. It’s a fantastic find, with lovely, well-equipped apartments and a swimming pool area that the owners keep super clean. The grounds have stunning views across the Mediterranean, the lagoon, and San Teodoro. Salvatore & Marie Theresa are lovely, always available, and very helpful with advice. The apartments are well placed for San Teodoro, the many local beaches, and the fabulous harbor and seaside restaurants. Olbia Airport is very close too. It’s a perfect holiday destination in a stunning spot on a lovely island.

Roccarosa is a little gem tucked away in the back lanes of Lu Fraili, and we definitely plan to visit again. We had a brilliant week there as a family of four, with boys aged 13 and 11, from 03rd to 11th August 2018. Apt 5 was on the ground floor, with three good-sized bedrooms, a bathroom with shower, a simple kitchen, and a fairly private outdoor sitting area. The furnishing was simple, but it had what we needed for a comfortable stay and enough storage. The kitchen was fully equipped with utensils, pots, pans, crockery, a hob, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and a good-sized fridge freezer, so making simple meals was easy. The pool and garden are lovely and very well maintained, with a sitting area looking out to sea. The pool is about 10ml x 5mw and roughly 2.4m deep at its deepest, with a shallow end as well. Maria & Salvatore, the owners, are around if you need help and keep a comfortable level of discipline so unruly behavior doesn’t spoil guests’ stay. They weren’t intrusive at all, despite what other reviews suggest.

We had a pleasant stay in a beautiful, spacious place, with amazing rooms and plenty for small children to do in the pool and garden. Elisa, who managed check-in, was very friendly. The problems we ran into during the week were all slow to get sorted, taking the owner over 24 hours each time. With more professional handling, this would have been a five-star review. Check-in took three hours after we arrived at 6pm because the residence had booked our reservation incorrectly. The fridge broke after the first day, and a replacement came the next day. The gas in the flat stopped working and wasn’t fixed during our stay. We ran out of toilet paper and only got another roll after asking three times. For a week-long stay, more than one roll seems reasonable. They also don’t provide fresh towels or sheets during the week. There’s a €20 a day linen fee, but it doesn’t include fresh linen.

The apartment we got looked nothing like the photos. There was no view, just a dark, small place below parking level, with no air flow and the dining table outside because there wasn’t room. No balcony with a beautiful view, and no large windows to open. WiFi was unreliable and kept cutting out. On our morning of departure, we had no hot water, after already complaining that we hadn’t received the room advertised. The advertised coffee maker, bidet, and oven weren’t there. The stove was broken and had to be lit with matches. There were no washcloths, just one skimpy set of towels for the whole week, so I was glad I brought beach towels. The parking lot is ridiculous, with too many cars crammed into too little space. We also had to listen to screaming kids and horrible eurotrash music from the very large, noisy group next door, while breathing their awful cigarette smoke. This was the worst experience I’ve had anywhere, a rip off, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here. Bait and switch. Beware! I still haven’t received my mandatory 300 euro deposit either, so I’ll have to contest it with my credit card company, as I’m doing.