Résidence Villa Smeralda

The rooms, pool, and amenities weren't ready. The fridge didn't work because they only switch it on when you arrive, not beforehand. The manager treats the staff like slaves, which was sad to see. We were charged twice for the rental car. Don't go, stay somewhere else! 😔

A lovely place to spend a holiday.

The refund they eventually agreed to still hasn't reached us, so this isn't over. The whole thing badly affected the first two days of our holiday. We arrived to a closed gate and got no answer despite ringing several times and calling every number we had. Anthonio, the on-site manager, wasn't the owner and hadn't been told we were coming. We waited outside for 20 minutes with our 20-month-old baby. He hadn't been told about the crib we'd requested either, though he did bring one later that evening, so that part was fine. The accommodation we were given was nothing like the photos or what we had paid for. It was a recently built unit beside Anthonio's apartment and a shed, with no private terrace or charm. We had to share the terrace with him, the living room had no windows, and we were quite far from the pool. On our first night, local neighbors, apparently renting for a longer period, shouted and slammed doors until 1 a.m. The owner lives in Switzerland and isn't on site. At first he refused to move us, saying nothing else was available. After we said we wanted to leave and get a refund, he supposedly said another place had opened up, but by then we'd booked somewhere else. Anthonio himself was very kind and did his best to help.

There were leftovers in the refrigerator, but not basics like soap, toilet paper, or dish soap. Cigarettes were scattered around, things were broken, including dishes in the apartment, and the place was incredibly dirty and run-down. The small pool's pump was so loud we couldn't relax, and the Wi-Fi in our apartment failed. Technicians came but couldn't fix it, then never returned. Our complaints only got rude messages. Antonio no longer has any employees, and it's impossible for one person to manage this place alone. It could be lovely, but it's a dump. We booked the holiday home, set a little apart from the other houses, with its own small pool. On arrival we found a worm in our son's bed. It was just a small folding bed and hadn't even been made up. The outdoor grill was covered in caterpillars and spiders. Sure, it's in nature, but the host should clean up before the next guests. The cupboards were full of cobwebs, hooks were coming off the wall, and there was broken glass in the grass between the pool and the porch swing. We felt awful there, and it ruined our holiday. Antonio was unfriendly and rude. I don't understand the positive reviews. He advertises breakfast and says he'll cook a delicious dinner on request, but there's nothing to eat, and the area where cooking apparently used to happen is filthy. You don't want to stay a moment longer than you have to. Donkeys, horses, turtles? They're all promised, but we only saw birds locked in a small cage.