Casa Irene

At 9 PM, with three young kids and nowhere sorted for the night, we were trying to work out what to do after leaving. We’d booked a room for that same night after seeing the high rating on Google Maps and speaking by phone with the owner. Earlier, we’d eaten at a delicious local restaurant, and a few hours later we arrived at the B&B. A dog ran barking toward us at the gate, visibly worked up. We waited because the children are very little, scared of loud or unleashed dogs, and we worried it might jump on them. The owner came out, upset like the dog, and asked why we weren’t coming in. When I explained, she said the dog was her child. I replied that these were my children too, and asked if she could pick up hers to calm her down. She then said our room had no bathroom and that the dog could roam freely through the house, and complained about the situation. I politely said it seemed we couldn’t stay after all. She demanded half the room price. We explained that we’d come all that way hoping it would work, but couldn’t stay and wouldn’t pay for a three-minute conversation. She yelled and swore, saying, “I hope you get bitten by a dob a thousand times, all of you.” When we said we’d call the police, she said she’d deny saying it. We left and found a lovely double room with four beds and an en suite bathroom just down the road at Hotel Victoria, breakfast included, for less than she’d quoted. The whole experience was beyond appalling, but I’m proud we showed our kids how to respond calmly, call the authorities, and demand respect when faced with coercion and verbal abuse. We’ll never return, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you want your money going to extremely rude dog owners.