House Falcone in Stintino

It's incredibly quiet in the evenings, with a beautiful view, a pool, and mini apartments around a 15-20 minute walk from the beach. Those are the good points. The cleaning for €25 really left a lot to be desired: dusty furniture, an uncleaned bathroom, and floors that clearly hadn't been mopped in a long time. We found chairs on the table and something like a bedside table on the bed, basically a DIY project. The water heater was off when we arrived, so there was no hot water for a while and we had to wait before we could shower.

Stintino itself doesn't have much to see, and the location makes getting around the island a hassle. It's at the tip of a peninsula in the north, so reaching the first road junction takes about 50 minutes of driving each day. It works well if you're mainly after nearby beaches and coves, especially if La Pelosa is your only destination, though that beach charges an entrance fee.

The setting is lovely, but the apartment was small, worn down and dirty. Ants were everywhere on our first night, including on our suitcase, clothes and food, so we left the next day. The owner was incredibly kind and found us another apartment in Castelsardo, where we finished the holiday in a clean, decent place. At Valle da Luna (Stintino), the management was poor. The woman managing the apartment seemed concerned only with payment and making sure we took our rubbish out on the last day. She didn't respond to our complaints or try to solve the problem. The owners of the other apartments were helpful, though, and made it possible for us to enjoy the final days in peace.

The views of La Pelosa from this charming apartment were lovely, and the area was really quiet. What more could you ask for?